Balliol College.

Balliol College

About the college
College facilities
Courses available
Location map
College outreach

About the college

Centrally located on Broad Street, Balliol is close to laboratories, lecture theatres, libraries and shops.

Balliol led the way in turning Oxford into a place open to all on merit. If you are hardworking, passionate about your subject, and ambitious to excel, you will find like-minded people here whatever school or cultural background you come from.

Three images of tutorials in Physics, Modern Languages and Medicine

With a large number of tutorial fellows, the college has a reputation for academic excellence alongside a friendly atmosphere and lively spirit of intellectual debate.

The diverse student body is arguably one of the most active in the University. Balliol offers a wide range of subject societies, sports and cultural activities which allow students to get to know each other and enjoy their leisure time.

College accommodation is available to undergraduates throughout their course. College life is subsidised in many ways: the college offers pre-payment meal deals which provide excellent value for money; eligible students can apply for a wide range of maintenance and hardship grants, and special funds for research and travel.

Balliol is…

'…excellent tuition in a really supportive environment.'
Nicholas

'…the tutorials. My favourite thing is that I can talk about maths for a couple of hours with a world leading expert and just one tutorial partner.'
Sulaiman

'…there to support me. In my second year I needed a Student Maintenance Grant and a short-term loan, which . . . really helped with living costs.'
Isis

'…really central, it has really great academic, social and sporting facilities, which makes it a pretty amazing place to live and study.'
Beattie

College facilities

Visit our College Facilities page to compare facilities across different colleges.

College accommodation

Accommodation	College availability
All first years on site	Yes
Usually offered for all years	Yes
Usually offered for three years	Not applicable
Usually offered for first year and one other year	Not applicable
Some vacation storage for international students	Yes

Catering

Catering type	College availability
Dining hall	Yes
Bar	Yes
Café	Yes

Facilities

Facility type	College availability
Gym on site	Yes
Boathouse	Yes
Library open 24/7	Yes
Computer rooms/stations	Yes
Wi-Fi throughout college	Yes
Music room	Yes
Theatre/performance space	Yes
Chapel	Yes
Multi-faith prayer room	No

Clubs & societies

Facility type	College availability
Music society	Yes
Orchestra(s)	No
Choir(s)	Yes
Dramatic society	Yes
College student magazine/paper	Yes
Some subject societies	Yes
Other societies	Yes

College outreach

Link areas

In order to ensure that all areas of the UK are fully supported by the University of Oxford, our colleges are working together to establish Oxford for UK, a series of regional outreach programmes offering tailored and local support to students of mixed ages, their parents and teachers.

Getting in touch with the college linked to your region has no influence on your chances of being accepted to this or any other particular college. You are also very welcome to get in touch with any other college for advice about applying or studying here.

Balliol College is part of Oxford for East England.

Link Local Authorities

Hertfordshire
Norfolk
Suffolk

Outreach programmes

Balliol runs a number of programmes and events which are designed to widen access to the University of Oxford, with a specific focus on schools in the East of England.

Floreat, Frontier and Fibonacci

Every year, Balliol runs three sustained academic programmes: Floreat, Frontier and Fibonacci. These programmes are open to Year 12 students (or equivalent) from state schools across the UK, and start in the Spring Term. Many participants have gone on to make successful applications to Oxford. Currently, Balliol has students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels who previously took part in these programmes.

Successful applicants will be expected to attend a series of online seminars, an Oxbridge admissions talk and a two-night residential stay in August. Floreat centres on the Humanities, Frontier on the Life Sciences and Fibonacci on Mathematics (and related fields). Each programme is designed to academically challenge and stimulate those who are interested in applying to competitive universities.

These programmes are free of charge. Financial support is available for the residential to cover travel costs for students who are disadvantaged.

Subject Specific Taster Days

Balliol also runs free subject-specific Taster Days. These sessions take place in Oxford, and include academic lectures, admissions talks and a demonstration interview. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to speak to tutors and current undergraduates who study their chosen course.

Try Before You Buy Days

In the Spring Term, Balliol hosts a series of free Try Before You Buy Days for disadvantaged prospective applicants. These sessions are aimed at UK state school students in Year 12 (or equivalent) and provide the chance to engage with subject-specific Oxford style tutorials.

Each day will feature a tutorial, a guided tour of the College from a current undergraduate student, and a talk on the admissions process. A free lunch will also be provided in the dining hall.

Insight lectures

The College runs an Insight lecture series focusing on maths, and science and humanities topics. These sessions are delivered online by current postgraduate students, who introduce topics that link to their own research. Students are able to interact and ask questions throughout. The sessions are also recorded and uploaded to Balliol's YouTube channel.

Discovery Programme

Each year, Balliol runs a sustained Discovery Programme for groups of Year 10 students (or equivalent) who attend UK state schools. Discovery consists of online academic sessions led by Oxford postgraduates who introduce a topic that links to their own research. Sessions take the form of online workshops, for which participants will be expected to complete a small amount of preparation.

Schools can request to attend our live online workshops. Alternatively, schools can opt to receive recordings of sessions and participant booklets to be used at a time of their choosing

School visits

If you are a teacher who would like to arrange a school visit to Balliol, please refer to the full guide on our College website.

Find out more about Balliol's access and outreach opportunities via our College website.

Contact

Access and Outreach at Balliol
David Freeman Outreach and Student Support Officer: Pravahi Osman
Email: [email protected]

+44 (0) 1865 277752
[email protected]
www.balliol.ox.ac.uk

Postal address:
Balliol College
Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BJ

Outreach events

Visit the University's Outreach event calendar to view upcoming outreach events. Please note that some events may require advance booking or have specific eligibility criteria.

Balliol College