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Freedom of Information

The College’s Freedom of Information publication scheme follows the standard format required by the Information Commissioner from January 2009.

It sets out the information that the College publishes or intends to publish. We have tried to make available on this website as much of the information as possible. Printed versions of documents and web pages produced by St Hugh’s are available. A fee may be charged.

The purpose of the scheme is to give a clear indication of which College publications are routinely accessible, so that the public can be informed as far as reasonably possible of the purpose and nature of College activities, and to assist in developing a greater culture of openness in general.

Through the scheme, the College endeavours to be as transparent as possible about its activities, while at the same time recognising that there are exemptions within the Act.

In accordance with the Information Commissioner’s guidance for higher education institutions our publication scheme sets out the following classes of information.

You can find out more below.

The Information Officer is responsible for maintaining the scheme on behalf of the College.

It is important to us that this Publication Scheme meets your needs. If you find the scheme difficult to understand, please let us know. We also welcome suggestions as to how the scheme might be improved. Any questions, comments, or complaints about this scheme should be sent in writing to:

The Bursar
St Hugh’s College
Oxford OX2 6LE

Information and regulations

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Who we are and what we do

History

St Hugh’s College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth, the great niece of the poet. Elizabeth Wordsworth was a champion of the cause of women’s education, and her foundation was intended to enable poorer women to gain an Oxford education. The first male undergraduates were admitted in 1986 and now the College has a healthy mix of men and women.  You can learn more about the College’s history on this website.

Location

St Hugh’s College is located to the north of central Oxford between Canterbury and St Margaret’s Roads, about 20 minutes walk from the centre of Oxford. On this website you can find information on locating St Hugh’s (in the grey footer) and see images of the College (throughout).

Governance

The Principal and Fellows form the Governing Body of the College. The College is constituted and regulated in accordance with the College Statutes which are made from time to time by order of Her Majesty in Council in accordance with the Royal Charter of 17 March 1926, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act 1923 (see The Stationery Office). The College Bylaws are additional rules made by the Governing Body. The Governing Body has responsibility for the direction and management of the affairs of the College.

Organisational and committee structure

The College has a number of committees that report to Governing Body to enable Governing Body to make informed decisions. A diagram of the management structure is available.

Services we offer

The College exists to promote scholarship through teaching and research. This website contains information about undergraduate admissions, graduate admissions (see also the St Hugh’s undergraduate prospectus and the Oxford University graduate prospectus), and details of the facilities and services we offer to current students including welfare provision.  The student handbook is also available.

Information about the research undertaken by individual Fellows, Tutors and lecturers is available in the academic pages.

Information about alumni services and fundraising is available on the alumni section of the website.

The Chapel is a place of public worship and all are welcome to attend the regular services held in term time.

Subsidiary companies

St Hugh’s operates a wholly owned company which helps to support the College’s core activities of education and research: St Hugh’s Conferences Ltd.

Contacts

Contact details for the College are available from the contact section of this website.

What we spend and how we spend it

Accounts

The College’s annual accounts are published on the central University website.

Salaries and benefits

Academic salaries are in accordance with Oxford University salary scales.  You can find out information about benefits and other staff policies in the St Hugh’s Employee Handbook.

Fees and charges

Information on undergraduate fees, charges and available support can be found on the central University website.  There is a similar resource for information on postgraduate finance, including fees, charges and available support (see also graduate scholarships).

Oversight and responsibility

The College’s Investment Committee advises Governing Body on the management of the College’s financial resources, and the Finance Committee monitors these resources and advises on income and expenditure. These Committees are supported by the Bursary, College Accountant and the Finance Office.

How we make decisions

Decision making process

The Governing Body of St Hugh’s comprises the Principal and Fellows. It is constituted and regulated in accordance with the College Statutes, which are made from time to time by order of Her Majesty in Council in accordance with the Royal Charter of 17 March 1926, and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge Act 1923.  The Governing Body has responsibility for the direction and management of the affairs of the College.

The Governing Body makes decisions with the help of College committees.  Decisions are made in accordance with the College’s Bylaws.

Decisions are made in the context of intercollegiate policy decisions agreed amongst the Conference of Colleges and of the overall structure and governance of the central University.

The Student Handbook and the Employee Handbook explain how decisions concerning these members of the community are made.

A diagram of the management structure of the College is available.

Records of decisions

The College’s Annual Accounts record financial and strategic decisions.

Key decisions about the operation of the College are recorded in the minutes of Governing Body.

What our priorities are and how we are doing

The College’s purpose is to advance teaching and learning at the very highest level: attracting and maintaining the best tutors and students, and providing for them an environment of academic freedom and support. The College has a five-year strategic framework which focuses on four areas:

  • Academic vision
  • Financial sustainability
  • Heritage and estate
  • Community

How are we doing?

The College’s Annual Accounts show how the College is performing financially.

The central University also publishes an Annual Review.

Our policies and procedures

A number of documents are available to download from our Governance page. If you require a printed version a fee may be payable.

Lists and registers

Information held in registers required by law and other lists and registers relating to the functions of the College.

The services we offer

The College’s primary purpose is as a place of education and research. We offer support to leading researchers in their fields and admission to the most able students, graduate and undergraduate, whatever their background or financial circumstances.

Information on our admission policies can be found on our undergraduate and graduate pages.  You will also find details of undergraduate courses of study.

For information regarding services for current students, including accommodation, welfare and IT support, please see our students pages.

In conjunction with the University, the College offers generous bursaries and scholarships to assist students who might not otherwise be able to afford an Oxford education.  More information on student funding is available on the central University website.

Information on current research undertaken by our Fellows and lecturers is available on our academic pages.

The College Library is available to current students, Tutors and lecturers 24 hours a day, and to others who wish to use if for research by arrangement with the Librarian.

The College Archives are available to the general public for purposes of research by appointment with the Archivist.

The College’s Chapel is a place of public worship and we publish service times and dates on a Chapel term card, together with details of Chapel events.

Services for alumni, parents and friends are organised by the Development Office. Please see the alumni pages for details of their programme of events.

The College publishes the Chronicle, (an annual record for and with contributions from alumni) in the autumn. Copies are available from the Development Office.

The College’s facilities are available for public hire through our subsidiary company. Details are available on the conferences section of this website.

Document formats and fees

Printed versions of all documents produced by St Hugh’s and referred to on this page are available.  A fee may be charged.