Oxford and Cambridge are the oldest and the most prestigious universities in Great Britain. They are often called collectively Oxbridge. Both Universities were founded in the medieval period.
They are federations of semi-independent colleges, each college having its own staff, known as “Fellows”. Most colleges have their own dining hall, library and chapel (часовня) and contain enough accommodation for at least half of their students. The Fellows teach the college students either one-to-one – or in small groups, known as “tutorials” in Oxford and “supervisions” in Cambridge. Oxbridge has the lowest student/staff ratio (соотношение) in Britain. Lectures and laboratory work are organized at university level. Before 1970 Oxbridge colleges were single-sex (mostly for men). Now they admit both men and women.