Oxford–Cambridge rivalry dates back to their founding in the 13th century, the oldest rivalry of any current universities in the world. During most of that time, they were the only two universities in
England and Wales
England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...
and two of the most prestigious universities in any country, generating an intense rivalry that is one of the most enduring and well-known university rivalries in the world. Between them they have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers, and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields.
Rivalry between the two universities, including
varsity matches held between Oxford and Cambridge influenced the development of
college rivalry and
college sports in the United States and other countries around the world.
Background
The
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
, with teaching recorded as early as 1096, is the oldest university in the
English-speaking world
The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English language, English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the ...
. The
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
was founded in 1209 by a group of scholars who left Oxford to take refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford. Sometimes collectively known as ''
Oxbridge
Oxbridge is a portmanteau of the University of Oxford, Universities of Oxford and University of Cambridge, Cambridge, the two oldest, wealthiest, and most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom. The term is used to refer to them collect ...
'', they are the two
oldest universities in England and two of the
oldest universities in the world.
For many of these centuries, the two universities were unrecognisable as universities in the modern sense, as they were largely institutions for producing clergymen and were thus strongly tied to the Church.
Academic
Rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge in
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
reputation has been prominent for much of their history. They have produced a large number of Britain's most prominent scientists, writers, and politicians, as well as noted figures in many other fields.
In 2000, Cambridge academics said the
Rhodes Scholarships gave its rival, Oxford, an advantage through a higher profile in the United States.
In the 21st century, both universities are consistently ranked among the top institutions globally, with a competitive environment in terms of admissions, research, and academic prestige.
Sport
Sports were assimilated into academic life at Cambridge and Oxford universities in the nineteenth century and became a feature of Oxford–Cambridge rivalry. Rivalry spilled over into multiple
varsity matches held between Oxford and Cambridge. These matches were often among the first events in their sports in the world and often the first events at university level and influenced the development of
college sports in the United States and other countries around the world.
Two annual competitions between Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest university-level intercollegiate sporting competitions in the world:
The University Match in
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
, which was first held in 1927;
and
The Boat Race
The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the U ...
, which was first contested in 1829 and pits
Cambridge University Boat Club against their
Oxford counterparts over a four-mile (6 km) stretch of the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...
. The Oxford vs Cambridge women's
University Match in
(field) hockey was first played in 1895,
making it the oldest women's varsity match in the world.
The other major Oxbridge sporting competitions are the
Rugby Union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
and
Rugby League Varsity Match
The Rugby League Varsity Match is an annual rugby league match between Cambridge University and Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early a ...
, the former being a rugby union game played annually. There have been 142 men's matches played. The first women's match was played in 1988. The
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union (RFU) is the Sports governing body, national governing body for rugby union in England. It was founded in 1871, and was the sport's international governing body prior to the formation of what is now known as World Rugby ...
chose to advertise the 2006 match with a campaign promoting inter-university rivalry: their advertising agency Lowe London produced posters showing the number of
Prime Ministers
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but rat ...
produced by the universities (Oxford 26 – Cambridge 14), with the tagline "It's time to get even". The
Rugby League Varsity Match
The Rugby League Varsity Match is an annual rugby league match between Cambridge University and Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early a ...
is a rugby league game played annually. Whilst not having the history of its Union counterpart, the fixture has been contested for over 30 years, and is broadcast live on Sky Sports.
The Boat Race and the rugby Varsity Matches are notable in the UK in that they are the only university sports events that have any public profile outside the universities themselves; all three are screened live on national television and are widely covered in the national media.
All other significant sports have their own varsity match; some of these, including the
Ice Hockey Varsity Match,
University Golf Match and the
Varsity Polo Match attracted significant attention in the past. The results of all the varsity matches in The Varsity Games are aggregated and each year one university wins the Varsity Games title. Sportspersons who have competed at a Varsity Match in the prestigious Full Blue sports are eligible for an
Oxford Blue or
Cambridge Blue respectively.
At direct sporting competitions the rivalry can be heard in the customary insults used by members of each University. 'Shoe the Tabs', derived from Cantabridgian, is traditionally used by those from Oxford. Likewise, 'GDBO', or God Damn Bloody Oxford, is the response from Cambridge.
During the first half of the 20th century sport played part in university life both as an activity for students and as an influence on the image of the universities from the outside world. However, during the 1950s, university
dons at Oxford became critical of the time spent by students on sport. Undergraduates at the university also began to criticise the
public school tradition of worship of team and competitive sports, which dated from the 19th century; this criticism intensified during the period of student radicalism in the late 1960s.
Social
Beyond academics and sport, the rivalry extends to the social standing of the universities and their members, creating social traditions and culture that have shaped their identities for centuries.
Co-operation
Despite the impassioned rivalry between the two universities, there is also much cooperation when the need arises. Most Oxford colleges have a
sister college in Cambridge. Some Oxford and Cambridge colleges with the same or similar names are 'sisters': for example,
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...
, and
Jesus College, Oxford
Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...
, or
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...
and
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary ...
. However, namesakes are not always paired up: for example,
St John's College, Oxford
St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...
, is the sister college of
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...
, while
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...
, is the sister college of
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world.
With a governing body of a master and aro ...
. Arrangements between sister colleges vary, but may include reciprocal offers of accommodation to students from the other university when they are visiting. Furthermore, a significant proportion of academic staff has at some point been a member of the "other place".
Concerns are often raised that Oxford and Cambridge do not project a socially inclusive image to potential applicants from
state school
A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
s, and thus Oxbridge students are disproportionately from wealthy backgrounds. The two universities have made individual and combined efforts in recent years to promote themselves to potential applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Each year, the Universities spend around £8 million on access schemes, and there is a designated Access Officer in every
JCR and students' union.
Graduates of both universities are eligible for membership of the
Oxford and Cambridge Club, a private members' club in London.
See also
*
College rivalry
*
Golden triangle (universities)
The golden triangle is the triangle formed by the university cities of Cambridge, London, and Oxford in the south east of England in the United Kingdom. The triangle is occasionally referred to as the Loxbridge triangle, a portmanteau of Londo ...
*
King's College London–UCL rivalry
*
List of British and Irish varsity matches
*
The London Varsity
*
Russell Group
The Russell Group is a self-selected association of twenty-four public research universities in the United Kingdom. The group is headquartered in Cambridge and was established in 1994 to represent its members' interests, principally to governme ...
Notes
References
External links
University of CambridgeUniversity of OxfordThe Boat RaceThe Varsity MatchOxbridge Student Conferences ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxbridge Rivalry
Oxbridge
Culture of the University of Oxford
Culture of the University of Cambridge
Culture of England
Academic culture
Rivalry
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