Hague read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating with first-class honours. He was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA), but was "convicted of electoral malpractice" in the election process. OUCA's official historian, David Blair, notes that Hague was actually elected on a platform pledging to clean up OUCA, but that this was "tarnished by accusations that he misused his position as Returning Officer to help the Magdalen candidate for the presidency, Peter Havey. Hague was playing the classic game of using his powers as President to keep his faction in power, and Havey was duly elected... There were accusations of blatant ballot box stuffing".