Search the University of Oxford website or search for undergraduate courses (first degrees) or graduate courses (after your first degree).
Several colleges and departments within the University of Oxford run competitions which are open to students from schools and colleges.
Preparing an entry for one of these competitions is a valuable experience for academically motivated students, so please do encourage your students to enter. There are also some exciting prizes to be won.
Students in a classroom. Copyright © University of Oxford / UAO
More competitions will be published here throughout the year as they are announced.
| College / Department | Faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK secondary school students (aged 11 to 18) studying French, Spanish and/or German. Winners will be selected in three categories:
|
| Entry deadline | 12pm (noon) Tuesday 31 March 2026 |
| Further details | Modern Languages website |
| College / Department | Christ Church |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK state school students in Year 12 (or equivalent) studying Geography, if offered by their school. |
| Entry deadline | Friday 17 April 2026 |
| Further details | Christ Church website |
| College / Department | St Edmund Hall |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK state school students in Years 11-13 (or equivalent) |
| Entry deadline | 12pm (noon) Monday 27 April 2026 |
| Further details | St Edmund Hall website |
| College / Department | St Hugh's College |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any current sixth form students. At least one prize will be awarded to a pupil who is studying neither Latin nor Ancient Greek to A-level (or equivalent). |
| Entry deadline | 2pm Wednesday 22 July 2026 |
| Further details | Mary Renault webpage |
| College / Department | St Hugh's College |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any current sixth form students |
| Entry deadline | 2pm Wednesday 22 July 2026 |
| Further details | Julia Wood webpage |
Recent competitions run by Oxford colleges, departments and faculties.
| College / Department | Lincoln College |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK students in Year 12 (or equivalent), with entries particularly encouraged from students who:
|
| Entry deadline | 12am (midnight) Monday 16 March 2026 |
| Further details | Lincoln website |
| College / Department | Oriel College |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any students in Year 12 (or equivalent), with one prize reserved for non-selective state schools in Oriel's link regions |
| Entry deadline | 12pm (noon) Monday 23 February 2026 |
| College / Department | St John's College |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK students in Year 12 (or equivalent) |
| Entry deadline | 4pm Sunday 22 February 2026 |
| College / Department | Christ Church |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any students aged 16 to 18 who are studying in the UK |
| Entry deadline | 12pm (noon) Thursday 19 February 2026 |
| College / Department | Corpus Christi College |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK students in Year 12 or 13 (or equivalent) |
| Entry deadline | 12am (midnight) Monday 2 February 2026 |
| College / Department | Centre for Personalised Medicine |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK students who will be in Year 7, 8 or 9 (England and Wales), P7, S1 or S2 (Scotland) or Year 8, 9 or 10 (Northern Ireland) on 1 October 2025 |
| Entry deadline | 1pm Friday 30 January 2026 |
| College / Department | Christ Church |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any UK students in Year 11 or 12 (or equivalent) attending a state-maintained school, with entries particularly encouraged from students who:
|
| Entry deadline | 12pm (noon) Monday 5 January 2026 (deadline passed) |
| College / Department | St Hugh's College |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any current sixth form students attending a state school or college |
| Entry deadline | 2pm Wednesday 23 July 2025 (deadline passed) |
| College / Department | Oxplore |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any students attending a non-selective state secondary school in the UK. Winners will be selected in two categories:
|
| Entry deadline | Friday 16 May 2025 (deadline passed) |
| College / Department | Christ Church |
|---|---|
| Eligibility | Any current UK state school students in Year 12 (or equivalent) studying Geography |
| Entry deadline | 5pm Friday 18 April 2025 (deadline passed) |
Deciding whether or not to go to university is a big decision for everyone, but especially if you don't know people who have been, or if you haven't had a chance to find out what it might be like. Our free in-person and online events will help you feel confident and informed when making your decision.
