Access at Oxford
Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of Oxford's academic mission. There is no typical student, and no single Oxford experience. Our students come from every background imaginable. What they do have in common is an ability and motivation for learning and studying. There are currently more than 26,000 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate study at Oxford.
We have introduced a range of innovative access and outreach initiatives to ensure that we attract undergraduate and graduate students with the highest academic potential, from all backgrounds. Many colleges and departments in Oxford also run their own dedicated access programmes and events.
Undergraduate access
Over the past five years, more students from the least advantaged backgrounds than ever before have started their undergraduate studies at Oxford. The latest Annual Oxford Admissions Statistical Report is available to view here.
Undergraduate access initiatives at Oxford include programmes for school-age students from backgrounds under-represented at Oxford, an academic bridging programme for school-leavers, and a fully funded one-year course for UK state school students who have experienced disadvantage or disruption during their education. We continue to build on and expand our access and outreach activities in support of equality of opportunity for all talented students.
Oxford also offers one of the most generous financial support packages available for UK undergraduate students, providing over £11 million of financial support to undergraduates from lower-income households and supporting around 1 in 4 UK undergraduates through an annual, non-repayable bursary. Find out more about the financial support Oxford offers its undergraduate students, including the Crankstart Scholarship which includes bursary support and access to funded internships.
View the University's Access and Participation Plan (2025-26 to 2028-29), approved by the Office for Students.
Undergraduate access stories
Find out the latest on undergraduate access initiatives and hear from some of the students and educators involved in undergraduate access at Oxford.
Latest news
View all access articles
Regional outreach
Oxford's colleges continue to develop their regional outreach and have combined forces to form Oxford for UK, offering support to schools and colleges across the UK.
Graduate access
Oxford offers a unique experience to its graduate students, including the opportunity to work with leading academics and with world-class libraries, laboratories, museums and collections, across 350 graduate courses. This includes taught and research courses available for full-time and part-time study, from diplomas to doctorates. The latest Graduate admissions statistics can be found here.
The University has introduced several pioneering initiatives to widen access to graduate study to increase the number of promising postgraduate students from the least advantaged and under-represented groups. A cross-institutional Graduate Access Subcommittee directs efforts to enhance access and participation, including several initiatives to support fair admissions, such as the use of socio-economic and contextual data in the assessment of applications. In 2025, the University approved it's first Graduate Access Strategy.
Oxford and its colleges offer a range of graduate funding opportunities to support disadvantaged and under-represented groups, and the collegiate University is committed to increasing the number of scholarships available to our graduate students.
Graduate access programmes
Graduate access stories
Find out the latest on graduate access initiatives and hear from some of the students and educators involved in graduate access at Oxford.
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