A commoner is a student at certain universities in the British Isles who historically pays for his own tuition and

commons The commons is the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society, including natural materials such as air, water, and a habitable Earth. These resources are held in common even when owned privately or publicly. Commons c ...

, typically contrasted with

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

s and exhibitioners, who were given financial emoluments towards their fees.

Cambridge

Commoners were also known as pensioners at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

. Pensioners paid for their own tuition and

. A fellow‑commoner was a rank of student above pensioners but below noblemen. They paid double the tuition fee and enjoyed more privileges than pensioners, such as commoning with fellows. As fellow‑commoners had considerable wealth, they were ineligible for scholarships and paid fellowships at some colleges. Fellow‑commoners who wore a hat instead of a velvet cap were known as hat fellow‑commoners. They were often sons of

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The character ...

but not the eldest, who enjoyed the rank of "noblemen". Today, a fellow‑commoner at Cambridge is one who enjoys access to the

senior common room A common room is a group into which students and the academic body are organised in some universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland—particularly collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the University of Bristol ...

without a fellowship.

Trinity College, Dublin

Historically, the majority of junior members of

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

are commoners (or pensioners) who must pay for commons and tuition as distinct from

scholars A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

and

sizars At Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Cambridge, a sizar is an undergraduate who receives some form of assistance such as meals, lower fees or lodging during his or her period of study, in some cases in return for doing a defined j ...

who both receive free commons and, in the case of scholars, free tuition. Formerly, there were also fellow-commoners (''Socii Comitates'' or, more likely, ''Sociorum Commensales'') who paid twice the normal fees but could incept for their degree a year earlier, dined at the high table and wore velvet collars and sleeves. Above these were noblemen (nobles and sons of nobles) who paid four times tuition and were entitled to many privileges, including gold and silver tassels on their gowns.

Oxford

In the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, a commoner is a student without a scholarship or

exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibitio ...

. A gentleman‑commoner at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, equivalent to Cambridge's fellow‑commoner, was historically a rank of student above commoners but below noblemen. According to Merriam-Webster, the first known usage of "gentleman‑commoner" was in 1687.

Notes

References

*{{cite book , last=Bristed , first=Charles Astor , authorlink=Charles Astor Bristed , title=Five years in an English university , url=https://archive.org/details/fiveyearsinengli01brisuoft , year=c. 1857 , publisher= Putnam , location= New York Terminology of the University of Cambridge Terminology of the University of Oxford

Cambridge

Trinity College, Dublin

Oxford

See also

Notes

References