Biography
How a few scholars in Oxford eight centuries ago created what would become not one but two of the world's most prestigious universities.
The basics
The oldest university in the English-speaking world began in Oxford more than 800 years ago. In 1209 scholars fleeing Oxford found themselves in Cambridge where they set up another university to rival the first. Though totally independent of each other, the two have come to be known familiarly by a single term: Oxbridge.
Oxbridge Through the Centuries
Nobody knows exactly when the University at Oxford was founded, but there was certainly teaching going on there by the early 12th century, and later that century the first halls of residence were established. Clocking in at more than eight centuries of activity, it’s the oldest university in the English-speaking world today.
