Should they apply and if so, how?

We want everyone to feel welcomed, valued and respected here.

At the moment we know that some talented students don’t think Oxford is for them and we want that to change. We want them to realise that Oxford is a realistic goal for anyone with academic talent and commitment.

It is really important that people from all sorts of backgrounds study with us – this is what helps to make Oxford one of the most exciting places to learn in the world.
 

We are always looking for students with the greatest talent for studying, whatever their background.

We understand that it is more difficult for some students to achieve the highest grades because of their circumstances. That is why we look at lots of different information when we consider applications.

We want to make sure we understand students’ achievements in the context of their individual experiences. 

Some groups are still under-represented here, but this is changing. 

Between 2020 and 2024, within the total group of UK-domiciled undergraduates admitted:

• The proportion from state schools decreased slightly from a high point of 68.6% to 66.2%.
• The proportion identifying as Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) increased from 23.6% to 30.8%.
• The proportion from socio-economically disadvantaged areas, having fallen from a high of 16.0%, stabilised at 14.5%.
• The proportion from areas of low progression to higher education, having fallen from a high of 17.0%, stabilised at 13.6%.
• The proportion declaring a disability increased from 10.4% to 19.0%.
• The proportion of women decreased from 54.2% to 51.9%.

We remain committed to ensuring that talented, academically motivated students, from all backgrounds, see Oxford as a place for them and have a fair chance of securing an offer for their selected course.

If you are a student considering applying to Oxford, a family member, or teacher with ideas about how we can reach more young people across the UK, please get in touch via ox.ac.uk/ask, as we would love to hear your thoughts.

As part of our commitment to change, we have several exciting new access programmes to support students on every step of their journey.

Oxplore

• Home of BIG questions - this free educational website provides super curricula materials for 11-18 year olds which are designed by Oxford's academics to inspire young minds.
• Oxplore Festival - these festivals are a celebration of curiosity and exploration and designed to inform and inspire 11-13 year olds. Check if the festival is coming to you!
• Oxplore Teach - launching soon, this is Oxplore's new digital platform for Key Stage 3 teachers - complete with ready to use classroom sessions and CPDL support and ready to ignite academic enrichment within schools.

BeUNIQ

For 14-16 year olds, BeUNIQ fosters academic confidence and self-efficacy, thereby supporting educational aspirations. This bespoke engagement programme aims to reach beyond schools and collaborate with organisations working with the wider local community. BeUNIQ leads naturally to participation on UNIQ.

UNIQ

Offering around 1,300 places each year, the majority including a residential in Oxford, UNIQ is our flagship outreach programme for UK state school students in their first year of higher education. This programme is known to be likely to increase someone’s chance of getting a place to study here. It also supports the continuation of the exciting academic journeys begun on BeUNIQ.

Target Oxbridge

Our collaboration with Target Oxbridge aims to support black African and Caribbean students and students of mixed race with black African and Caribbean heritage in making strong applications to Oxford.

Opportunity Oxford

Since 2020, the University has made more than 1,000 offers with a place on Opportunity Oxford and a further 1,500 offer holders have been invited to take part in the OppOx Digital programme. Each year we expect there to be around 250 offer holders taking part in the programme and 300 who participate in OppOx Digital.  

Astrophoria Foundation Year

The University of Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year is a one-year fully-funded foundation programme for UK state school students with significant academic potential, who have experienced severe personal disadvantage and/or disrupted education which has resulted in them being unable to apply directly for an Oxford undergraduate degree programme.

It enables motivated students to reach their academic potential through a supportive and challenging academic course aimed at developing their skills, self-belief and academic confidence.

In 2024, 86% of the first cohort of students progressed to undergraduate study at Oxford.

Outreach events

Alongside these programmes, we run thousands of outreach activities with UK state school students from backgrounds under-represented at Oxford, and their teachers and communities, every year and across the country.

We want to make sure that anyone anywhere can find out what student life at Oxford might be like and how to apply.

All of this is already making a big difference and our students are coming from an increasingly wide range of backgrounds.

Applying to any UK university takes planning, but there are a few more steps to applying to Oxford:

• Oxford applications are due in October, rather than January like many others.
• Your child will apply through UCAS, just as for any other UK university.
• Oxford applications sometimes involve admissions tests. Students have to check to see if they need to sit a test, register for it by the deadline and practise using sample papers online.
• Some of our courses need students to submit written work. Your child can find out if they will need to do this on our website.
• Shortlisted candidates will be asked to attend an online interview. This is an academic conversation with a potential tutor. You can find further information on our Interviews page.

All of these steps help us find the most talented applicants who will really enjoy the way students study here.

If you are supporting someone thinking of applying soon, here are a few of our top tips:

• Top school grades are important so encourage your child to study subjects at school that they enjoy and are likely to do well.
• Encourage your child to choose a subject they will enjoy studying for three or more years. Recommend that they give their course choice a lot of thought and consider subjects they haven’t studied before.
• Suggest they start their UCAS application over the summer – the personal statement is likely to take much longer than they think!
• If their course includes an admissions test, make sure they register and book by the deadline. Students who practise for these tests tend to do better, so encourage your child to read our advice and have a go at any practice papers provided.
• Don't let them worry too much about the interview! There is an enormous amount of interview advice online including lots of demonstration interviews so they can know what to expect. Remind them that everyone is in the same boat!

There is more detail on the application process in our guide for applicants.