Series 49 of University Challenge began on 15 July 2019 on BBC Two.
[1] The University of Huddersfield made its University Challenge debut in this series, while the Oxford colleges Wolfson and Lady Margaret Hall made their first appearances in the BBC series.
Each year, a Christmas special sequence is aired featuring distinguished alumni.
Out of 7 first-round winners, the top 4 highest-scoring teams progress to the semi-finals.
The winning University of Leeds team of Jonathan Clements, Henry Gee, Richard Coles and Timothy Allen beat the Wadham College, Oxford team of Jonathan Freedland, Tom Solomon, Anne McElvoy and Roger Mosey.