Thursday 23rd April 2026

News

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.

Exclusive: Oxford Union announces Trinity term card

Cherwell can exclusively reveal that former Home Secretary Sir James Cleverley, President of Goldman...

Oxford University Press and University of Pennsylvania Press announce open access agreement

Oxford University Press (OUP) and University of Pennsylvania Press (Penn Press) have struck a two-year agreement granting University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) students open access to hundreds of OUP journals.

Proctors criticise University policy on buildings, AI, and staff payment

The University of Oxford’s Proctorial Team has criticised the physical decay of buildings, staff pay, and university policy on the use of artificial intelligence in their traditional end-of-term Oration shared in the Oxford University Gazette.

Highly prized Austen collection donated to the Bodleian

A highly-prized collection of manuscripts including some written by Jane Austen has been donated to the Bodleian Library and Jane Austen’s House following a UK-wide campaign to purchase it.

Timothée Chalamet’s ‘Wonka’ to resume filming in Oxford

Oxfordshire County Council have issued notices confirming that filming of the upcoming film Wonka staring Timothée Chalamet will resume in Oxford this February.

Rhodes Scholar withdraws after ‘false’ claims of poverty

A Rhodes Scholar who claimed that she had grown up in the foster system has lost her scholarship after an investigation revealed that she grew up in a middle-class family and attended a $30,000-per-annum private school. 

OULC invites MP with links to Chinese spy

The release of the Oxford University Labour Club term card has revealed the inclusion of Barry Gardiner, an MP with close connections to Chinese spy Christine Ching Kui Lee.

Campaigners question potential government sale of £200m Oxford vaccine centre

A vaccine centre in Harwell, near Oxford, has been put up for sale by the government, prompting questions from MPs and observers about the implications of such a sale. The Vaccine Manufacturing Innovation Centre (VMIC) was at the heart of the government’s efforts to respond to future pandemics.

EU watchdog claims possible link between AstraZeneca and rare spinal condition

The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) recommended adding a rare spinal inflammation called transverse myelitis (TM) as a possible, but very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Balliol names building after first Oxford DPhil student

Balliol College has named a new building after Dr Lakshman Sarup (1894–1946), the first student at Oxford to submit for a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree. Sarup was awarded the degree by Balliol in 1919 on the topic of Yaska’s Nirukta, the oldest Sanskrit treatise on etymology. Oxford began offering the DPhil degree in 1917, taking inspiration from research degrees in Germany, and Dr Sarup was one of two students to enrol for a doctoral degree in its inaugural year, the other being New Zealander James Gatenby.

Oxford research finds sharp reduction in children’s hospital admissions

Research conducted at Oxford University has revealed that as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a dramatic reduction in hospital admissions for children. 

Swimmers complain of delay in sewage release notification

A group of outdoor swimmers called Brrrr! Have complained about an unknown sewage release in advance of their Christmas Day swim.

New scheme ‘twins’ Oxford colleges with city schools

A new scheme led by Oxford Hub, a charity ‘working to build a more equal, resilient and connected Oxford,’ sees Oxford University colleges twinning...

Oxford Vaccine Group Director advises against widespread fourth jabs

Upcoming COVID-19 vaccine shots should target the most vulnerable in the UK and low-income countries worldwide, instead of becoming a regular occurrence for the general population once every few months, says Professor Sir Andrew Pollard.

Paxlovid: How a new oral drug against COVID-19 was designed

Despite progress with vaccinations, the highly contagious Omicron variant has caused cases to surge. Along with other UK approved drugs such as Merck’s Molnupiravir, Pfizer’s oral treatment, Paxlovid, could be a useful tool for doctors to treat patients.

Oxford SU continues boycott of National Student Survey

A main point of contention in the past, and the motivator for starting the boycott in 2017, was the survey’s links to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). Historically, the TEF could have permitted higher-performing universities to charge above the £9250 fee cap.

70% of 2022 offers made to state-educated students

The University has announced that for the 2022 incoming class of students more than 69% of offers to UK applicants were made to students educated in the state sector.

Oxford Farming Conference tackles sustainable farming

Industry leaders, activists, and politicians convened to discuss new approaches to building sustainable and resilient farming practices amid deepening economic and environmental challenges in the United Kingdom and globally.

EXCLUSIVE: Slavoj Žižek, Maisie Peters, and Peter Thiel to speak at Oxford Union

The Union, which is hosting its first speaker tonight (January 18th), is set to receive the likes of pop star Maisie Peters, controversial Marxist philosopher Slavoj Žižek, and the Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, along with Edward Enniful, Editor in Chief of British Vogue.

‘Oxford’s lost college’ revealed by Brasenose accommodation extension

The construction of additional undergraduate accommodation in Brasenose College’s Frewin Annexe has yielded a wealth of archaeological finds, some of which are helping to improve our understanding of the former St Mary’s College.

Old Boris Johnson essay argues for return of the Parthenon Marbles

The essay, titled, ‘Elgin goes to Athens – The President marbles at the Grandeur that was (in) Greece’, was written in 1986 for the Oxford Union magazine, Debate. Journalists from Athens newspaper Ta Nea found the article in an Oxford library and have made it public.

Transforming Silence: The group reinvigorating change to University sexual assault policy

Led by (ex-)Oxford undergraduates and current graduate students across six faculties and sixteen colleges, the new collective aims to both be a space to support survivors and a movement that prevents further sexual violence.

Hertford cat Simpkin banned from Exeter College library

The battle for Radcliffe Square has reached new heights as Hertford College cat Simpkin has been spending a lot more time in Exeter College cat Walter’s usual digs. In response, Exeter College has now banned Simpkin from the College library.

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