Graduate alumni return for special reunion dinner

Tomorrow Merton will open its doors to its graduate alumni for a special reunion dinner — one which we hope will be the first of many. Timed to take place on the Oxford University Alumni Weekend, and to follow the 110th Anniversary of the Rhodes Trust, we expect 80 Graduates from around the globe to join us; from the UK, US, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Germany.

Graduate students have always been important to Merton College — when the College was founded in 1264, fellowships were originally designed to support graduates who had completed their BA but did not have the financial means to support them through to higher degrees. In modern times, Rhodes Scholarships, established in 1903, began a new tradition of postgraduate study at Merton, a trend which was cemented by the College’s own senior scholarships, offered from 1931 onwards.

In the ensuing years, postgraduate numbers have increased, from eight in 1931 to the 363 members of Merton’s MCR today, who constitute over half the College's student body. Our Graduates form a very important part of a dynamic and diverse intellectual community, which we aim to support and nourish: 50% of current Merton Graduate students are fully funded, and we aim to increase this percentage through our fundraising initiatives.