We are committed to inspiring the brightest students from every background to come to Oxford. In particular, we wish to support students from underrepresented or marginalised communities in applying to Oxford, and we are seeking to eliminate the barriers to a successful application through the following projects.

Access Team

Somerville employs two members of staff in its Access Office, one is full-time and the other part-time. The access staff coordinate all our outreach events and are the point of contact between the College and schools. Annual cost £72,300.

We also pay student ambassadors to help out with events such as the university open days and residentials. They act as inspiration and role models for prospective applicants, particularly those coming from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds, and make an essential contribution to our outreach events. Annual cost £11,680.

Outreach Events

Our Future Focus Programme involves working with schools in our link regions of Buckinghamshire, Hounslow, Kingston-upon-Thames, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. We offer a range of inbound school visits to Somerville, outbound school visits and regional events, such as our annual Roadshow, where we visit multiple schools in Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight over three days in September.

In collaboration with various student societies, we run a BAME Day aimed at demystifying Oxford for Year 12 students from Black, South Asian and other minority backgrounds, and we also host a series of Study Days in Spring Half-Term. These sessions are open to all Year 12 students currently at a UK state school or college, and offer students the chance to hear engaging introductions to their subject of interest, attend seminars with our academics and receive an admissions talk – all completely free of charge.

We also participate in university-wide outreach activities, such as the Oxford for SE Consortium, an outreach collaboration with three other colleges. Annual cost £59,500.

Oxford Hub Primary Twinning Programme

Somerville is proud to participate in the Oxford Hub’s Primary Twinning Programme, a scheme which aims to tackle educational inequality and help close the attainment gap in the city. The programme partners Oxford colleges with local primary schools in areas of the city where the attainment gap is widest. Somerville works closely with St Frideswide Primary School in Cowley, providing enrichment opportunities throughout the year, along with one to one reading support for pupils from student volunteers. Annual cost £2,685.69.

UNIQ Summer Schools

Somerville is an active supporter and participant in the UNIQ Summer Schools programme, the University of Oxford scheme enabling students from underrepresented or marginalised communities to meet Oxford students, explore their favourite subjects with our world-class academics and take part in social activities. Annual cost £2,350.

Universify Summer Schools

Somerville is proud to support the Universify Summer Schools for Year 10 pupils. Universify is a charity tackling educational inequality since 2016, which seeks to enable anyone with academic potential to gain access to university regardless of their background. In 2020, Universify participants were nearly twice as likely to successfully apply to university than their peers, and 2.5 times more likely to receive offers to high-tariff universities. Annual cost £15,100

Target Oxbridge

Somerville is an active supporter and participant in the Target Oxbridge programme that helps students from African and Caribbean heritage increase their chances of getting into the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge (known collectively as Oxbridge). Since launching in 2012, Target Oxbridge has helped over 200 students to secure Oxbridge offers. Annual cost £4,500.

Tackling Educational Disadvantage in Oxford

The City of Oxford is the second most unequal city in the country with very poor educational attainment. As one means of addressing this we are leading a pilot which will twin Colleges with local primary schools in Oxford and in which our students and JRFs will participate. Annual cost £3,000

Sanctuary Scholarships

In 2021, Somerville was one of the first two colleges of higher education to be recognised as a College of Sanctuary, alongside its sister college, Mansfield. This recognition represents the next stage in Somerville’s long history of providing a welcoming and nurturing environment for refugees and displaced people. To deepen our work as a college of sanctuary, we have established the Sanctuary Scholarship that allows a displaced or stateless student to study at Somerville. Annual cost £15,000.

Savitribai Phule Scholarships

The Oxford India Centre for Sustainable Development seeks support for a groundbreaking scholarship to support the next generation of leaders from India’s marginalised communities. We are passionate about advocating for students from Dalit, Adivasi, and other underrepresented backgrounds and providing them with a platform to change the world. Initial target £200,000.

THE SAVITRIBAI PHULE SCHOLARShip

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