Tutorships

"You can invest money in specific projects, or you can invest money in institutions, as Walter de Merton did. He realised that if you put certain elements in place, then good things happen… The Tutorial System is a great example of this. It’s precious, but expensive, and not very widely practiced elsewhere. When it succeeds—and it does succeed, again and again—education doesn’t get better than this."
Professor Alex Schekochihin, Fellow & Tutor in Physics - read more about Professor Schekochihin

The Tutorial System is at the heart of Merton’s academic excellence. It provides our students with unparalleled intellectual opportunities, giving them the chance to be taught regularly, in one-on-one or small group settings, by world-leading academics. The System enables our Fellows to devote considerable individual attention to each student, giving support where it is most needed, tailoring teaching to needs and interests, and monitoring progress closely.

Our students perform very well in examinations and regularly place at or near the top of the Norrington Table. In fact, from 2006 to 2019, Merton achieved the highest average examination score (75.6%) of all Oxford colleges. This is a testament to the strength our tutorial teaching, which inspires students to aim for a high level of achievement and develop a deep understanding of their subject.

In order to function at its best, the Tutorial System needs substantial financial support. It requires a strong ratio of tutors to students, which can only be assured by securing each of our Tutorship posts for the future with a permanent endowment fund. Without such dedicated and long-term funding, there is a risk that some Tutorial posts could be removed when Fellows leave or retire. With fewer teaching staff in certain subjects, our Fellows would find it more difficult to allocate sufficient time and energy to both teaching and research.

The support of our alumni and friends is vital in protecting the Tutorial System. During the 750th Anniversary Campaign, our donors helped us to permanently endow 10 out of our 29 Tutorships, in subjects as diverse as Law, Chemistry, Economics, History and Music. In late 2021 we completed an appeal that raised over £1 million to secure one of our three Tutorial posts in Physics, in honour of our first Fellow in the subject, Professor Michael Baker.