Congregation

Information about Congregation, including the legislative structure, and material for recent and forthcoming meetings

Congregation is the sovereign body of the University. It consists of about 5,000 members, comprising academic staff, heads and other members of governing bodies of colleges and societies and senior research, computing, library and administrative staff. The official register of Congregation is published annually in the Gazette each HT and additions to the register are published weekly (for example, the 2022-23 Register of Congregation). The electronic register of Congregation is managed by the Congregation Membership Administrator, Planning and Council Secretariat.

 

Changes to Congregation membership application process

Please apply for membership of Congregation applications using our web-form. There is also a separate MA by Resolution form for those who are already members of Congregation. As previously advertised, our processes have changed and we are no longer able to accept PDF versions of the form. 

 
Functions and procedures

For the functions and procedures of Congregation and other related matters, see Statute IV and Congregation Regulations 2 of 2002.

For queries relating to Congregation elections, please contact the Elections Office or visit the Elections pages.

For queries relating to Congregation membership, please contact the Congregation Membership Administrator or click on the Membership tab above.

For all other queries, please contact the Council Secretariat.

 

 

Membership

For the membership of Congregation, see Statute IV and Congregation Regulations 1 of 2002.

Congregation is the supreme governing body of the University, essentially consisting of all Oxford academic staff, and more senior academic-related staff.

Membership queries should be raised with college or departmental/faculty administrators in the first instance.

You should use the web form, and accompanying notes of guidance, to submit your application. We ask that either a Head of Department/Faculty Chair/College Head or a relevant administrator sends an email to congregation.membership@admin.ox.ac.uk confirming that they authorise the application.

Relevant administrators include: for a salary grade based application, we can accept confirmation from an HR official, for a governing body/faculty related application we can accept confirmation from a secretary/administrator of that body.

If your application for Congregation is successful, a University card stating 'Congregation' will be issued by the Card Office in due course. Should there be a meeting of Congregation, you will be asked to show your card on entrance. Please note that if there is a meeting of Congregation before you receive your card, you may pre-register for the meeting as an alternative to presenting a card stating 'Congregation'.  Full details of the pre-registration process will be provided when the details of a meeting are advertised. Please contact the Card Office with any card related questions: university.card@admin.ox.ac.uk. 

Meetings

Items placed on the agenda for Congregation are published in the University Gazette. Stated meetings of Congregation are held, if there is relevant business, at 2pm on the Tuesday of the first, second, fourth, sixth, and eighth weeks of Full Term, and of the second week after Full Term (‘Tenth Week’). If there is no opposed business or any other reason to hold a meeting, any items on the agenda are declared by the Vice-Chancellor to have been approved without the meeting being held.

Meetings are usually held either in the Sheldonian Theatre in Broad Street or in the nearby Convocation House (part of the Bodleian Library complex).  Attendance at the meeting is open to members of Congregation and nominated members of Oxford SU.  Admittance to the Theatre is on the production of a members' University card stating 'Congregation', and is on a first-come first-served basis.  Identify may also be checked against the Register of Congregation. 

A level access entrance to the Theatre and flat floor seating is available. There is a fixed induction loop.  More information on the Theatre is available in the University's Access Guide.  Please email congregation.meeting@admin.ox.ac.uk to discuss your needs.

 

The scheduled meeting dates for the 24/25 academic year are as follows:

MT24: 15 October, 22 October, 5 November, 19 November, 3 December, 17 December

HT25: 21 January, 28 January, 11 February, 25 February, 11 March, 25 March.

TT25: 29 April, 6 May, 20 May, 3 June, 17 June, 1 July.

Results of the Postal Vote held following the meeting on 25 June 2024

The outcome of both votes held at the meeting of 25 June 2024 is published under 'MEETINGS' below.  The transcript of the meeting is published here. Postal votes were requested in respect of both resolutions.  In line with contemporary practice, these were delivered electronically by Civica.  Voting closed on 1 August; the outcome of the votes is published below, and the original report of voting from Civica is attached here.

QUESTION: To continue to require the graduate application fee from those who do not meet our access criteria and for all of this income to be used for graduate access initiatives and scholarships.

Result No. votes
For 1,505
Against 440

 

OUTCOME: The resolution will be carried.

 

QUESTION: That a Redundancy Panel be constituted to consider whether to recommend dismissal by reason of redundancy in respect of one member of staff under the jurisdiction of Statute XII but who is not required or undertakes in their role academic teaching or research.

Result No. votes
For 936
Against 893

 

OUTCOME: The resolution will be carried.

 

MEETINGS

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Further information

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