Monday 18th May 2026

News

Oxford and UNESCO launch a free global course on AI and Rule of Law

The University of Oxford has paired up with UNESCO to launch a free global course titled “AI, Justice, and Rule of Law”. The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) will teach those in legal settings to navigate the ethical, legal, and human rights challenges of AI. 

£26 million in visiting student tuition fees: Inside the finances of Oxford’s visiting student programme

Across the twelve colleges that disclosed figures, the total income from visiting student tuition fees from 2021 to 2025 amounted to £26,474,583.

Tommy Robinson Union invite sparks controversy across University

The Oxford Union has invited Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, who identifies as Tommy Robinson, to speak at a Week 5 debate on the motion ‘This house believes the West is right to be suspicious of Islam’. The invitation has generated backlash from University societies, senior Union officials, and Stand Up to Racism UK. 

Think tank publishes report calling for centralised Oxbridge admissions

The Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) has published a new report advocating for centralised admissions procedures for applications to the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, arguing that the current collegiate system increases the opacity and complexity for applicants and their teachers.

Balliol burglar may be student

Police are appealing for help after a burglar escaped porters at Balliol College.

The Futureheads – “This is not the world”

Monique Davis is underwhelmed by The Futureheads' latest offering

VIDEO: Protests mar Israel festival

Palestine supporters descend on iFest "Camels in Oxford" event, despite organisers' call to leave politics aside.

Union rule change poll opens

Members of the Oxford Union are voting today on a proposed change to the debating society's election regulations, despite a mistake in election publicity.   It emerged this weekend that printed publicity for the poll was erroneous, leaving out part of the proposed rule change.  A corrected version has been published on the Oxford Union website.   The poll closes at 9pm.   See also: Omkar triggers Union poll  

Bridge forced to clean up

Popular student nightclub The Bridge has been forced to change its door entry policies and has been forbidden from using glass bottles and glasses following a review of the club’s licence by Oxford City Council’s Licensing sub-committee.   The club will now be unable to admit customers in the hour before closing time. It will also have to serve drinks in polycarbonate containers as opposed to glass. 

Polish students in Oxford

Oxford University welcomed Committee members from Polish Societies across the country this weekend for the ‘Leading Our Future’ event, a Congress organised by students at the universities of Oxford and St Andrews.   Professor Zbigniew Pelczynski, former tutor at Pembroke, hosted some 60 students on the three-day event, which featured discussion panels, group workshops and leadership training.   Guest speakers included Oxford graduate and current Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radek Sikorski, and Professor Leszek Kolakowski, Senior Research Fellow at All Souls.

Music harms environment

Preliminary research conducted at Oxford University indicates that the UK music industry produces up to one million tonnes of CO2 annually.   The University’s Environmental Change Institute (ECI) believes the main contributors to be live concerts, the mass production and sale of music products and UK artists going on tour throughout the globe.   The ECI and Julie’s Bicycle, the organisation that commissioned the research, urge the UK music industry to think and act more greenly which they believe will inspire other companies as well.

College blamed for disease outbreak

Pembroke's JCR President has accused the college of putting students’ lives at risk.

Finalists evicted without warning

Landlord failed to keep up mortgage repayments.

JCR President told to plump up

President “dangerously close to being presentable and/or ‘attractive’”    

Case of meningitis at Catz

Male Welfare Rep praised for prompt reaction.  

Field trip price causes upset

Price of “massive piss-up” geography trip to Crete varied between colleges.

BNC fresher up for rural award

PPEist's one-man pig business shortlisted for Yorkshire Rural Award.

Oxford to profit from GTA IV

Zoology department research used to mimic human movement in best-selling video game.

Neighbourhood Watch: Figment

Sean Lennon digs the fig.

Omkar triggers Union poll

Two terms after Krishna Omkar was disqualified from Union elections, the ex-Treasurer is still trying to change the rules that ban him from running.

Anne’s flag tension escalates

UPDATED: Atmosphere in college "awkward" as political stand-off develops.{multithumb}

Four take May Day leap

Four men jumped into the River Cherwell within minutes of Magdalen Bridge re-opening.

Election: OULC and OUCA lose out

VIDEO: Student candidates fail to beat Lib Dems in Holywell Ward, but Labour win control of the City Council.

Plagiarism email sparks confusion

An email sent by Proctors last Friday warning against plagiarism caused confusion for some students who thought it was intended specifically for them. Students across the University emailed their tutors to ask if they were being disciplined. One Keble undergraduate concerned by the message said, “The email was a bit worrying.” “As far as I was aware I hadn’t engaged in any such activity, but I did email my tutor to say what I had received and that since none of the other Keble geography students has received his, ask if he had reported my work to the Proctors.” Academic registrar Michael Sibly claims he was asked to send the email by previous and current proctors in an attempt to make students aware of the regulations regarding plagiarism. “Whenever this [plagiarism] becomes an issue students often say that they just didn’t know,” he said. Sibly admitted that it was “mildly ambiguous” that the message, whic

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