Wadham College (Oxford): Detailed Guide, General Information and Contacts

Wadham College is located in the city centre, on Parks Road. The College has some of the most beautiful gardens in Oxford and the neighbouring colleges include New, Hertford, Harris Manchester, and Mansfield.

The College offers academic-related grants for students of all levels. These include grants for students with declared disabilities, freshers’ book grants, printing and binding grants. Students studying Classics, Ancient History, Middle Eastern studies and other history related subjects have specific funded grants which they can apply for. Additionally, there are other grants for accommodation and hardship support.

Similar grants are available for graduate students. A good number of scholarships are also available for graduate students, as well as cash prizes for graduate achievements.

More information can be found here for undergraduate finance and graduate finance here.

There are endless opportunities to get involved with music, drama, and arts at any level, as everything is set up and run by students. The Orchestra of Wadham and LMH is a friendly and non-auditioning orchestra. As well as this, the drama scene is big in Wadham College where alumni include Felicity Jones, Patrick Maber, and Rosamund Pike. Budding drama students can take part in drama cuppers in the first term. The College has its own Moser theatre, so Wadham students are the first in line when it comes to finding space to put on a show or hold rehearsals.

As well as these opportunities, there are over 300 university societies you can join.

Undergraduates are offered accommodation throughout the length of their course. There are three sites, Wadham College, Merifield, and the Dorothy Wadham building to which freshers are assigned, according to ballot. First and third year undergraduates are typically housed at Wadham College, with second years in the ensuite, self-catered Dorothy Wadham Building. Fourth years are located in the self-catered accommodation in Merifield. More information about the specific buildings and bedrooms can be found here.

For graduates, Wadham College offers single accommodation to the majority of full time first-years. Like the undergraduates, the accommodation are divided over three sites: Merifield, Lathbury Road, and the Dorothy Wadham Building. There are also a few rooms on the main College site reserved for graduates with special requirements. Graduates are able to eat in College where breakfast and lunch is served on a pay-as-you-go basis. The graduate centre has a fully equipped kitchen to make your own drinks, snacks, and meals and a common room with tables, chairs, and sofas. More information can be found here.

The facilities are Wadham College include the College’s own indoor squash and badminton courts and a well-equipped gym. The university’s rugby, football, and cricket pitches are very close to the College. Rowing is one of the biggest sports at Wadham and the College regularly takes part in the two annual races in Oxford. Wadham is the only undergraduate college with a women’s weightlifting club and apart from this, there is a whole host of male and female sports teams and if they don’t have the sport you are looking for- you can start your own team.

Wadham College’s JCR organises lots of welfare activities such as welfare brunches, teas, Zumba, yoga, and the unique Queer Week, which is a week of talks, workshops, and performances about LGBTQ+ issues and culture. The College Chaplain is regularly on site and hosts afternoon teas with lots of baked goods, of which her dog Jonah, also takes part! The Welfare Team includes Peer Supporters, a Women’s Officer, an LGBTQ+ Officer, a POC Officer, as well as other senior and junior members.

• Every year, a group of Wadhamites gets to visit New York for 3 weeks, with all expenses paid.
• Wadham was the only College founded by a woman, Dorothy Wadham, who fought hard against the wishes of her late husband’s family and oversaw the project from the start.
• Every Easter, there is a reading week where a group of students spend time working, relaxing, and cooking together in a magnificent country house in Cornwall.
• Although the students don’t wear gowns to Hall, Wadhamite students are not permitted to walk on the grass.

Monica Ali

Rowan Williams

Michael Rosen