About the Examination Schools
Built between 1876 and 1881 and designed to house the University's examinations at the heart of Oxford's city centre, the impressive Examination Schools is brimming with beautiful architectural features from sweeping Italian marble staircases to ornate wooden carvings and original Victorian fireplaces.
The impressive Examination Schools is one of the largest venues in Oxford making it ideal for large conferences, festivals, talks, awards dinners, exhibitions, celebrations and so much more. Rooms are spread across two easy-to-navigate accessible floors and a beautiful entrance hall and outside quad provide additional space surrounded by impressive architecture.
The space lends itself to a range of capacity options to suit your event, whether you are looking for spacious or cosy, large or small. Take a look at our capacity options in the capacity guide to find the right choice for you.
Explore the building
Our Event Venues Coordinator, Declan, takes you around the Examination Schools and shares more about the building's history and purpose
Virtual Tour
Explore the venue online with 360 views, helpful room layout information and points of interest.
Venues of Excellence Accreditation
The University Examination Schools, managed by the Oxford University Event Venues (OUEV) team within Estates Services, has recently achieved accreditation as a member of Venues of Excellence - a consortium of leading UK conference and event venues.
This involves a rigorous assessment process that looks at every aspect of the service the team provide to customers running events in the building - from AV and IT facilities and legal compliance to staff development and well-being, quality of customer support and environmental sustainability.
The accreditation will be maintained with an annual audit to make sure standards remain as high as ever.
Browse our venue spaces
The Civil Aviation AuthorityThe Examination Schools certainly provided a splendid, imposing and very different venue from the usual sterile modern hotel or conference centre that is so often used.
How to find us
Train - Oxford railway station is approximately a 20 minute walk away or 10 minutes by taxi. Bikes can be hired at the train station or around the city.
Bus - The nearest bus stop and airport bus stops are on the High Street just outside the Examination Schools (Queen's Lane stop). Information about buses in the city can be found here.
Car- There is no car parking on site so we recommend using the park-and-ride system.
Alternatively, car parks are available across the city. The nearest one is St Clements. If you need help finding other University buildings in the city centre, try our searchable map.
Ready to book? Speak to the team!
Contact us today
We would love to hear more about your event plans and ideas and help them come to life.
Phone: 01865 276905
Browse our other venues
Not quite what you're looking for? Take a look at our other spectacular venues across Oxford.
