Registering referees
Guidance on how to register your referees on the ‘Referees’ tab of the application form.
Bookshelves in Keble College library. Credit: Yunli Song / Graduate Photography Competition
Reference requirements
Before you apply, you will need to contact your referees to ask if they are happy to write a reference (letter of recommendation) for you. Your referees should typically be academics who have taught or supervised you or, where professional references are permitted by the course, line managers or directors. Please see our advice on choosing your referees.
You must register three referees as part of your graduate application. However, you need only two references submitted in time for the application deadline to be considered ready for assessment, as long as your application is otherwise complete.
You are still encouraged to obtain a third reference as early as possible, so that it can be taken into consideration when your application is assessed. The academic department assessing your application may ask you to have a third reference submitted before making a final decision.
It is your responsibility to make sure that your referees submit their references by the application deadline, and to remind them as the deadline approaches. If you are applying for more than one course, please make sure your referees are aware that they will need to submit a reference letter for each course. Stay in contact with your referees until you are sure that we have received their references.
You do not need to wait until your referees have provided your references to submit your application. Any references provided after you submit your application will be added to it.
Referees should not be those with whom you wish to study at Oxford, unless they have taught or supervised you previously.
The How to apply section of each course page will indicate what types of reference are required by the academic department. Your references should usually be academic, but some courses may indicate that professional references are accepted.
It is a good idea to send your referees the entry requirements for the relevant course so they can comment on your performance against the requirements. The relevant course page will indicate how your references will be assessed.
If you are a current or recent master’s student, one of your referees should be your supervisor or course director from this course.
Reference Authenticity
If we suspect that a reference is not genuine, or has not been submitted by the registered referee, we will take reasonable steps – including contacting third parties – to determine its authenticity. If the reference is found to not be genuine, your application will be withdrawn and will not be considered by the academic department. Where possible, referees must be registered with an institutional or professional email address. If this is not possible, reference letters must explain why, and you must provide an email address for the institution where prompted in the Referees section of the application form. References you upload to your application yourself are not permitted and will not be considered authentic. Personal references (ie from family, friends or neighbours) are never acceptable.
Register your referees: step-by-step
You should register your referees on the ‘Referees’ tab of the application form as soon as you start your application, and before you complete the rest of the form. This will give your referees as long as possible to prepare your references.
How should references be submitted?
Your references should be submitted:
- to the online reference system, not sent directly by email. If your referees experience any problems with the online system, please contact Graduate Admissions;
- directly by the referee. References you upload to your application or send to us yourself will not be accepted;
- by the course deadline to which you are applying;
- in PDF, .jpeg or .png format. References cannot be uploaded as Word documents; and
- in English, unless explicitly permitted by the academic department or accompanied by a certified English translation (ie signed and stamped by your institution or an official translator). Any accompanying translations must be submitted by the referee directly, not the applicant.
Referees can refer to our instructions for referees on how to submit references.
