Notable Point · 3:10:58-3:13:59

Teaching at Oxford predates its oldest colleges

The chronology separates Oxford's early teaching community from the later foundation of its colleges.

History of Education Medieval History University of Cambridge University of Oxford

Notes

University College, Balliol, and Merton are identified as Oxford's oldest colleges, with disputed foundations between 1249 and 1264. Exeter follows in 1314 and Oriel in 1326. Teaching at Oxford began much earlier, probably around 1100, so the university cannot be dated simply from the founding of a college. Cambridge also existed before Oxford's collegiate structure had fully emerged. The chronology separates an academic community from the institutions later built to house and govern it.