CHAPTER I.

ADMISSION AND MATRICULATION.

ANY one who wishes to be matriculated as a member of the University must first be admitted either as a member of a College or Hall (Introduction, pp. xi-xii), or as a Non-Collegiate Student. The varying conditions under which admission can be obtained to the several Societies within the University are stated in detail below; the following are practically universal.

Admission to the Foundations of the Colleges is obtained in nearly every case by election after a competitive examination. Those who are elected as Foundation Scholars, Bible-Clerks, or Exhibitioners, are thenceforth regarded as members of the Society which has elected them, and have not to undergo any further College Examination. They cannot, for instance, become candidates for election to any other Society without first resigning the Scholarship, Exhibition or Clerkship to which they have been elected. A complete list of all College Scholarships and Exhibitions is given in Chapter II. Those who desire to be admitted as Commoners must apply to the Head of a College or Hall, or to the Censor of NonCollegiate Students, for leave to become a candidate for admission1; the application may in most cases be made by the intending candidate himself, by his parent or guardian, by the master of his school, or his tutor. The particulars which are required to be given are usually as follows:-(1) the exact names and age of the candidate, (2) the name and address of his parent or guardian, (3) the place of his education, (4) the date at which he wishes to begin residence (see below, pp. 3-21). A testimonial of good character must be produced, either when the application is first made, or when the candidate appears for examination.

1 The official address-and no other should be used--is stated below in the notice of each College.

B

When a name has once been placed on the list of candidates for admission at any Society, the candidate must consider himself in honour bound to carry out his candidature, and if in the interval between his application and the examination for admission any change, in his circumstances or plans renders him unable to fulfil his engagement, he should give immediate notice of his desire to remove his name from the list of applicants.

The difficulty of obtaining a place on the list of applicants for admission to a College has been considerably lessened partly by the repeal of the Statute which required every Undergraduate member of a College or Hall to reside for three years at least within its walls, partly by the very considerable additions which nearly all Colleges have within recent years made to their buildings. In consequence, a candidate who possesses the necessary literary qualifications has now practically little difficulty in obtaining admission at any College, at short notice. Late applicants, however, cannot be sure of obtaining rooms within the College walls, since the vacant rooms, the number of which is almost always fewer than that of successful candidates for admission, are usually offered to such candidates either in the order in which their names have been previously entered on the books, or in the order of merit at the examination. Those, moreover, who are likely to have difficulty in passing the Matriculation Examination, will probably find that those who have had their names on the list for the longest time are ceteris paribus preferred.

Applicants for admission are ordinarily required to pass an examination, the date of which is notified to all whose names are on the list.

But since Responsions may now be passed before matriculation (p. 122), and also since certain other examinations which may be passed before matriculation are accepted by the University as substitutes for Responsions (see p. 125), these examinations are now sometimes accepted by Colleges and by the Delegates of NonCollegiate Students as substitutes for the whole or for part of their ordinary entrance examinations. The extent, however, to which they are so accepted varies so much at different Colleges that any one who proposes to claim exemption from the College Examination on the ground of having passed an equivalent examination

should previously communicate with the College, unless an express provision covering his case can be found in the notices given below.

The following are the regulations of the different Societies in regard to (1) applications for admission, (2) examinations for admission and exemptions from such examinations, (3) residence in College and in lodgings. A note of the payments on coming into residence, and information as to the purchase or hire of furniture in College rooms, as well as that relating to other expenses, will be found in Chapter III.

October is now the usual time to begin residence, see p. 151.

At Balliol, application must be made to the Senior Tutor. The examination is held just before each Term, beginning at 9.30 A. M. on the Wednesday and ending on Thursday afternoon of the week in which the College meets. Any candidate who applies to the Butler of Balliol College, a week beforehand, can be lodged and boarded in College at a fixed charge of £1, including attendance. Candidates are recommended to come up for the examination at the beginning of the Term before that in which they wish to come into residence.

Candidates are recommended to pass Responsions, or some equivalent examination, before they come up for matriculation. For those who have so passed, the examination for admission consists of an English Essay, one of the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of St. John in Greek, and papers in one of the following subjects at the option of the candidate:—(1) Classics—(a) Latin Prose composition, (b) Unprepared translations from Greek and Latin, (c) Prepared Greek and Latin books; these should be either those which may be offered for Responsions or Higher Certificates, or equivalent to them in quantity. (2) Mathematics-Algebra, Trigonometry and Geometrical Conics at least. (3) Natural Science-the elements of either Chemistry, Physics, or Biology. (4) Modern History—a period such as that represented by-Macaulay's History of England, any three vols. (cabinet edition); or Lecky's History of England, any two vols.; or Robertson's Charles V. (5) Jurisprudence—Institutes of Justinian, Books I, II, with either Maine's Ancient Law or Taswell-Langmead's Constitutional History; or Dicey's Law of the Constitution. (6) Theology—either one of the Historical books of the Old Testament,

Isaiah, the four Gospels and the Epistles to the Corinthians in the Greek; or the History of the Church in the first three centuries; or that of the Reformation; or Hebrew. Notice of the subject offered should be sent to the Master at least a week before the examination. Candidates may also, if they please, offer a Modern Language in addition, and knowledge of this will be allowed to compensate for deficiency in other subjects.

Candidates will be expected to pass such an examination as shows that they can read profitably for Honours in the given subject.

Candidates who have not passed Responsions, or an equivalent examination, will be further examined in the subjects required at Responsions.

Candidates who have obtained a Certificate of the University Schools' Examiners with distinction, or who have distinguished themselves in the examinations for the Scholarships and Exhibitions (held annually in November), will be admitted to the College without further examination.

Candidates must be under 21 years of age at the date of the examination fór matriculation. Those who exceed this age will only be admitted to the College if they distinguish themselves in the examinations for the Scholarships and Exhibitions.

All Undergraduates of the College are required to read for Honours in one of the Final Schools.

Special arrangements are made for those who wish to become candidates for the Indian Civil Service. Information can be obtained from A. L. Smith, Esq., Balliol College.

Subject to the necessary limitation of the number of vacant rooms in College, Undergraduates may be admitted, with leave of the Master, to reside either in College or in lodgings. Those who reside in lodgings may either battel in College, or be wholly independent of the College in respect of their meals.

At Brasenose, application must be made to the Principal by the parent, guardian, or tutor of the candidate. Testimonials of good conduct covering the last three years are required.

Applicants for admission are required to pass Responsions, or some examination accepted by the University as an equivalent for Responsions, before coming into residence; and those who have