Guides to Oxford University Archives

Areas of research

These guides provide historical background and useful resources for specific areas of research:

FAQs

How can I find out if someone was a student at Oxford?

Read our guide to past members of the University.

What sources do you have for women students at Oxford?

Read our guide to women students at Oxford.

Who was the first woman graduate of the University?

Read our guide to the first woman graduates.

Do the Archives hold records of the Oxford colleges?

See 'Related records'.

I'm looking for the personal papers of an old member of the University. Can you help?

See 'Related records'.

Where can I obtain a copy of a degree certificate?

Read the University's webpage about degree certificates.

How do I obtain copies of my O or A level certificates?

Read our guide to school examination certificates.

Guides to other sources

Secondary sources

For answers to broad-ranging questions about the University as a whole, and its development, the best sources of information are published works. There are a number of histories available: the following are just a selection of what has been published.

  • The University of Oxford: A Brief History by Laurence Brockliss (2019)
  • The University of Oxford: A History by LWB Brockliss (2017)
  • The Encyclopaedia of Oxford edited by C Hibbert and E Hibbert (1988)
  • Oxford by Felix Markham (1967)
  • The Illustrated History of Oxford University edited by J Prest (1993)
  • A History of Oxford University by VHH Green (1974)
  • History of the University of Oxford published by Oxford University Press
    • Volume 1: The Early Oxford Schools edited by JI Catto (1984)
    • Volume 2: Later Medieval Oxford edited by JI Catto and TAR Evans (1992)
    • Volume 3: The Collegiate University edited by J McConica (1986)
    • Volume 4: Seventeenth-Century Oxford edited by N Tyacke (1997)
    • Volume 5: The Eighteenth Century edited by LS Sutherland and LG Mitchell (1986)
    • Volume 6: Nineteenth-Century Oxford, Part 1, edited by MG Brock and MC Curthoys (1997)
    • Volume 7: Nineteenth-Century Oxford, Part 2, edited by MG Brock and MC Curthoys (2000)
    • Volume 8: The Twentieth Century edited by B Harrison (1994)
  • A History of the University of Oxford by CE Mallet:
    • Volume I: The Mediaeval University (1924)
    • Volume II: The Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries (1924)
    • Volume III: Modern Oxford (1927)

The central University website has information about the following:  

Visit our related records page for information about records not held by the Oxford University Archives.