Women Become Full Members of Oxford University, Opening the Way to Degrees

On October 7, 1920, the University of Oxford held its first matriculation ceremony for women. This formal admission to university membership marked a turning point after decades in which women had studied in Oxford and passed examinations without being allowed to receive Oxford degrees.

Studying Without Full Recognition

Women’s education in Oxford had developed long before 1920. The Association for the Education of Women was established in 1878, and Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville Hall welcomed their first students in 1879. Other women studied while living at home or in lodgings.

Over the following decades, women gained access to lectures and an expanding range of examinations. Their academic achievements, however, did not bring the same formal recognition available to men. They could complete demanding courses of study yet remain excluded from university membership and graduation.

A Historic Ceremony

The university statute that changed this position came into effect on October 7, 1920. That day, women gathered in academic dress at the Divinity School for their first matriculation ceremony.

Presented by the heads of their colleges and societies, they received matriculation certificates from the Vice-Chancellor. The ceremony formally recognised them as members of the institution whose teaching and intellectual life women had already shared for many years.

Degrees at Last

One week later, on October 14, 1920, the first ceremony awarding Oxford degrees to women took place at the Sheldonian Theatre. The change also allowed former students who had fulfilled the relevant requirements to return and receive their qualifications.

For some, recognition came after a remarkable wait. Annie Rogers, who had achieved first-class results in examinations during the 1870s, matriculated and graduated on October 26, 1920. She was then 64 years old.

A Milestone Built on Decades of Effort

The reform was the result of sustained work by students, teachers and supporters of women’s education. It acknowledged achievements that had previously existed outside Oxford’s formal system of degrees.

October 7 therefore commemorates a crucial change in status, rather than the beginning of women’s studies at Oxford. Women could finally enter the university as full members and have their scholarship recognised through its academic qualifications.