Finance Since 1914

Abstract

This chapter examines the financial history of the university during the period from 1914 to 1970. Early on in the 20th century the Board of Finance sought central control over departmental funds, but this proposal was rejected in March 1915 and the university remained highly decentralized. In 1917, the Board of Finance made another attempt to centralize college finances and failed again. In terms of finances, the university's income was little more than a third of that of the colleges collectively and it did not overtake this until the early 1950s. This chapter provides statistics relevant to the income of the Oxford colleges and the expenditure per students from the 1660s to 1988.