UNIQplus Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! The majority of our participants are current or recent students at other universities. If you meet at least one of the UNIQplus eligibility criteria, we strongly encourage you to apply.

To be eligible for UNIQplus, you must be studying or have studied for an undergraduate degree at a UK or Irish university.

If you wish to apply for a UNIQplus Research Internship, you would normally be in the middle years of your degree, as the programme is aimed at those who have not yet experienced a substantial period of research; however, if you are in your final year, or have already graduated, your application will be considered where a clear benefit to taking part in a UNIQplus Research Internship can be demonstrated (e.g. your degree did not include a research project, or you graduated a long time ago and are now wanting to pursue doctoral study, etc.).

Please give further details in your personal statement of the extent of your research experience and why you think a UNIQplus Research Internship would still be beneficial to you. You are not able to apply if you have already completed or are currently studying a PhD/DPhil, or have an offer to start a PhD/DPhil. As graduate admissions are still underway at most institutions for the next academic year, you may not know the outcome of any PhD/DPhil application you have made/intend to make. We recommend you apply to UNIQplus if you meet the criteria, but if you are then successful in your application for a PhD/DPhil, please let us know so we can withdraw your application.

Unfortunately not. To be eligible for the UNIQplus programme, you’ll need to have been ordinarily resident in the UK from three years before the start date of your undergraduate degree course.

Your country of ordinary residence is the country in which you are normally resident, out of choice and for a settled purpose, apart from temporary or occasional absences. It is not a country in which you are studying, working or living temporarily. You would usually have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK in order to be considered ordinarily resident. Those with a time limitation on how long they can stay in the UK (for example, a time-limited UK visa) would not usually be eligible for our UNIQplus programmes. To be eligible for UNIQplus, you need to have been ordinarily resident in the UK for three years before the start date of your undergraduate degree course. 

If the country in which you are ordinarily resident is not the UK, or if you moved to the UK to undertake a full-time university degree, unfortunately you will not be eligible to apply.

As graduate admissions are still underway at most institutions for next academic year, you may not know the outcome of any PhD/DPhil application you have made/intend to make. We recommend you apply to UNIQplus if you meet the criteria, but if you are then successful in your application for a PhD/DPhil, please let us know so we can withdraw your application and offer it to someone else.

If you have previously completed a UNIQplus Research Internship, ESRC-funded UNIQplus Research Internship, Wellcome Biomedical Vacation Scholarship or UNIQplus DeepMind Internship at the University of Oxford, then you are not eligible to apply for another UNIQplus Research Internship. However, you are still eligible to apply to UNIQplus PASS. 

If you wish to apply for a UNIQplus Research Internship and your course includes a foundation year, you need to have completed the foundation year, and be in at least year 2 of your undergraduate course, ie any student who is in Year 1 immediately following a foundation year would not be eligible.

To be eligible for UNIQplus PASS you need to be in at least the penultimate year of your undergraduate degree if you have not already graduated, and be considering applying for postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in 2026-27 (to start in autumn 2027).

If you wish to apply for a UNIQplus Research Internship, you would normally be in the middle years of your degree as the programme is aimed at those who have not yet experienced a substantial period of research; however, if you are in your final year, or have already graduated, your application will be considered where a clear benefit to participating in a UNIQplus Research Internship can be demonstrated (e.g. your degree did not include a research project or you graduated a long time ago and are now wanting to pursue doctoral study, etc.) Please give further details in your statement of the extent of your research experience and why you feel a UNIQplus Research Internship would still be beneficial to you.

To be eligible for UNIQplus PASS you need to be at least in the penultimate year of your undergraduate degree if you have not already graduated, and be considering applying for postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in 2026-27 (to start in autumn 2027).

You can choose up to two projects when you apply.

You will need to make sure that your academic background is a good fit for the programme, so consider which projects cover similar or relevant areas to your degree/research interests. Please use the relevant project code to indicate your preferred projects in the application form. Please enter at least one and up to three preferred projects and rank them in order of preference. You should select the project you are most interested in for your Project preference 1. Make sure that you select the correct projects as once your application is submitted, you won’t be able to change your selection.

If you are successful, we will try to match your interests to available supervisors. We won’t always be able to meet your preferences for a project/supervisor, but we will try our best to do this wherever possible.

Only projects that are matched to successful applicants will run this year. If you are successful, we will try to match your interests to available projects and supervisors. Please note that we will not always be able to meet your preferences for a project/supervisor, but we will try our best to do this wherever possible.

It depends on the project. You can find the entry requirements for each project (including subject background) on our UNIQplus projects page.

If your circumstances have changed and you would like to provide updated information or a replacement document, please email us at [email protected] with further information before the application deadline (12 noon on Wednesday 18 February 2026). This will be considered in the assessment of your application. Applications may not be updated to correct typos or to provide revised versions of supporting documents.

Please make sure that all documents, including your reference, are submitted in time for the deadline. All applications will be considered once the deadline has passed.

No, interviews will not be held as part of the admissions process. Applicants will be told whether or not they have been successful via email by the end of April 2026.

As the UNIQplus programme is aimed at those coming from backgrounds that are under-represented at postgraduate level in UK universities, we ask for information about your financial and social circumstances in order to assess your application.

We will let you know the outcome of your application to the UNIQplus Programme by email by the end of April 2026. This will be either that you have been unsuccessful, that you have been made an offer, or that you have been placed on the waiting list. If you are placed on the waiting list, we will let you know when you can expect a decision.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications we receive for UNIQplus, we are not able to offer feedback on individual applications.

If we offer you a place on the UNIQplus programme, we will send you an email asking you to confirm that you want to take the place by a set deadline. It is really important that you reply to this email as we receive many more strong applications than we have places, so we will offer it to somebody else if you do not wish to take it up. The email offering you a place will give you a deadline by which we need you to respond. If you don't reply by this date, your place will be offered to somebody else.

If you can no longer take up your place on the UNIQplus Programme, whether you've changed your mind or your circumstances have changed for whatever reason, please email us at [email protected] as soon as possible so we can offer your place to somebody else.

If you are offered a place on a UNIQplus Research Internship and have been informed by your university that you will have resit examinations during or shortly after the programme, we advise that you do not accept your place on the programme. If you have already accepted your place on a UNIQplus Research Internship, we advise that you withdraw from the programme when you are informed that you have resits. A UNIQplus Research Internship is academically demanding, requiring full-time work throughout the seven weeks, so we would strongly encourage you to prioritise getting the best grades necessary to proceed with your undergraduate degree. You would be welcome to re-apply for a UNIQplus Research Internship in a future year.

UNIQplus PASS sessions are delivered in the evenings to allow those with other commitments during the day to take part, so we anticipate that those undertaking resit examinations will still be able to take part in UNIQplus PASS.

Through UNIQplus, we hope that you'll be informed about studying at the University of Oxford at postgraduate level, and improve your CV and academic skills. Students who take part and decide to apply to the University of Oxford do not receive any preferential treatment at the application stage.

We are committed to ensuring that the selected applicants are able to take part in the UNIQplus programme, regardless of medical, accessibility or disability requirements. We make every effort to ensure that reasonable adjustments are made for students with specific medical, dietary and/or accessibility requirements. We encourage you to fully disclose any access requirements in advance of the programme so that we are able to do all we can to support you. If you are made an offer, we will request this information from you then.

There is no cost to participate in the UNIQplus programme. For the UNIQplus Research Internships, accommodation is provided free of charge, and we pay you a stipend to cover living costs.

PASS is delivered fully online. There are no costs to participate.

If you have any questions about the UNIQplus programme, please email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as possible, within three working days.

Your referee should be a member of university academic staff (e.g. a tutor, advisor or professor) who can comment on your academic ability, the quality of your work, your potential for further study, and your suitability for the programme. Where possible, please enter your referee’s institutional/professional email address. It is a good idea to send your referee the information about the programme and let them know which projects you are applying for.

Before you include your referee in your application, you should speak to them first to make sure they are happy to act as your referee. Tell them about the UNIQplus Programme and why you want to take part. It is a good idea to send your referee information about the programme and let them know which projects you are applying for. The reference they provide should comment on your academic performance and motivations, your qualifications and your potential for further study. Your referee will be sent an automated email that will explain how to submit their reference via a form when you complete the relevant section of the application form. Please read our full guidance on how to submit a reference and what to include in the reference letter for more information. 

If your referee has retired or does not have an official email address for any other reason, they can still be registered as a referee for your application. However, you will be asked to provide some more information about why they do not have an official email address. Your referee will also need to explain in their reference letter why they do not have access to an official address.

We ask that referees comment on the academic ability and general suitability of the applicant for the UNIQplus Programme, and any other information you may consider relevant.

Generally, a reference letter should include the following:

• the name of the applicant, so that we can attach your reference to the correct application;
• the duration and extent of your familiarity with the applicant;
• the specific course the applicant is/was on;
• their academic achievements and academic potential;
• their relevant skills and experience (e.g. academic writing, work and/or research experience, laboratory skills, etc.);
• their suitability for participating in a graduate access programme at Oxford; and
• their relevant personal characteristics (e.g. independence, innovation or determination).

Please read our full guidance on how to submit a reference and what to include in the reference letter for more information.

If you have been registered by the applicant as a referee, we will send you an email containing instructions on how to submit your reference. Please submit your reference by 12 midday (UK time) on Wednesday 18 February 2026.

The email will contain a link to a form through which you can upload your reference as a PDF attachment.

Please read our full guidance on how to submit a reference and what to include in the reference letter for more information.