Balliol graduates, or Middle Common Room (MCR) members, are fortunate to enjoy the advantages both of being part of a large and established College, and of forming an independent, active and diverse graduate community. Indeed, the Balliol MCR is the envy of many other Oxford colleges.

Graduate life is centred on Holywell Manor, where more than two thirds of graduates live. The Manor itself is some ten minutes walk from the main College site, and comprises a complex of buildings dating from the 15th century to the 1990s. The facilities and the proximity of most graduates means that the MCR enjoys an active social calendar through all terms.