The £40m bond, which was launched this week by University College, Oxford and matures in 50 years, carries a coupon of 3.1 per cent.
The debt, which was pre-placed on the London Stock Exchange, is lower yielding than any bond issued by a UK university on record, according to Dealogic.
University College’s bond is a sign that a wider range of issuers — from the boardrooms of multinational corporations to the spires of august educational institutes — are increasingly aware of the opportunity to lock in long-term credit at historically low rates.