Welcome from the Principal

Mansfield College is special. Founded in the nineteenth century to allow Dissenters to study at Oxford University, it was also one of the first “men’s” college in Oxford to admit women to study for degrees (Constance Todd in 1913). That spirit of openness and inclusion continues into the twenty-first century.  Mansfield is a place of active scholarship and inquiry, where people learn from each other, as well as with each other.

What are we known for? For being central, and beautiful. For being small and friendly and fun. For the quality of our teaching - and of our food. For having the highest proportion of state-school-educated students in Oxford.

Mansfield is a generous and supportive community, and we are always striving to find the very best students. By that, we mean those with the greatest potential to learn and develop here, and to contribute to the diverse and supportive life of our College. If that is you, we want to find you, whoever you are, wherever you come from. Not everyone believes that Oxford is for them, so, at Mansfield, we go out of our way to find potential applicants, and to persuade them to believe that they might be for us. If that might be you, please visit and give us a chance to show you who we are.

At Mansfield, we are proud of our history, our beautiful buildings and gardens, but we are also proud of our present. The last few years have transformed the College’s looks and fortunes, thanks to the generosity of past members and benefactors, who are enthused by the College’s imagination and energy, and who want to contribute to its future. The grand chapel and dining hall now sit in easy harmony with the new Hands Building, which houses 73 students in en suite rooms, and which was nominated for an Oxford Preservation Trust award.

Mansfield is also home to the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, which was opened by Kofi Annan in 2018. The Institute is a perfect reflection of the spirit of the College: plural, tolerant, broadminded, respecting the dignity and worth of everyone who crosses our threshold. Those are the values of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and they are the values of this College.

Come and visit us, and see for yourself. You are always welcome at Mansfield.

Helen Mountfield KC

Principal