Features

Visual politics in Oxford’s streets

One of the most enduring images of grassroots politics is the pamphlet and the pamphleteer: the putting up of flyers, the taking over of public surfaces, the giddy circulation of agitational print, the vexation of the powers that be.

Academic tourism: Oxford University and its summer schools

As anyone who has remained in Oxford over the long vacation knows, thousands take up the offer of a 'study holiday'.

The BNOC List 2026

As the academic year draws to a close, the most anticipated list in all of Oxford is finally here! This year’s BNOC nomination form received 331 responses over the course of ten days, with the final response coming in just 14 seconds before the form closed (you’ve got to admire the procrastination of an Oxford student).

The life and death of a library

I feel slightly like a fraud when I confess that I never swore Bodley’s above oath, displayed on the entrance desk to Duke Humfrey’s Library. That isn’t to say that I would ever act against it.

Orange paint, green promises, and Oxford’s climate conundrum

Oxford has fulfilled its 2020 divestment commitments. But some activists see hypocrisy, as it continues to hold millions of pounds in indirect investments.

Are University redevelopments endangering our Common Ground?

With the University having outlined a plan to work with the community, its ability to preserve Common Ground will test its commitment.

Helping the homeless: Volunteering or voyeurism?

In Milan, people sleep on the streets where Europe's elites shop and dine. Is photographing the homeless valuable or inherently intrusive?

Sextigation 2025: Top one percent of shaggers do 15% of all shagging

How much sex do Oxford students have? How true are the stereotypes – which colleges get the most action, do students really date for marriage?

“All faiths and none?”: What college chapels can offer their students

The rustle of a scholar’s gown. Dappled evening light glowing behind a stained-glass saint. The crackling of a candle being lit. The college chapel...

You wouldn’t steal a Cherwell article: AI and copyright infringement

Hello, Cherwell reader! Think this is a good article? A TikToker probably thinks so too. ‘Korean Consultant’ posted a TikTok on 5th January 2025...

Much ado about funding: Financing Oxford student theatre

Last term, I performed in my first show at Oxford University, and I couldn’t stop talking about it. Everyone I knew was subjected to...

High pressure, few spots: What Careers Service data says about Oxford’s internship culture

"Planning ahead is sensible, important – even exciting. But it shouldn’t come at the expense of everything else."

Do ‘you-need’ Youni? 

More than a year on from their official launch in Oxford University, it is time to consider the success of the alumni-founded startup app...

My music doesn’t break tradition. It is traditional

"It is precisely because I love Oxford’s traditions that I’m inviting my culture to be part of it."

MLK Day: Anti-Blackness isn’t just a Western problem

"If we truly believe in equality, it’s time to hold up that same mirror to ourselves and confront what we see. Change begins when we stop making excuses."

£450,000 for a two-bed in Cowley: Oxford is at the centre of the UK’s housing crisis

A two-bed, one-bath home in Cowley is currently listed for £450,000. In 1998, it sold for just £85,150.  While wages have also grown over that...

What Gisèle Pelicot can teach us about student consent workshops 

"Consent is not just a rule dictated in an isolated workshop."

Smoke and mirrors: Oxford’s changing smoking culture

Behind a constant veil of thick tobacco smoke, students relax and chat in a night of music and dancing far from Oxford’s usually formal...

Intoxtigation 2024: Merton drinks least, Christ Church most, and two thirds tipsy around tutors

In an Oxford first, the Cherwell Features team gathered data from 1,250 students on all things drinking.

Bridging the gap to a better clubbing scene

Oxford's monopolised club scene dampens the creativity and expression of young artists.

The students working to tackle homelessness

It's an odd sensation to be at one of the richest universities in the world, whose city nonetheless has so many people in need of help.

From classrooms to code: Education in Britain’s misinformation fight

Media literacy has its champions, including Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, who has indicated that the ongoing school curriculum review will emphasise critical thinking skills relevant to media consumption.

UK unis’ global reputations are at risk

"Oxford University retains a near-unparalleled prestige for students around the world - so why have international applications nearly halved?"

A whistle-stop tour of Oxford’s women’s societies

What can all these women’s societies be fighting for? To find out, I spoke to eight of their presidents. 

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