The purpose of this study is to use some techniques developed for describing the environments of U.S. universities to explore the correlation between national characteristics and university characteristics in the British Commonwealth. Because such techniques have been little used outside the U.S., the study first examines their appropriateness for describing Commonwealth universities. Finally, the study uses one of these techniques to examine the collegial organization of Cambridge and Oxford. Results for 186 universities suggest that these techniques are appropriate for characterizing Commonwealth universities, including Oxford and Cambridge colleges, and that national characteristics and university environments correlate fairly meaningfully in the Commonwealth. Therefore, this study helps provide a broader, more international context for studying university environments. (Author)