List of Oxford University Notable Alumni

Oxford University is not only famous for its highly experienced faculty and quality of education but also boasts about its strong alumni network, popularly called ‘Oxonians’ or notable alumni of Oxford. Oxford University follows a collegiate system and this is what differentiates it from the rest of the British Universities. The University is linked to 32 independent colleges in a federal system, the students who are accepted for Oxford University admissions are admitted across these colleges. 

The list of renowned and eminent Oxonians keeps on getting lengthier as every other year Oxford University produces prominent students who go on to make a strong impact in their respective fields. Currently, Oxford has nurtured the minds of 30 international leaders, 28 British Prime Ministers, around 120 Olympic medal winners, 55 Nobel Prize winners, and 47 Nobel Laureates. These alumni have been seen across top positions and are highly reputed.

Oxford University Notable Alumni

As Oxford University dates back to 1096, the list of notable alumni or Oxonians includes celebrated personalities from the late 13th and 14th centuries, as per available records. The university also does not put an age limit if you are an earnest seeker of knowledge. Hence, the oldest alumnus/ Oxonian was 91-year-old Gertrud Seidmann who received the award of ‘Certificate of Graduate Attainment’. Here's a list of the top 100 notable alumni of Oxford University compiled below:

1. Albert Einstein – Nobel Prize-winning Physicist – Christ Church College

In the 1930s, Einstein studied at Christ Church College for a short period of time before immigrating to the US. Awarded the title of ‘Person of the Century' by Time Magazine, Einstein’s ‘Theory of Relativity' revolutionized Physics as we study it now. The Christ Church College has also produced some royal personalities like King Edward VI of England and 13 British Prime Ministers.

 2. Tony Blair – former British Prime Minister – St John's College

Acquiring a degree in law from St. John’s College, Tony Blair went on to become the British Prime Minister from 1997—2007. He is the last British Labour Party leader to win a general election with the record of serving as the British PM for about 10 years (the ninth-longest tenure). He also acts as an advisor to many foreign governments. St John’s is also the alma mater to the Nobel Peace Prize recipient Lester Pearson. He was the former Canadian Prime Minister who received the Nobel Prize in 1957 for resolving the Suez Canal Crisis through the United Nations Emergency Force. Former Indian Prime Minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, also studied Economics here before joining Cambridge to complete his education.

3. Tina Brown – Founder of The Daily Beast – St Anne’s College

The former editor of Tatler, New Yorker and Vanity Fair magazine, founded The Daily Beast in 2008. She graduated from St Anne’s College in 1974. A journalist by profession, she became a columnist and later, a talk-show host of ‘Topic A’ airing at CNBC. She is famously known for her literary work: ‘The Diana Chronicles’ (June 2007) – a biography of Lady Diana, Princess of Wales. The book was declared New York Times Bestseller as soon as it was launched.

4. Adam Smith – Economist and Philosopher – Balliol College

Adam Smith was enrolled in Balliol College (1740-1746) through the Snell Fellowship. He was a celebrated economist and a significant figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. His works like ‘An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations' and ‘The Theory of Moral Sentiments are still widely read around the world. Balliol College has also nurtured Aldous Huxley (English novelist and philosopher) and Boris Johnson (Member of Parliament for Uxbridge and South Ruislip) along with three other British PMs and a former president of Germany, Richard von Weizsäcker.

5. Margaret Thatcher – Former British PM – Sommerville College

Margaret Thatcher graduated in 1943 with honours in Chemistry from Sommerville College. She served as the British PM for the time period 1979–1900 and holds the record of being the only female PM of the country to date. She was also given the title of Iron Lady as she proved to be one of the most influential political leaders in the world during the 1980s. Following her, Iron Lady of India, Indira Gandhi also completed her education at Sommerville and went on to become India’s first woman Prime Minister. Thus, both the 'Iron Ladies' are notable alumni of Oxford University.

6. Rupert Murdoch – Media Mogul – Worcester College

A media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, studied in Worcester from 1949–1952. He is the founder of News Limited, a privately owned media company. With its success, he further expanded to the United Kingdom and now his holding company ‘News Corporation’ has acquired The Wall Street Journal (2007), HarperCollins (1989), and Twentieth Century Fox (1985). The famous Harry Potter star Emma Watson is also a Worcester alumnus.

7. J.R.R. Tolkien – Author – Exeter College

Famously known for the Lord of the Rings series, J.R.R. Tolkien studied at Exeter College. He served as a professor at Merton College, Oxford University for the time period 1945 to 1959. Apart from him, Richard Burton (British/Welsh actor) and Tariq Ali (British Pakistani writer and filmmaker) also studied at Exeter.

8. Bill Clinton – Former US President – University College

The 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton served from 1993–2001 as the US President and is a notable alumnus of the University College. He was admitted in the college under the Rhodes scholarship where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) from 1969 to 1971. The theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking also attended University College between 1959 and 1962 majoring in Physics, before finally moving to Cambridge for his graduate studies. V.S Naipaul, Nobel Laureate and author (Literature-2001), is another notable alumnus of Oxford University and of University College.

9. Hugh Grant – Actor and Film Producer – New College

A Golden Globe and BAFTA awardee Hugh Grant studied at New College after receiving the Galsworthy scholarship in 1979. It was here that he starred in an Oxford University Film Foundation production titled ‘Privileged’ (1982), which became his first film. It is also interesting to know that Susan Rise, National Security Advisor to then President Obama, was a Rhodes Scholar and studied at New College between the period 1988 and 1990.

10. Oscar Wilde – Irish poet and playwright – Magdalen College

Oscar Wilde read ‘Greats’ which is an undergraduate course that includes all classics such as Ancient Rome, Greece, Latin, Greek, and philosophy; from 1874 to 1878 at Magdalen College. Even during his time here, he was recognised for his part in the Aesthetic and Decadent movements in the 19^th century. King Edward VIII, the King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and the Emperor of India (January–December 1936) also graduated from Magdalen College. J. H. C. Whitehead, one of the founders of Homotopy Theory and a Waynflete Professor of Pure Mathematics from 1947 to 1960, is also a notable alumnus of Oxford University.

Oxford University Alumni 

Apart from these Oxonians, there are hundreds of celebrated personalities that pursued their education at the University of Oxford. While some of them may have started studying at Oxford and later moved on to Cambridge for their completion of studies, Oxford still remembers them as one of the best of their batch. Below is a list of other famous alumni of Oxford University:

20^th and 21^st Century alumni of the Oxford University

• HM King Abdullah II of Jordan
• W. H. Auden–Poet
• Benazir Bhutto–Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
• Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto–Former President and Prime Minister of Pakistan
• Richard Curtis–Screenwriter
• Cecil Day-Lewis–Poet
• Emilia Fox–Actor
• William Golding–Nobel Prize-winning novelist
• Robert Graves–Poet
• Graham Greene–Author
• Edwin Hubble–Astronomer
• John Ruskin-Author, artist and social reformer
• Bobby Jindal–Governor of Louisiana and Former US Congressman
• Imran Khan–Pakistani Politician and Former International Cricketer
• Theresa May MP–Current British Prime Minister
• Mansoor Ali Khan (Tiger) Pataudi–Former Captain of the Indian Cricket team
• Vikram Seth–Author
• Cornelia Sorabji–India’s first female lawyer
• Aung San Suu Kyi–Burmese National League for Democracy and Nobel laureate
• TS Eliot-Poet 
• Cecil Rhodes-Colonial pioneer, founder of the Rhodes Scholarships
• Arnold Toynbee-Social philosopher and economist
• William Morris-Artist
• Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson)-Author and academician
• William Ewart Gladstone-British Prime Minister

19^th Century Oxford University Notable Alumni

• Matthew Arnold–Poet
• Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson)–Author and Academician
• Cecil Rhodes–Founder of the Rhodes Scholarships
• Percy Bysshe Shelley–Poet
• H H Asquith-British Prime Minister
• Cardinal John Henry Newman-Theologian
• Frederick Soddy-Nobel Prize winner 
• Oscar Wilde-Playwright, poet and author

17^th and 18^th Century Oxonians

• John Ford–Playwright
• Edmund Halley–Astronomer
• William Harvey–discovered the circulation of the blood
• Robert Hooke–Scientist
• John Locke–Philosopher
• Sir Richard Lovelace–Poet
• Jonathan Swift–Author and Satirist
• Adam Smith-Political economist
• John Wesley-Founder of Methodism
• John Wilmot-Second Earl of Rochester, poet and courtier
• Dr Samuel Johnson-Lexicographer

15^th and 16^th Century alumni of the Oxford University

• John Donne–Poet
• Erasmus–Scholar
• Sir Thomas More–Lord Chancellor and Martyr
• Sir Walter Raleigh–Explorer
• Sir Philip Sidney–Poet
• William Tyndale-Bible translator
• Cardinal Thomas Wolsey-Lord Chancellor and churchman, founder of Christ Church
• Jerome of Prague-Czech religious reformer
• Sir Thomas More-Lord Chancellor and martyr
• Cardinal William Allen

13^th and 14^th Century Oxonians

• Thomas Bradwardine–Archbishop of Canterbury
• Simon Bredon–Mathematician
• William of Ockham–Philosopher and Theologian 
• Duns Scotus-Philosopher and theologian
• John Wyclif (Wycliffe)-Religious reformer

Check: Oxford University Admissions 

Inspired by these alumni, every year the number of applicants increases as all want to join the university where such great minds were given a chance to grow. Also, the esteemed faculty of Oxford University make sure that bright young minds are nurtured in the right direction to see more Nobel Laureates, Politicians, Humanitarians, and so on, in future.

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