Thursday 23rd April 2026

Headlines

Magdalen College Choir to admit girls for first time in 500-year history

Magdalen College has announced that girls will be admitted as choristers for the first time in the Choir’s history, marking a momentous change for one of the University of Oxford’s longest-standing choral traditions.

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Recent News

Opinion

There really is no smoke without fire

Preoccupation with one’s appearance is to be expected when starting at University. New wardrobes and even newer anxieties combine as the daunting concept of...

‘Studentification’ is hollowing out Oxford

When redevelopment becomes synonymous with displacement, we must ask what kind of city is being constructed alongside the University.

We need summer re-sits

Desmond Weisenberg discusses the impact of Oxford's lack of summer re-sits

Course culling is a threat to us all

Education is valuable for its own sake, Rampant course culls are the result of wrongly boiling it down to economic value.

I was wrong. Oxford needs a ‘reading’ week.

In passing, friends often bemoan how their partners at other universities get a week off, mid-term, to, in essence, prat around. The deified ‘reading...

Features

The independent cinema battling Oriel College to stay open

With the threat of an unrenewed lease from Oriel College, the Ultimate Picture Palace is appealing to the community at large for support.

War within earshot: A year abroad in Jordan

A large part of my decision to study Arabic is owed to my father’s passing. Having now experienced life in the Middle East, including its wars, I now understand him far more than I ever could have anticipated.

The essay and its long history in Oxford

In 1811, a student at University College published a pamphlet including an essay titled ‘The Necessity of Atheism’ that he later distributed to the Heads of Oxford Colleges. The student, after disputes with the Master of University College at the time, was “sent down” on the grounds of “contumacy” (disobeying authority). This student was Percy Shelley. 

‘The only woman in Hall’: Gender and college governance

When Baroness Alexandra Freeman became Principal of Hertford College last month, she did not initially realise she was the first woman to hold the role.

Profiles

Culture

Bridging Communities: Vocatio:Responsio’s Liverpool Tour

Vocatio:Responsio, meaning Call:Response in Latin,...

‘Comedy is very deceptive’: Seán Carey on ‘Operation Mincemeat’

As a history student, you occasionally come across stories so strange they feel almost fictional. Operation Mincemeat is one of them.

‘People are so hungry to create together’: Lisa Ko on going analogue, crafting, and writing the future

It’s 11:02am in New York when Lisa Ko appears on the video call. In Oxford, the sun is almost down.

How 2025’s biggest films made their mark through music

The recent Oscar nominations have allowed us to reflect on how fundamental musical scores are to film, and the highlights of last year’s film soundtracks.

Lifestyle

Where is the best vegetarian lunch in Oxford? 

For those of us still hung up about the loss of Leon, the answer to the question of where to find a quick, high-quality vegetarian lunch may not be an obvious one. This week, I set out to find out. 

Sport

Oxford’s women fight back to win first Boat Race in almost a decade

The Boat Race’s recent history...

‘We’re all writing for screenshots these days’: In conversation with Jonathan Liew

When the call connects, Jonathan Liew spends the first five minutes asking me instead about whether you can get through an Oxford tutorial having not read the book your essay is about and what the news diet for students my age looks like.

OURFC crush Cambridge to sweep Varsity 2026 

Stepping out onto the field...

A matchweek with the OURFC Blues

Oxford is starting to wake up, a couple of cars and the occasional runner dotted about the roads.