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Oxford University

Oxford for South East

Oxford for South East is Oxford University's Outreach Consortium that works with schools, pupils, teachers, parents and carers in local authorities clustered around the South Coast and the Thames Valley.

Aerial view of the town and the bay of Portsmouth

St John's College is linked with Brighton and Hove, Sussex and Southampton. St Hilda's College is linked with Hampshire and Surrey and St Hugh's covers Kent. Somerville College works with the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Buckinghamshire.

Hertford College works with schools in the Medway local authority, alongside their work in the East of England. Trinity, University and Brasenose Colleges continue to provide outreach support for state schools across the Thames Valley. Find out about this support here.

Who are we?

Every year the University of Oxford receives many high-quality applications from students from the South East of England. However, when we look at these applications in more detail, it is clear that we attract more applications from some parts of the region than others. For example, students from coastal areas are underrepresented at Oxford, and we want this to change. 

Local Authorities in this region extend from those clustered around the South Coast - Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Medway, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surrey, Hampshire - to those around the Thames Valley - Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham.

St John's, St Hilda's, St Hugh's and Somerville colleges are combining forces to launch Oxford for South East, our new community outreach programme in your area. These colleges are focussing their support on state schools along the South Coast and have an ambitious programme that will provide better and more bespoke support for students of different ages, their teachers and their families.

Trinity, University and Brasenose colleges will continue to provide outreach support as required for state schools across the Thames Valley as well as working to tackle under-representation in other parts of England. Find out about this support here.

Aims

Our aims are ambitious and focus on supporting students from backgrounds that are underrepresented at Oxford, and their schools. OXSE will develop outreach programmes which:

  • Support raising primary level, GCSE and A level attainment of students
  • Offer educational opportunities to explore big ideas, current educational goals and ambitions,
  • Offer information and skills development to support studying in FE, HE and the University of Oxford
  • Encourage more students from underrepresented backgrounds  to aim for top universities and to achieve their goals
  • Support increasing the number of students from under-represented groups from 15% to 25% of Oxford's UK undergraduate intake.
  • Promote the University of Oxford as a realistic goal for anyone with academic talent and commitment.

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

Stay up to date! 

Keep up to date with all the latest news about undergraduate admissions, open days and outreach events, or have your questions answered via our social media channels:

You can also contact Oxford for South East with any questions via our contact form.

Thames Valley

The Thames Valley area covers the 8 local authorities of Bracknell Forest Council, Buckinghamshire County Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Reading Borough Council, Slough Borough Council, The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, West Berkshire Council and Wokingham Borough Council. As part of the wider South East region, Milton Keynes is also grouped with Thames Valley rather than South Coast local authorities for the purposes of Oxford outreach. 

The University of Oxford receives many high-quality applications from students across the Thames Valley and as a whole the region is well represented amongst Oxford undergraduates.  

Information and guidance on supporting Oxford admissions is available for all state schools across the region.  

We also provide targeted support to and prioritise outreach engagement with schools on the basis of lower rates of progression to higher education and the University of Oxford. We also prioritise engagement with students from under-represented and disadvantaged backgrounds. 

For information on what outreach support is available in different local authorities, please contact the colleges below. 

Meet our students

Here you can meet current students who have come to Oxford from state schools across the South East.

College tour at St John's

Resources

Oxford for South East can provide you with the information and support you need to make informed decisions about your future.

Midweek Birthday Margate

Events and activities

There are a range of opportunities for students and teachers from the South East region to visit Oxford.

Students looking at their phones and laptops

Online

Oxford for South East colleges offer a wide variety of online materials, resources and other support to supplement our regional outreach programmes, which you can access free from home.