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Oxford partnership allows OpenAI to use rare Bodleian texts to train ChatGPT

A pilot project, launched in 2025, allows OpenAI to use obscure Bodleian library material, including a collection of Tudor ballads, to train its models, as shown in documents seen by Cherwell.

Oxford falls to lowest ever spot in The Times UK University Guide 2027

The University of Oxford has placed fifth in The Times’s 2027 UK university rankings, falling from joint fourth with the University of Cambridge last year. This marks Oxford’s lowest ranking in the guide’s 33 year history and only the second time the University has not been in the top three.

Protest held outside Town Hall over sale of Council-owned building to St Peter’s

A protest took place today outside Oxford Town Hall against Oxford City Council’s plan to sell 11 New Road to St Peter’s College, which would convert most of the building into student housing.

Oxford Reform Society registers for Michaelmas

The University of Oxford has a Reform UK society for the first time, after...

Government reintroduces university free speech legislation

The government has recently announced the bringing into force of the Higher Education Freedom of Speech Act (HEFSA), after the act’s introduction was suspended...

Oxford professor awarded Royal Astronomical Society’s Highest Honour

Professor James Binney, Emeritus Professor at the University of Oxford’s Department of Physics, has been awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal for his...

Magdalen’s new student accommodation plan garners complaints from Oxford residents

Magdalen College’s proposal to redevelop its Waynflete site student accommodation, situated beside the Cowley roundabout on St Clement’s Street, has received complaints from local...

Oxford researcher awarded £2m to build arthritis risk calculator

The five-year award of up to £2 million has been awarded to Professor Laura Coates, Senior Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, as part of a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) research professorship.

Oxford City Council creates 140 new bike spaces across city centre

Oxford City Council is installing 140 new bicycle spaces across the city centre in partnership with Oxford Direct Services in an effort to support...

Hertford and Exeter plan sports grounds refurbishment

Following repeated reports of anti-social behaviour, Hertford and Exeter colleges have submitted a planning proposal to Oxford City Council to revamp their sports grounds

Oxford Union believes multiculturalism does have a future in the UK

The Oxford Union last night voted that multiculturalism does have a future in the UK, the final count seeing 80 votes in proposition and...

Odeon to close to make way for £37m council project

Odeon cinema on Gloucester Green is set to close in January and be replaced by a £37m council project. Oxford City Council will demolish the building, which has operated as a cinema since 1936, to replace it with a hotel and community space

One-fifth of Gen Z embarrassed to consume non-alcoholic drinks

Young people are still held back by fear of “social judgement” from drinking low or non-alcoholic beer according to research by Heineken and the University of Oxford’s Professor Charles Spence.

Rishi Sunak to join Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is taking a job at Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government as a member of the World Leaders Circle and Distinguished Fellow after he resigned as Conservative Party’s leader last July.

New Years Honours include seven Oxford academics

Seven researchers and academics from the University of Oxford were recognised in the 2025 New Years Honours List, with one being awarded a DBE, another made a life peer in the House of Lords, and five others given OBEs

116 million year-old ‘dinosaur highway’ uncovered in Oxfordshire

Researchers from the University of Oxford and University of Birmingham have discovered a “dinosaur highway” in North Oxfordshire, one of the most significant paleontological...

Oxford University study calls for a serious rethink of mental health services

A new study by researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge has found that only 55.5% of surveyed young people...

Medieval kitchen discovered during Oriel renovations

A once-in-a-century excavation of Oriel College has led to the discovery of the remains of a medieval kitchen and part of the city’s Saxon-era walls

St Hilda’s to plant over 5000 trees to protect woodland area

St Hilda’s College is set to plant 5000 trees in Radley Large Wood over the next three years to help protect and diversify the...

‘Look away’: Animal experiments at Oxford

Home Office rejected the University’s licence to use live animals in classes that had left students ‘‘visibly disturbed and distraught”.

SU abolishes the role of president

Oxford University Student Union's board of trustees has abolished the role of president, opting for a ‘flat structure’ of four officer roles.

SU President resigns to speak out against ‘institutional malpractice’

Dr Addi Haran has resigned from her position as president of Oxford University’s Student Union in order to speak out against what she described as “institutional malpractice” she experienced during her time in the role.

Exclusive: Romesh Ranganathan, Brian Cox, Suella Braverman, and Ron DeSantis to speak at Oxford Union

Cherwell can exclusively reveal the Oxford Union's speakers for the upcoming term.

38% of students report decline in mental health since joining Oxford

Nearly one in five women reported unwanted sexual behaviour, whilst one in five BAME students reported bullying and harassment.

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