Oxford for East England

University of Oxford colleges have been working with schools across the East of England for many years; in the last 5 years, students and schools from the region have participated in over 1,200 Oxford outreach activities.

Balliol, Hertford and Wadham Colleges are now working together to make the most of their access resources, and to provide better support for the students and schools in this area.

Aims

We aim to widen access to Oxford for underrepresented groups of students and to encourage and enable more students from the East of England to make successful applications to the University of Oxford, and other top UK universities. Through Oxford for East England, we aim:

• To help students in the East of England enjoy their learning, to think big and become independent learners
• To inspire students of all ages and from all backgrounds to have the confidence to be themselves and to be ambitious about their futures
• To improve the educational opportunities of all students
• To encourage more students from the East of England to aim for top universities and to achieve their goals
• By 2023, to increase the number of students from currently under-represented groups from 15% of the current UK undergraduate intake to 25% of the UK undergraduate intake
• For Oxford University to be a realistic goal for anyone with academic talent and commitment.

For more details on the research underpinning these targets, please see the University of Oxford's Access and Participation Plan.

Around 10% of UK students at Oxford come from the East of England – that’s about 800 students a year. Overall, this is broadly what we’d expect given the region’s share of students with A Level grades which match our selection criteria. Oxford for East of England therefore prioritises outreach work with schools with lower rates of progression to Higher Education. We also prioritise engagement with students living in economically disadvantaged areas, on free school meals or experiencing other forms of educational disadvantage.

Please note that if you or your school do not fall into our access categories, there is still plenty of advice and support available for you here and on the University website. All schools, sixth form and further education colleges have a point of contact within University of Oxford who will be happy to provide information and advice on admissions and outreach. Your ‘linked’ college is based on your Local Authority – please see our contact us page for more details.

Impact

We do not expect to make radical changes overnight, but hope to build lasting partnerships with schools across the region that will deliver benefits for their whole school community as well as for the University. We will evaluate the impact of our outreach across the East of England and publish an annual impact report on this website.

Find out more about outreach at the University of Oxford.

Oxford is for people like you. Our students and staff come from all kinds of backgrounds, helping to make Oxford one of the most exciting learning environments anywhere.

We want to encourage and support more students from the East of England to make successful applications to Oxford but we know that sometimes it can be confusing. On this page, we’ve answered some frequently asked questions but, if you can’t what you’re looking for, feel free to contact us or explore the University prospectus.

What are colleges?

Colleges are academic communities made up of students, researchers, teaching and support staff. If you come here, you are likely to spend much of your time in your college, particularly in your first year. Tutorial teaching in small groups of two or three typically takes place in your own college, with lectures and seminars often in a University department or faculty. Your college is also where you live, eat and socialise and they all provide plenty of facilities as well as clubs, teams and societies. Colleges handle undergraduate admissions to Oxford so, if you decide to apply here, then you can pick which you’d most like to attend.

Find out more in our video: Oxford Colleges - what exactly are they?

I’m from the East of England – can I only apply to Balliol, Hertford or Wadham?

Balliol, Hertford and Wadham Colleges work together to provide information, advice and guidance to students in the East of England but you can apply to whichever college you like (there are over 30 to choose from)! We’re here to provide an easy channel of communication between East of England schools and Oxford University.

How do I choose a course?

Choosing the right course is crucial to enjoying your time at university so make sure you really explore your options, even if you think you know what you want to study. It might be your favourite subject or a combination of things you enjoy. With almost 50 to pick from, it could also be something you’ve never even heard of before.

Find out more in our video: Choosing an undergraduate course at Oxford

Increasing access

Oxford is committed to making everyone feel welcomed, valued and respected. Some groups are still under-represented in our academic community but this is changing. By 2023, we intend that 25% of our intake of undergraduates will come from UK backgrounds currently under-represented at Oxford. That’s why we are running two exciting new access programmes called Opportunity Oxford and Foundation Oxford to help ensure that an Oxford education is a realistic goal for anyone with academic talent and commitment.