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111-469: The rankings of each college in the Norrington Table are calculated by awarding 5 points for a student who receives a First Class degree , 3 points for a 2:1, 2 for a 2:2 and 1 for a Third; the total is then divided by the maximum possible score (i.e. the number of finalists in that college multiplied by 5), and the result for each college is expressed as a percentage, rounded to 2 decimal places. Although

222-408: A weighted average (with higher weight given to marks in the later years of the course, and often zero weight to those in the first year) of the marks gained in exams and other assessments. While grade boundaries are defined by institutions, there are well-defined conventional values that are generally followed: Students who do not achieve honours may be awarded an ordinary degree, sometimes known as

333-603: A "pass". Ordinary degrees, and other exit awards such as the Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE; for completing the first two years of a degree course) and Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE; for completing the first year of a degree course), may be unclassified (pass/fail) or, particularly in Scotland where the ordinary degree is offered as a qualification in its own right, classified into pass, merit and distinction. Integrated master's degrees are usually classified with honours in

444-791: A "third", is the lowest honours classification in most UK universities. Informally, it is referred to as a "gentleman's third" ( cf. the "gentleman's C" in U.S. parlance). Slang terms in the UK for a third include a "Richard" (after Richard III ), a "Douglas" (after Douglas Hurd , the 1980s Conservative MP who actually graduated with a First Class Honours degree in history), or a "Thora" (after Thora Hird , an English TV actress). Approximately 3-5% of UK students graduating between 2018 and 2022 were awarded thirds. While most university bachelor's degree courses lead to honours degrees, some universities offer courses leading to ordinary degrees. Some honours courses permit students who do not gain sufficient credits in

555-592: A 2:1, while the department of English Language and Literature at Oxford considers a GPA of "about 3.8" equivalent to a first class degree. Similarly, the UK NARIC gives equivalent GPAs for determining eligibility for teacher training bursaries. Durham University 's North American Undergraduate Guide gives a conversion table as a guide to understanding British classifications (rather than for admission to postgraduate study) of 1st = 3.8–4.0, 2:1 = 3.3–3.7, 2:2 = 2.8–3.2 and 3rd = 2.3–2.7. The GPA conversions are summarised in

666-597: A bachelor's course, or after completion of a bachelor's course requirements and attaining adequately competitive grades. Some graduate degrees have been or are classified; however, under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), no graduate-level degrees (i.e., master's by coursework, master's by research, or higher research degrees) may be classified. To comply with this standard, some institutions have commenced, or will commence, offering high-achieving graduates with "distinction". Notably, this

777-448: A claim to be the oldest college in Oxford, a claim which is disputed between Merton College, Balliol College and University College . One argument for Merton's claim is that it was the first college to be provided with statutes , a constitution governing the college set out at its founding. Merton's statutes date back to 1264, whereas neither Balliol nor University College had statutes until

888-477: A degree award from certain Scottish universities (c.f. Scottish MA ) and is at the same level as a bachelor's degree. The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has published the number of degrees awarded with different classifications since 1994–1995. The relative proportions of different classes have changed over this period, with increasing numbers of students being awarded higher honours. The table below shows

999-497: A deposition from his brother Thomas , Greaves had lost both his Merton fellowship and his Savilian chair by 9 November 1648. The "House of Scholars of Merton" originally had properties in Surrey (in present-day Old Malden ) as well as in Oxford, but it was not until the mid-1260s that Walter de Merton acquired the core of the present site in Oxford, along the south side of what was then St John's Street (now Merton Street ). The college

1110-538: A doctoral programme is nearly always required to have a first or 2:1 at bachelor's level. In the United Kingdom, medicine is usually taught as an undergraduate course, with graduates being awarded a master's level qualification: normally the conjoined degrees of Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, BM BCh, MB ChB, etc.) although at Queen's University Belfast (and universities in Ireland) Bachelor in

1221-451: A female head of house (in 1994). Merton has traditionally had single-sex accommodation for first-year undergraduates, with female students going into the Rose Lane buildings and most male students going into three houses on Merton Street . This policy was abandoned in 2007, with all accommodation now mixed by sex and course. Undergraduate admission to the college, like other Oxford colleges,

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1332-640: A first (First Class Honours) grew from 7% in 1997 to 26% in 2017, with the rate of growth sharply accelerating toward the end of this period. A 2018 study by the UK Standing Committee for Quality Assessment concluded that improvements in faculty skill and student motivation are only two of many factors driving average grades upward, that grade inflation is real, that the British undergraduate degree classifications will become less useful to students and employers, and that inflation will undermine public confidence in

1443-458: A first has been awarded to nearly thirty percent of graduates of British universities. The increase is said by some commentators to be due to student-demanded grade inflation rather than students' academic ability. In the early 1990s, First Class Honours went to about 7% of graduates, or about one student in 15. The percentages of graduates achieving a First vary greatly by university and course studied. Students of law are least likely to gain

1554-453: A first, while students of mathematical sciences are most likely to gain a first. A first class honours degree is sometimes colloquially referred to in rhyming slang as a Geoff Hurst after the English 1966 FIFA World Cup footballer, or as a Damien (after the contemporary artist Damien Hirst ). The upper division is commonly abbreviated to "2:1" or "II.i" (pronounced two-one ). The 2:1

1665-438: A first-class degree compared to humanities (in which more students attain a 2:1). The corresponding Tompkins Table at Cambridge makes an adjustment for this feature. John Lucas , Fellow of Merton , presented a critique of the Norrington Table in a 1980 article titled "Norrington Blues". The Norrington Table has inspired other tables ranking the performance of Oxford colleges , such as the "Vegetarian Norrington Table", which

1776-566: A former director of music at Tewkesbury Abbey . In 2013, the installation of a new organ, designed and built by Dobson Pipe Organ Builders , was completed. The chapel is known for its acoustics. A spire from the chapel has resided in Pavilion Garden VI of the University of Virginia since 1928, when "it was given to the University to honor Jefferson 's educational ideals." The hall is

1887-507: A grade simply existed for every Part of the degree, not for the overall degree. For students beginning their course of study from October 2020, a final class is awarded across the course of study, according to an algorithm determined by the Tripos. Attaining First Class Honours in two Parts culminates in graduating with a "double first". It is possible in some Triposes to be awarded a "starred first", for examination scripts that "consistently exhibit

1998-475: A letter published in The Times , in which he objected to the table that their correspondent had published two days earlier (3 September 1963, p. 12). The Times had previously published a table of Oxford colleges' results in 1962 (29 August 1962, p. 5). Norrington wrote: "Your Correspondent has analysed the final examination results this year and gives an order of merit, among the first colleges, based on

2109-457: A new quadrangle in Holywell Street , some distance away from the college. TS Eliot Lecture Theatre is a new lecture theatre named after T. S. Eliot , a former member of the college, opened in 2010. It has a bust of the writer by Jacob Epstein , presented by Frank Brenchley , a former member and Fellow of the college. Brenchley presented his collection of Eliot first editions and ephemera to

2220-674: A parliamentarian, moved to London at the start of the Civil War: the college's buildings were commandeered by the Royalists and used to house much of Charles I 's court when Oxford was the Royalists' capital. This included the King's French wife, Queen Henrietta Maria , who was housed in or near what is now the Queen's Room, the room above the arch between Front and Fellows' Quads. A portrait of Charles I hangs near

2331-403: A place in a postgraduate course and to obtain funding, especially in medical and natural sciences. Some institutions specify a 2:1 minimum for certain types of master's program, such as for a Master of Research course. Candidates with a Third or an Ordinary degree are sometimes accepted, provided they have acquired satisfactory professional experience subsequent to graduation. A candidate for

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2442-427: A playing field for cricket, rugby, and football). The gardens are notable for a mulberry tree planted in the early 17th century, an armillary sundial , an extensive lawn, a Herma statue, and the old Fellows' Summer House (now used as a music room and rehearsal space). Merton admits both undergraduate and graduate students. It admitted its first female students in 1980 and was the second former male college to elect

2553-526: A points system in which a First scores more than a second and a Second more than a Third. If you make the points 3, 2, and 1 respectively and calculate what percentage of its "possible" each college has secured, you will find that College A, with 200 points out of 300, has scored 66.67 per cent, and B, with 181, only 60 per cent. This method of calculation will be found to promote Magdalen and Merton, which come surprisingly low in your Correspondent's order." (5 September 1963, p. 13) In 1986, when Oxford for

2664-528: A research project of limited scope. This prepares students for the research degrees later in their academic career. The UK NARIC has derived equivalencies for the grades of the Spanish grado and licenciatura degrees for purposes of initial teacher training bursaries. The Netherlands organisation for international cooperation in higher education (NUFFIC) has compared UK degree classification to Dutch degree grades. Dutch equivalencies have also been calculated by

2775-447: A similar classification, and there is some room for discretion in awarding final classifications based on a student's overall performance and work quality. The honours degree system has been subject to scrutiny owing to significant shifts in the distribution of classifications, leading to calls for reform. Concerns over grade inflation have been observed. The Higher Education Statistics Agency has documented changes, noting an increase in

2886-510: A slightly different version of the Latin text of these verses is painted around Old Hall in Queens' College, Cambridge , and is "commonly in use at other Cambridge colleges". Merton alumni (Mertonians) and fellows have pursued careers in a variety of disciplines. Among the earliest people that have been claimed as Merton fellows are William of Ockham and Duns Scotus , outstanding academic figures from

2997-534: A student achieves a particularly good grade average, usually 70% or above. A common example of a Scottish ordinary degree is the Bachelor of Laws course taken by graduates of other subjects, as this is sufficient (without honours) for entry into the legal profession. Until the 1970s the University of Oxford awarded a Fourth Class degree as an equivalent of the ordinary degree. An aegrotat ( / ˈ iː ɡ r oʊ t æ t / ; from Latin aegrōtat  'he/she

3108-547: A three-year B.A. or a three-year BSc) by default. High-achieving students may be recognised with an honours classification without further coursework or research, as is often the case in engineering (which often contains a research and thesis component) or law. However, other courses (such as humanities, arts, social sciences, and sciences) and other universities may recognise high-achieving students with an honours classification with further coursework or research, undertaken either concurrently with, and as part of or in addition to,

3219-462: A three-year bachelor's degree onto a master's degree (normally requiring a 1st or a 2:1 – those with a 2:2 or a 3rd usually require appropriate professional experience), South Africa does not do so unless the student has proven research capabilities. South African Honours degrees prepare the students to undertake a research-specific degree (in terms of master's), by spending an in-depth year (up to five modules) creating research proposals and undertaking

3330-576: A tower of the four Orders , probably inspired by Italian examples that Warden Savile would have seen on his European travels. The main contractors were from Yorkshire (as was Savile); John Ackroyd and John Bentley of Halifax supervised the stonework, and Thomas Holt the timber. This group were also later employed to work on the Bodleian Library and Wadham College . Most of the other buildings are Victorian or later and include: St. Alban's Quad (or "Stubbins"), designed by Basil Champneys , built on

3441-549: A troubled existence, and the Secretary noted on 1 November 1900 a motion of censure 'against a person or persons unknown who were responsible for the undoubted blackness which is creeping over the Bodley Club.' Nevertheless, the club has continued in one form or another to the present day. Among the notable papers delivered to the Bodley Club are those by Frederic Harrison , Harold Henry Joachim , Henry Hamilton Fyfe (brother of

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3552-428: A year by a small margin to transfer to a parallel ordinary degree course. Ordinary degrees may also sometimes be awarded to honours degree students who do not pass sufficient credits in their final year to gain an honours degree, but pass enough to earn an ordinary degree. Some Scottish universities offer three-year ordinary degrees as a qualification in their own right, as well as an honours degree over four years. This

3663-429: Is "to a good old time!"; the second, a joint toast to the sundial and the nearby mulberry tree ( morus nigra ), " o tempora, o more "; and the third, "long live the counter-revolution!". Merton is the only college in Oxford to hold a triennial winter ball , instead of the more common Commemoration ball . The most recent of these was held on 26 November 2022. Merton has a number of drinking and dining societies, along

3774-564: Is a minimum requirement for entry to many postgraduate courses in the UK. It is also required for the award of a research council postgraduate studentship in the UK, although a combination of qualifications and experience equal to a 2:1 is also acceptable. This is often interpreted as possession of a master's degree (sometimes at merit level or above) in addition to a 2:2 undergraduate degree. The percentage of candidates who achieve Upper Second Class Honours can vary widely by degree subject, as well as by university. A 2:1 degree ("two-one")

3885-466: Is a sentiment that achieving a First or Upper Second Class Honours is no longer sufficient for securing desirable employment, pushing students towards extracurricular activities to enhance their resumes. The system affects progression to postgraduate education , with most courses requiring at least a 2:1, although work experience and additional qualifications can sometimes compensate for lower classifications. In comparison to international grading systems,

3996-447: Is based solely on academic potential. In 2010, it was (incorrectly) reported that Merton had not admitted a black student in the previous five years. A university spokeswoman commented that black students were more likely to apply for particularly oversubscribed subjects. The university also reported that Merton had admitted at least one black undergraduate since 2005. Since the introduction of an official Norrington Table published by

4107-428: Is consistent with British graduate degree classification. Regulations governing the progression of undergraduate degree graduates to postgraduate programmes vary among universities, and are often flexible. A candidate for a postgraduate master's degree is usually required to have at least a 2:1 (or 2:2 in some cases) bachelor honours degree, although candidates with firsts are in a considerably stronger position to gain

4218-606: Is ill') degree is an honours or ordinary degree without classification, awarded to a candidate who was unable to undertake their exams due to illness or even death, under the presumption that, had they completed those exams, they would have satisfied the standard required for that degree. Aegrotat degrees are often qualified with an appended "( aegrotat )". Following the introduction of new regulations regarding mitigating circumstances, aegrotat degrees are less commonly awarded. Degrees may be granted which incorporate prior learning, such as by means of CATS points transfer. Where

4329-401: Is in contrast to English universities that have honours degrees with three years of study. An ordinary degree in Scotland is not a failed honours degree, as in certain English universities. Students can decide, usually at the end of their second or third year, whether or not they wish to complete a fourth honours year. Scottish universities may also award their ordinary degrees with distinction if

4440-441: Is not usually open to visitors. Front quad itself is probably the earliest collegiate quadrangle , but its informal, almost haphazard, pattern cannot be said to have influenced designers elsewhere. A reminder of its original domestic nature can be seen in the north east corner where one of the flagstones is marked "Well". The quad is formed of what would have been the back gardens of the three original houses that Walter acquired in

4551-511: Is sometimes referred to as an "Attila" (after Attila the Hun , " Trevor Nunn " in rhyming slang in the UK. Until 1986 the University of Oxford did not distinguish between upper and lower second-class degrees. This is the lower division of Second Class degrees and is abbreviated as "2:2" or '"II.ii" (pronounced two-two ). It is informally referred to, in rhyming slang, as a "Desmond", after Desmond Tutu . Third Class Honours, commonly referred to as

Norrington Table - Misplaced Pages Continue

4662-454: Is the Fellows' Quadrangle, immediately south of the hall. The quad was the culmination of the work undertaken by Henry Savile at the beginning of the 17th century. The foundation stone was laid shortly after breakfast on 13 September 1608 (as recorded in the college Register), and work was complete by September 1610 (although the battlements were added later). The southern gateway is surmounted by

4773-545: Is the oldest continuously functioning library for university academics and students in the world. Like many of Oxford's colleges, Merton admitted its first mixed-sex cohort in 1979, after over seven centuries as an institution for men only. Merton's second female warden, Irene Tracey , was appointed as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford in 2022, and Professor Jennifer Payne was subsequently elected as acting warden in 2022 and as warden in 2023. Alumni and academics past and present include five Nobel laureates ,

4884-753: The Dearing Report , consider British honours degrees equivalent to a US master's degree and US bachelor's degrees as equivalent to British pass degrees in terms of the standard reached in the major subject, due to the higher degree of specialisation in the UK. However, British institutions generally accept US bachelor's degrees for admission to postgraduate study (see below). In comparing US bachelor's degrees to British honours degrees, equivalencies can be expressed in terms of either US grade point averages (GPAs) or letter grades. British institutions normally state equivalence in terms of GPAs. Approximate mappings between British classifications and GPAs can be inferred from

4995-602: The English Civil War , Merton was the only Oxford college to side with Parliament . This was due to an earlier dispute between the Warden, Nathaniel Brent , and the Visitor of Merton and Archbishop of Canterbury , William Laud . Brent had been Vicar-General to Laud, who had held a visitation of Merton College in 1638, and insisted on many radical reforms: his letters to Brent were couched in haughty and decisive language. Brent,

5106-655: The Qualifications Framework of the European Higher Education Area . The table below depicts the Greek Grading system while illustrates approximately how the Grades are compared with ECTS and UK grades: from all years, are passed successfully. Years are extended. The University of St Andrews gives equivalencies between French and British grades for its study-abroad programme. Equivalencies for

5217-434: The 1260s when Walter de Merton , chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I , first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to support it. An important feature of de Merton's foundation was that this "college" was to be self-governing and the endowments were directly vested in the Warden and Fellows. By 1274, when Walter retired from royal service and made his final revisions to

5328-669: The 1260s. Visitors to Merton are often told that Mob Quad is the oldest quadrangle of any Oxford or Cambridge college and set the pattern for future collegiate architecture. It was built in three phases: 1288–1291, 1304–1311, and finally completed with the Library in 1373–1378. But Merton's own Front Quad was probably enclosed earlier, albeit with a less unified design. Other colleges can point to similarly old and unaltered quadrangles, for example Old Court at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge , built c .1353–1377. The grandest quadrangle in Merton

5439-432: The 1280s. Merton has an unbroken line of wardens dating back to 1264. Of these, many had great influence over the development of the college. Henry Savile was one notable leader who led the college to flourish in the early 17th century by extending its buildings and recruiting new fellows. In 1333, masters from Merton were among those who left Oxford in an attempt to found a new university at Stamford . The leader of

5550-718: The 1890s and was Secretary of the Myrmidon Club . Merton has also produced notable alumni and fellows in more recent times. In science, Merton is associated with four Nobel prize winners: chemist Frederick Soddy (1921), zoologist Nikolaas Tinbergen (1973), physicist Anthony Leggett (2003) and physicist Anton Zeilinger (2022). Other Mertonians in science include Canadian neurosurgeon Wilder Penfield , mathematician Andrew Wiles who proved Fermat's Last Theorem , computer scientist Tony Hoare , chemist George Radda , economist Catherine Tucker , geneticist Alec Jeffreys and cryptographer Artur Ekert . Notable Mertonians within

5661-438: The 1980s as a speaker society. All members of the college, and usually members of the university as a whole, are invited to their events. The club began on 19 May 1894 (though it was not christened 'The Bodley Club' until June). The initial constitution contained a rule (Rule 7) which stated that 'a written paper is preferred, but any member may speak on any literary subject instead or may propose that any literary work be read at

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5772-492: The Art of Obstetrics (BAO) is added, and at some universities only the Bachelor of Medicine is awarded – all of these have equal standing. Unlike most undergraduate degrees, the MBBS is not normally considered an honours degree, and thus is not classified into first class honours, etc. Students may be awarded "Merits" and "Distinctions" for parts of the course or the whole course (depending on

5883-425: The Fellows' Quad drinking port . Traditionally participants also held candles, but this practice has been abandoned in recent years. Many students have now adopted the habit of linking arms and twirling around at each corner of the quad. The alleged purpose of this tradition is to maintain the integrity of the space–time continuum during the transition from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time , which occurs in

5994-524: The Final Honours School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree. At University College London , candidates who perform well beyond the requirements of a standard First Class Honours may be nominated to the Dean's List . This is generated once per year and recognises outstanding academic achievement in final examinations. There are no set criteria for nomination to

6105-548: The Latin text are based on verses 15 and 16 of Psalm 145 . Oculi omnium in te respiciunt, Domine. Tu das escam illis tempore opportuno. Aperis manum tuam, et imples omne animal benedictione tua. Benedicas nobis, Deus, omnibus donis quae de tua beneficentia accepturi simus. Per Jesum Christum dominum nostrum, Amen. Roughly translated it means: The eyes of the world look up to thee, O Lord. Thou givest them food in due season. Thou openest thy hand and fillest every creature with thy blessing. Bless us, O God, with all

6216-515: The Neave Society, which aims to discuss and debate political issues, and the Bodley Club , founded in 1894 as a forum for undergraduate papers on literature but now a speaker society. The Bodley Club is a speaker society at Merton College, Oxford. Founded in 1894 as a forum in which undergraduates delivered academic papers on literature, the club has changed form over the years, and was reformed in

6327-466: The Norrington Table was not created in 1962 by Sir Arthur Norrington , who was then president of Trinity College . Norrington did not invent the idea of producing a table of the results of Oxford colleges . Rather, he suggested a refinement to the weightings given to results in a existing table. Norrington's scoring system was suggested in 1963 and abandoned after 1985, owing to changes in the Oxford examination system. On 5 September 1963, Norrington had

6438-461: The Parliamentarians after its third siege in 1646 and Brent returned from London. However, in 1647, a parliamentary commission (visitation) was set up by Parliament "for the correction of offences, abuses, and disorders" in the University of Oxford. Nathaniel Brent was the president of the visitors. Greaves was accused of sequestrating the college's plate and funds for King Charles I . Despite

6549-431: The Queen's Room as a reminder of the role it played in his court. Brent gave evidence against Laud in his trial in 1644. After Laud was executed on 10 January 1645, John Greaves , one of the subwardens of Merton and Savilian Professor of Astronomy , drew up a petition for Brent's removal from office; Brent was deposed by Charles I on 27 January 1646 and replaced by William Harvey . Thomas Fairfax captured Oxford for

6660-604: The River in Summer Eights once; its men's 1st VIII held the headship in 1951. Merton's women have done better in recent years, gaining the headship in Torpids in 2003 and rowing over to defend the title in 2004. The college preprandial grace is amongst the longest in Oxford, and is always recited before formal dinners in Hall, usually by the senior postmaster present. The first two lines of

6771-700: The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF). Bachelor's degrees (including the Scottish MA , but not including medical degrees , dentistry degrees or degrees in veterinary science) attained in the UK are at FHEQ level 6/FQHEIS level 9 (ordinary) or 10 (honours); master's degrees (including integrated master's degrees and first degrees in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science) are at FHEQ level 7/FQHEIS level 11, and doctoral degrees are at FHEQ level 8/FQHEIS level 12. Bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees map to first, second and third cycle qualifications in

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6882-458: The UK NARIC. NUFFIC also noted that the grading culture is different in the Netherlands, so that it is very rare for even the best students in the Netherlands to be awarded a 9 or a 10, which represent near perfection and absolute perfection. US comparison services treat English three-year bachelor's degrees and American four-year bachelor's degrees as equivalent. Some British sources, such as

6993-404: The UK's classifications have equivalents in various countries, adapting to different academic cultures and grading scales. The ongoing debate over grade inflation and its implications for the UK's higher education landscape reflect broader concerns about maintaining academic standards and the value of university degrees in an increasingly competitive job market. The classification system as used in

7104-525: The United Kingdom was developed in 1918. Honours were then a means to recognise individuals who demonstrated depth of knowledge or originality, as opposed to relative achievement in examination conditions. Concern exists about possible grade inflation . It is claimed that academics are under increasing pressure from administrators to award students good marks and grades with little regard for those students' actual abilities, in order to maintain their league table rankings. The percentage of graduates who receive

7215-605: The United Kingdom. The system has been applied, sometimes with significant variation, in other countries and regions. The UK's university degree classification system, established in 1918, serves to recognize academic achievement beyond examination performance. Bachelor's degrees in the UK can either be honours or ordinary degrees, with honours degrees classified into First Class, Upper Second Class (2:1), Lower Second Class (2:2), and Third Class based on weighted averages of marks. The specific thresholds for these classifications can vary by institution. Integrated master's degrees follow

7326-534: The Vegetarian Norrington Table is Mansfield College , followed by Worcester College , with Kellogg College in third. There have been attempts to rework the original Norrington Table, specifically in light of debates surrounding access and the equality of Oxford University § Admission process. In 2018, one article used geographical data to rank colleges based on the percentage of undergraduate students from poorer backgrounds. In this same report,

7437-578: The Vice President of the Oxford University Student Union  announced work was underway on an "alternative Norrington Table" which would seek to measure social mobility as well as academic success in colleges. British undergraduate degree classification The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading structure used for undergraduate degrees or bachelor's degrees and integrated master's degrees in

7548-517: The WES grades given using the letter grade to GPA conversion of Duke University . Canadian academic grades may be given as letters, percentages, 12-point GPAs or 4-point GPAs. The 4-point GPAs are sometimes seen to differ from the US but other sources treat them as equivalent. The Durham conversion specifies GPAs for the US and letter grades/percentages for Canada while the UK NARIC has separate GPA conversions for

7659-475: The college accounts show that work on a new church began in about 1290. The present choir , with its enormous east window, was complete by 1294. The window is an important example (because it is so well dated) of how the strict geometrical conventions of the Early English Period of architecture were beginning to be relaxed at the end of the 13th century. The south transept was built in the 14th century,

7770-480: The college owned all the land from the site that is now Christ Church to the south-eastern corner of the city. The land to the east eventually became the current Fellows' garden, while the western end was leased by Warden Richard Rawlins in 1515 for the foundation of Corpus Christi (at an annual rent of just over £4). By the late 1280s, the old church of St John the Baptist had fallen into "a ruinous condition", and

7881-536: The college statutes, the community was consolidated at its present site in the south east corner of the city of Oxford , and a rapid programme of building commenced. The hall and the chapel and the rest of the front quad were complete before the end of the 13th century. Mob Quad , one of Merton's quadrangles , was constructed between 1288 and 1378, and is claimed to be the oldest quadrangle in Oxford, while Merton College Library , located in Mob Quad and dating from 1373,

7992-459: The college, which is believed to be the second largest collection of such material worldwide. The foyer is illuminated by a lighting display representing three constellations that were visible on the night of 14 September 1264, the day the college was founded. The garden fills the southeastern corner of the old walled city of Oxford. The walls may be seen from Christ Church Meadows and Merton Field (now used by Magdalen College School, Oxford as

8103-581: The differences between the highest places on the table are usually slight, the top colleges remain very competitive about their rankings in the Table. Their competitiveness has been heightened in recent years by increased media attention towards the rankings. Previously the university had refused to endorse an official table, leading to inaccuracies (see Criticisms below), so the university finally published its own rankings using examination results from all final year undergraduates in 2005. Contrary to popular belief,

8214-513: The early 14th century (however, these claims are disputed). Other early fellows include the Oxford Calculators , a group of 14th-century thinkers associated with Merton who took a logico-mathematical approach to philosophical problems. Theologian and philosopher John Wycliffe was another early fellow of the college. Founder of the Bodleian Library , Thomas Bodley , was admitted as fellow in 1564. Another significant figure, Henry Savile ,

8325-449: The early hours of the last Sunday in October. However, the ceremony (invented by two undergraduates in 1971) mostly serves as a spoof of other Oxford ceremonies, and historically as a celebration of the end of the experimental period of British Standard Time from 1968 to 1971 when the UK stayed one hour ahead of GMT all year round. There are three toasts associated with the ceremony. The first

8436-516: The enormous scale of the chapel, which in its original design was to have a nave and two aisles extending to the west. A new choral foundation was established in 2007, providing for a choir of sixteen undergraduate and graduate choral scholars singing from October 2008. The choir was formerly directed by Peter Phillips , director of the Tallis Scholars , and is now directed by Benjamin Nicholas,

8547-455: The examining professors ask no questions about the candidate's written work but simply stand and applaud" and Martin Amis described as "the sort where you are called in for a viva and the examiners tell you how much they enjoyed reading your papers". A "double first" at Oxford informally refers to First Class Honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e., Moderations or Prelims, and

8658-951: The field of literature include poet T. S. Eliot , who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948, and author J. R. R. Tolkien who was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature and Fellow of Merton from 1945 to 1959. Jamaican-British Professor of Sociology Stuart Hall was a pioneer in the academic field of cultural studies and director of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies . Former students with careers as politicians include British politicians Reginald Maudling , Airey Neave , Jesse Norman , Ed Vaizey , Denis MacShane , Liz Truss and Peter Tapsell , while international alumni include Bob Krueger , former U.S. Senator from Texas , and Arthur Mutambara , former Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe . In business, former Director-General of

8769-479: The first or second year, but their results do not typically affect the final degree classification. Until the 1970s, the four honours divisions in Oxford's moderations and final examinations were named first, second, third and fourth class, but from the 1970s onwards, Oxford began to adopt the classification system used by other British universities. Oxford sometimes grants a congratulatory first, which The New York Times described as "a highly unusual honor in which

8880-481: The first time split Second Class honours into Upper Seconds and Lower Seconds, The Times unilaterally adopted the Tompkins Table , which gives more weight to a First class degree: five points for a First, three for a 2.1, two for a 2.2, and one for a Third. This system was devised in 1981 by Peter Tompkins, of Birkenhead , to classify the results of Cambridge colleges, and a table compiled by Tompkins on this basis

8991-507: The following table: Letter grade equivalents are more commonly used by American institutions. World Education Services (WES), a nonprofit organisation which provides qualification conversion services to many universities and employers, gives 1st = A, 2:1 = A−/B+, 2:2 = B, 3rd = B−, Pass = C. The Fulbright Commission has also created "an unofficial chart with approximate grade conversions between UK results and US GPA". The table below summarises these conversions, including GPA equivalents for

9102-526: The four-year bachelor's honours, baccalauréat and professional bachelor's degrees (which differ from their US GPA equivalents by at most 0.1) and the three-year bachelor's degree (which is seen as a lower standard). The British Graduate Admissions Fact Sheet from McGill University uses the conversion 1st = 4.0; 2:1 = 3.0; 2:2 = 2.7; 3rd = 2.0; Pass = 1.0; Fail = 0.0. Some universities, such as those in Australia, offer ordinary or pass degrees (for instance, as

9213-533: The gifts which by thy good works we are about to receive. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen. For the relevant verses of the Psalm, the Authorized Version has: In contrast, Merton's post-prandial grace is brief: Benedictus benedicat ("Let him who has been blessed, give blessing"). The latter grace is spoken by the senior Fellow present at the end of dinner on High Table. At the University of Cambridge ,

9324-466: The graduate admissions criteria used by British universities, which often give international equivalents. For example, University College London (UCL) equates the minimum classification for entrance to GPAs using 2:1 = 3.3 and 2:2 = 3.0. Different universities convert grades differently: the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) considers a GPA of 3.5 or better as equivalent to gaining

9435-514: The higher class. However, even students with a high average mark may be unable to take honours if they have failed part of the course and so have insufficient credits. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a bachelor's degree with honours normally takes three years of full-time study and usually requires 360 credits , of which at least 90 are at level 6 (final year of a bachelor's degree) level, while an ordinary bachelor's degree normally requires 300 credits, of which 60 are at level 6. In Scotland,

9546-413: The honours bachelor's degree takes four years and requires 480 credits with a minimum of 90 at level 10 of the Scottish framework (last year of the honours degree) and 90 at level 9 (penultimate year), while the ordinary degree takes three years and requires 360 credits with a minimum of 60 at level 9 (last year of the ordinary degree). In Scotland, it is possible to start university a year younger than in

9657-455: The institution) and "Honours" may be awarded at some institutions for exceptional performance throughout the course (as a grade above Distinction). Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford ) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to

9768-543: The lines of other colleges. These include the all-male Myrmidons , the female-equivalent Myrmaids and L'Ancien Régime. The Myrmidon club is open to all members of the college in the present day, male or female, and hosts termly black tie events. Merton is host to a number of subject-specific societies, the most notable being the Halsbury Society (Law) and the Chalcenterics (Classics). Other academic societies include

9879-599: The list, but typically only a small number of students from each faculty are nominated per year. Comparable recognition in other anglophone countries is the award of a University Medal . Degrees in the UK are mapped to levels of the Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (FHEQ), which includes the Framework for Qualifications of Higher Education Institutes in Scotland (FQHEIS), which has an alternative numbering of levels corresponding to those of

9990-413: The meeting.' It was not long before this provision was required, as the minute-book reveals in its entry for 19 October 1894: 'Owing to unpardonable slackness on the part of members, the four months of vacation proved insufficient to collect coherent ideas on any particular subject...However an agreeable and instructive evening was passed in reading Tennyson's 'Maud'.' From early years the club has maintained

10101-428: The north transept in the early years of the 15th. The great tower was complete by 1450. The chapel replaced the parish church of St. John and continued to serve as the parish church as well as the chapel until 1891. It is for this reason that it is generally referred to as Merton Church in older documents, and that there is a north door into the street as well as doors into the college. This dual role also probably explains

10212-401: The oldest surviving college building, originally completed before 1277, but apart from the fine medieval ironwork on the door, almost no trace of the ancient structure has survived the successive reconstruction efforts; first by James Wyatt in the 1790s and then again by Gilbert Scott in 1874, whose work included the “handsome oak roof”. The hall is still used daily for meals in term time. It

10323-409: The overall value of higher education. Students already believe that a first or upper second, by itself, is no longer sufficient to secure a good job, and that they need to engage in extra-curricular activities to build their CV . A bachelor's degree can be an honours degree (bachelor's with honours) or an ordinary degree (bachelor's without honours). Honours degrees are classified, usually based on

10434-409: The percentage of Firsts and Seconds. This, in effect, is the same as basing it on the percentage of Thirds, and gives it no extra credit for Firsts. College A, for example, that gets 20 Firsts, 60 Seconds, and 20 Thirds scores less by this method than College B that gets no Firsts, 81 Seconds and 19 Thirds, but surely A has, in reality, done much better than B. A better result, I submit, is obtained by

10545-438: The percentage of classified degrees (i.e., not including fails or unclassified degrees such as MBBS ) in each class at five-year intervals; note that HESA stopped giving statistics separately for third class honours and pass degree after 2003. First Class Honours, referred to as a "first", is the highest honours classification and indicates high academic achievement. Historically, First Class Honours were uncommon, but since 2019

10656-401: The period 2006 to 2019. Norrington Table rankings from 2006 to 2019 by college, ordered by mean rank, and omitting all PPHs since they take very few undergraduates, with the exception of Regent's Park : [REDACTED] The table is biased towards colleges with above average proportions of students in science subjects such as chemistry and mathematics, in which a higher proportion attain

10767-431: The proportion of First Class and Upper Second Class honours degrees awarded; the percentage of First Class Honours increased from 7% in 1997 to 26% in 2017. Critics argue this trend, driven partly by institutional pressures to maintain high league table rankings, dilutes the value of higher education and undermines public confidence. Despite improvements in teaching and student motivation contributing to higher grades, there

10878-485: The purposes of initial teacher training have also been derived by the UK NARIC for 1st, 2:1 and 2:2 degrees, which do not align with St Andrews' table. The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) compares international degrees with local degrees before any international student continues their studies in that country. While the British degree accreditation and classification system allows students to go straight from

10989-404: The qualities of first class answers to an exceptional degree." Some Cambridge alumni who achieved Firsts in three Parts of the Tripos are described by their colleges and others as having achieved a "triple first". At the University of Oxford , a formal degree class is awarded, typically based on the final examinations. Examinations for Prelims or Honour Moderations are also undertaken in

11100-471: The rebels was reported to be one William de Barnby , a Yorkshireman who had been fellow and bursar of Merton College. St Alban Hall was an independent academic hall owned by the convent of Littlemore until it was purchased by Merton College in 1548 following the dissolution of the convent . It continued as a separate institution until it was finally annexed by the college in 1881, on the resignation of its last principal, William Charles Salter . During

11211-595: The rest of the United Kingdom, as the Scottish Higher exams are often taken at age 16 or 17 (as opposed to 18), so Scottish students often end a four-year course at the same age as a student from elsewhere in the UK taking a three-year course , assuming no gap years or students skipping the first year (direct entry to 2nd year). When a candidate is awarded a degree with honours, "(Hons)" may be suffixed to their designatory letters – e.g. BA (Hons), BSc (Hons), BMus (Hons), MA (Hons). An MA (Hons) would generally indicate

11322-464: The same way as a bachelor's honours degree, although some integrated master's degrees are classified like postgraduate taught master's degrees or foundation degrees into: At most institutions, the system allows a small amount of discretion. A candidate may be elevated to the next degree class if their average marks are close to (or the median of their weighted marks achieves) the higher class, and if they have submitted several pieces of work worthy of

11433-446: The secretary, William), Northrop Frye , Alister Clavering Hardy , and Ronald Knox . Several of the club's first members went on to become significant figures, including Herbert George Flaxman Spurrell and William Hamilton Fyfe . Merton has a long-standing sporting relationship with Mansfield College , with the colleges fielding amalgamated sports teams for many major sports. In rowing, Merton College Boat Club has been Head of

11544-546: The site of the medieval St Alban Hall (elements of the older façade are incorporated into the part that faces onto Merton Street); the Grove building, built in 1864 by William Butterfield but "chastened" in the 1930s by T.H. Hughes ; the buildings beyond the Fellows' Garden called "Rose Lane"; several buildings north of Merton Street, including a real tennis court , and the Old Warden's Lodgings (designed by Champneys in 1903); and

11655-478: The substance of incorporated credit exceeds a given threshold, the granting institution may be unable to grade sufficient work to award a degree classification. Any degree granted may then be unclassified. At the University of Cambridge , undergraduate Tripos examinations are split into one or more Parts, which span either one or two years. Each student receives a formal classification for each Part (i.e. Class I, II.i, II.ii, or III). Until October 2020, officially

11766-471: The university in 2004, Merton occupied one of the top three positions every year (often coming in 1st), until 2012 when it dropped to 14th. In 2014, it regained the first position, preserving its status as one of the most academically successful colleges of the last twenty years. In 2021, Merton was ranked Oxford's top college in the Norrington Table, with a score of 82.9. At the 'Time Ceremony', students dressed in formal academic dress walk backwards around

11877-485: The writer J. R. R. Tolkien , who was Merton Professor of English Language and Literature from 1945 to 1959, and Liz Truss , who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in September and October 2022. Merton is one of the wealthiest colleges in Oxford and held funds totalling £298 million as of July 2020. Merton College was founded in 1264 by Walter de Merton , Lord Chancellor and Bishop of Rochester . It has

11988-607: Was appointed Warden some years later in 1585 (held the position until 1621) and had great influence of the development of the college. William Harvey , who was the first to describe in detail the systemic circulation , was warden from 1645 to 1646. Lord Randolph Churchill , Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons (and father of Winston Churchill ), matriculated in October 1867, while Max Beerbohm , an English essayist, parodist , and caricaturist studied at Merton in

12099-554: Was consolidated on this site by 1274, when Walter made his final revisions to the college statutes. The initial acquisition included the parish church of St John (which was superseded by the chapel) and three houses to the east of the church which now form the north range of Front Quad. Walter also obtained permission from the king to extend from these properties south to the old city wall to form an approximately square site. The college continued to acquire other properties as they became available on both sides of Merton Street. At one time,

12210-503: Was first published in 2016. A play on the original, the Vegetarian Norrington Table ranks the best and worst colleges in Oxford not for their undergraduate examination results, but for the quality of their vegetarian and vegan food, using data collected from staff and students of the University . The table caused some controversy, however, as a number of college bursars argued that it bore no relation to the original and further questioned its metrics. The current top-ranked college in

12321-531: Was published on 28 August by The Times (28 Aug 1981, p. 10) alongside a table using the Norrington scoring system, which had been compiled by the Cambridge Evening News . The Tompkins Table became the preferred rating for Cambridge colleges and has prevailed for Oxford colleges as well since 1986. Below is the Norrington Table for the academic years 2021/22 and 2019/20 along with mean values for

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