Trinity College, which welcomes Associate Members only from OSAP, was founded in 1555. It is one of the smaller colleges, having approximately 300 undergraduates, and tends to have a strong esprit de corps.

The College was founded by Sir Thomas Pope during the reign of Queen Mary Tudor. He purchased the site and premises of the medieval Durham College, which had housed monks from the great Benedictine cathedral of Durham from 1286 until 1540. Trinity’s oldest buildings date from this period.

The Oxford Undergraduate Prospectus states that “Trinity College occupies an exceptionally spacious site with some of the most beautiful gardens and buildings in Oxford. The relationship between undergraduates and the academic staff is open and friendly. Tutorial and pastoral care are given a high priority. Our strong sense of community and excellent facilities provide the ideal environment for hard work and academic achievement, but we are equally keen to encourage all-round individual development.

All students can eat in college, where the food is generally reckoned to be amongst the best in Oxford.

The library is open 24 hours a day. There is also an undergraduate computer room. Other facilities on-site include a squash court, a gym, two undergraduate common rooms and a spacious beer cellar. Our sports ground is situated about 1.5 miles from the college, with provision for rugby, football, hockey, cricket and tennis. There is a boathouse on the river. We are particularly well equipped for music-making.”

The college accepts Associate Members who meet certain qualifications and who are recommended by us. Trinity has always given these students a warm welcome possibly in part because our founder was a classmate in Oxford of the previous Master in 1962.

Trinity’s many well-known graduates include Cardinal Newman and two Prime Ministers: William Pitt the Elder who was very pro-American and Lord North who was somewhat less so.

For more information on Trinity College, visit www.trinity.ox.ac.uk.