Permanent Private Hall

A Permanent Private Hall (PPH) at the University of Oxford is an educational institution within the university. There are six Permanent Private Halls at Oxford, five of which admit undergraduates. They were founded by different Christian denominations. The principal difference between a college and a PPH is that whereas the former are governed by the fellows of the college, the governance of a PPH resides, at least in part, with the corresponding Christian denomination.

Students at PPHs are members of the University of Oxford and have full access to the University's facilities and activities. Regent’s Park College is the largest PPH, and admits men and women of any age. St Benet’s accepts only male students. Blackfriars, St Stephen’s House and Wycliffe Hall only accept mature students. Campion Hall admits Jesuits and priests of other orders and congregations.

In some cases, a Permanent Private Hall can be granted full collegiate status; recent examples include Mansfield College (became a full college in 1995) and Harris Manchester College (became a full college in 1996). However, one hall, Greyfriars (1224 — refounded 1910), closed at the end of the academic year 2007–08, as the Franciscan order which ran and funded it could no longer afford the expense. Greyfriar's students were transferred to Regent's Park College when it closed.