If you’re thinking of applying to either Oxford or Cambridge universities, one of the first things you’ll find out is the college system. There are over 40 at Oxford and over 30 at Cambridge, and each one is different.

Each college operates as an independent institution within the university, and students normally apply to a specific college.

Deciding which to apply to will become clearer once you have thought about what subject you want to study, and once you’ve visited the two universities. We run trips to both in the summer. But in the meantime, you might want to browse our new Oxbridge college tree. This diagram divides all the colleges up on the basis of three criteria: size, reputation and distance from the centre.

For example, if you want a college in Oxford that’s large, has an excellent reputation and is reasonably near the centre, you probably want Christ Church or St John’s.

Visual Guide to the Oxbridge Colleges