Today’s outreach

Hertford College has a long-standing commitment to widening participation in higher education and a well-established policy of open access.

We are proud that we were one of the first all-male colleges to admit women in the 1970s and that we took the lead in withdrawing from the entrance examination system that disadvantaged applicants from the state sector. We have a diverse and vibrant undergraduate community, most of which comes from UK state schools (in recent years c. 70% of our offers to UK applicants have gone to students from the state sector).

We are determined to build on this tradition of fairness and opportunity, and the College has recently committed itself to a significant increase in outreach activity. Our new Outreach Fellow, Dr Catherine Redford, was appointed in January 2015 and she is supported by Lynn Featherstone (Academic Registrar), and by Lisa Hartwright (Admissions Officer). Hertford’s Student Ambassadors and volunteers from our graduate community also play a significant role in attracting and encouraging potential applicants.

As part of the wider pattern of outreach from Oxford University, we have special responsibility for Essex, north Kent and the London Borough of Camden, and we aim to build and maintain close relationships with all schools in our linked areas. We also have links with schools all over the country through our current students, alumni, staff and fellows. We welcome approaches from any school that feels that Hertford would be a sympathetic environment for its students.