A prominent model for residential colleges is the
Oxbridge model at the
University of Oxford and
University of Cambridge, where the colleges are legally independent constituents of the universities that are both residential and teaching institutions. This model was modified at
Durham University, also in the UK, in the 19th century to create non-teaching colleges that were, in general, legally part of the university, but with a few independent colleges added in the 20th century. With the arrival of residential colleges in the
United States the model diversified further. The Durham adaptation of colleges being owned by the university rather than being independent corporations is generally followed and many universities, including
Yale and
Harvard, also follow Durham in keeping teaching centralised. There is also a split between fully collegiate universities (e.g.,
Oxford and other British universities, where all students, undergraduate and postgraduate, are members of a college), universities that are fully collegiate at the undergraduate level (e.g.,
Yale and
Princeton where all undergraduates are members of a college throughout their time at university, even if they don't remain in residence) and those (e.g.,
Northwestern,
Sydney or
Waterloo) where residential colleges are one of a mix of residential options. Another variant at some US universities is residential colleges that do not cover all years at the institute, e.g.,
Cornell University's West Campus House System, which only takes
sophomores and above, with most
upperclass students either living off campus or in halls unaffiliated with the residential colleges. Another point of variance is whether colleges are multi-disciplinary (as at Oxford and Cambridge) or focused on certain subject areas such as at
Fordham University, which has dedicated residential colleges (Integrated Learning Communities) for upperclass students for various themes including global business and science, as well as separate first year residential colleges, including one for students considering pre-med or science majors. The primary difference between a residential college and a hall of residence is often considered to be that while a student lives in a hall for a year, they are a member of a college for their entire student life, even when not living in the accommodation associated with that college: "Residential colleges are collegia in the original sense: societies, not buildings, and their members may reside anywhere". However, as can be seen above, this is not common to all variants of the residential college system. In addition, the members of a residential college are usually expected to eat their meals together, as a unified body. Standard halls of residence tend to have residents who move between halls every year, and who eat in dining halls largely mixed with residents of other halls. However, residential colleges can be self-catering (e.g.
Josephine Butler College, Durham), yet still clearly identified as colleges. ==Australia==