Oxford university The University of Oxford was ranked first in the Times Higher Education's international university rankings. Founded in 1096 or even earlier, Oxford is certainly one of the oldest universities in the world, as well as one of the most prestigious and selective. Located less than two hours from London, the historic city of Oxford, nicknamed "the city of dreamy spires", is home to 24,000 students, half of whom are undergraduates. Oxford University is often associated with its historical rival, Cambridge University, to the point where the two institutions are referred to as "Oxbridge" Among Oxford's most famous graduates are no less than 27 British Prime Ministers, including Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair and Theresa May. We can also mention personalities such as Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Oscar Wilde and J.R.R. Tolkien, dozens of Nobel Prize laureates who came to Oxford to study or teach, as well as a Rhodes Scholar who later became ...