University of Oxford

Achieving and sustaining world-class excellence in every area of our teaching and research is at the heart of the University of Oxford's mission. The following pages provide an insight – from the perspective of students and graduates – into the experience of applying to University of Oxford, studying at the University, and the opportunities available after graduating. Our students receive an intensive education, including our distinctive tutorials, and are taught by academic leaders in their field. Colleges provide multidisciplinary communities within which students are supported and intellectually challenged, and have the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and many different countries.

The University of Oxford aims to lead the world in research and education. We seek to do this in ways which benefit society on a national and a global scale. Over the period of this Plan we will build on the University’s long traditions of independent scholarship and academic freedom while fostering a culture in which innovation plays an important role. The University of Oxford’s distinctive structure, born of its history, is a source of strength. Its colleges offer environments which are both supportive to individual scholars and characterised by a defining and enduring sense of community. The personal sense of academic identity that they provide is life-long.

To develop our capacity to generate and share knowledge in the UK, Europe, and globally, ensuring significant contributions to public policy-making and economic growth. To work effectively with other institutions and organisations, where such partnerships can lead to outstanding research and teaching. To fulfil the aims that no potential student should be deterred from applying to Oxford by financial or other barriers and that no student’s success should be hampered by financial difficulties. To recruit and retain the best academic staff and ensure that under-represented groups have equality of opportunity in recruitment, personal development, and career progression in all areas of employment in the University.

We will monitor progress against our priorities, commitments, and aims using relevant performance indicators, benchmarks, and targets. Through this we will maintain focus on the Strategic Plan, ensuring that it continues to meet academic needs, enables us to respond to the external environment, and is updated as appropriate. The University of Oxford is active worldwide across the broadest range of disciplines and, with Oxford University Press, our global involvement in education from pre-school level onwards puts us in a unique position to influence and engage with the world. This global reach in itself draws students and staff of the highest international calibre to the University, taking Oxford’s way of engaging with the world with them when they depart. We will seek opportunities to co-ordinate the University’s activities more effectively, and we will build upon Oxford’s excellence in, and commitment to, the delivery of education for all.

A great university both conveys the knowledge created by its community and is open to new ideas generated elsewhere. We will maintain the freedom for individuals and research groups to decide what to research, while making it clear where and how to access Oxford expertise. We will seek to develop external collaborations, noting that these may be most effective in those areas where research and teaching strengths are complementary, while supporting connections between research groups at the level of individual projects. The University’s extensive network of libraries and museums offers unique opportunities to learn and engage with resources. We will continue to enhance our collections to the benefit of future generations. Access to the University’s collections will be improved through programmatic digitisation, extending appreciation of the role Oxford plays in preserving and sharing the record of human existence and cultural achievement. Access to our museums, galleries, and scientific collections contributes significantly to our public engagement on regional, national and global scales, and we will continue to promote this through programmes of events and exhibitions and by fully exploiting the opportunities offered by the web, social media, and other innovative modes of transmission.

We will keep under review our undergraduate and graduate admissions processes to ensure equality of treatment for all applicants and the effectiveness and consistency of good practice. These reviews will encompass policy on attracting and identifying the best home and international students, and policy on continuing education and the admission of part-time students. We will seek to ensure that teaching and assessment at Oxford provide an equal opportunity for all students to achieve and demonstrate their full academic potential. To inform this work, we will monitor the academic progress and outcomes amongst students from different backgrounds. We are committed to providing professional development training of the highest quality through Master’s and other programmes in identified areas and for key professions. We will also explicitly identify the professional and employability skills inherent in our courses, develop further opportunities for funded internships, and encourage students to engage with wider communities while still at Oxford. Strengthening Oxford’s global and digital online presence, as signalled in our new priorities, will ensure students studying at Oxford have improved access to materials. We will develop a digital education strategy which builds on our expertise in online learning to communicate knowledge created within the University. This will benefit all students, whether studying full-time, part-time, or through the flexible courses offered by the Department for Continuing Education, as well as staff, alumni, and wider society.