Leaving a Legacy

Legacies are an enormously important source of funds for the College. It goes without saying that in preparing a will, an absolute priority is to ensure that the needs of your family and loved ones are met. However, when you have done this, you may feel that some bequest could also be made to Univ. Legacies can provide a very convenient and tax-effective way for Old Members and other friends of the College to make really significant gifts to the College.

UK donors may support Univ either (1) by giving directly to the College or (2) by making a gift to the Univ Old Members’ Trust. Please contact The Development Team for further information or guidance; for example we can inform you about Univ's financial situation and needs, or let you know the amount of money required to realise your wishes. We can also provide you with details on making a charitable contribution through a Self Invested Personal Pension (SIPP).

There is a variety of types of legacy that can be left to Univ, including residuary, percentage and pecuniary. Percentage legacies protect you against unexpected changes in fortune, and unlike pecuniary legacies, inflation will not erode the value of your gift over time. If you would like to leave non-monetary gifts, for example shares or items of property, (which are exempt from Capital Gains Tax as well as from estate taxes), we would be especially grateful if you could discuss these with the College in advance.

Please read our suggested form of wording for legacies made by UK Taxpayers, US Taxpayers or Canadian Taxpayers.

The William of Durham Club

William of Durham (died 1249) left a large amount of money in his will to be invested in rents that would support scholars in Oxford. This benefaction resulted in the first of the Oxford halls or colleges which was subsequently named University College. Those who have made a legacy or any other planned gift to Univ are invited to join the William of Durham Club, established in 1997. Members are invited (with a guest) to an annual luncheon at Univ, which is the College's way of  expressing its gratitude to those who have chosen to make provision for the Univ in their will.

Details of our next William of Durham Club Luncheon will be available soon.

Since 2007, Univ has listed the names of Old Members and friends who are supporting the College through a legacy in a separate section of our annual roll of donors, which is enclosed with the Michaelmas edition of the Univ Newsletter each year. We do this both to acknowledge your generosity and in order to encourage others to consider this form of giving. No amounts are given – members are simply listed in matriculation order. Of course, if you would prefer for us to do so, we can also keep your bequest to the College anonymous.

If you have any questions about this webpage, please contact the Development Team.