Have you ever thought about the University of Oxford acceptance rate? For a century, the University of Oxford has established itself as the world’s leading institution of higher learning. It is one of the elite Oxbridge schools, along with Cambridge.
“Oxbridge,” like the Ivy League in the United States, is a well-known pair of universities in the United Kingdom noted for generating high-level scholars and cutting-edge research. They are among the oldest universities in the world and among the best in the United Kingdom. Academically, Oxford and Cambridge are comparable to Harvard and Stanford, and all consistently rank high on international college ranking lists.
Even if you don’t know anything about Oxford, you’ve probably heard of it. It is one of the most difficult schools to gain admission to. It has a rich history as well as a robust scientific output.
It is frequently used in different media to denote social and academic standing. (A clerk [student]… of Oxenford,” who studied philosophy, was mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales around 1400.) Its gorgeous campus has also been used as a backdrop in films such as X Men: First Class, The Golden Compass, and even a James Bond film.
This article will examine the University of Oxford’s acceptance rate, tuition, notable alumni, rankings, and other factors. By the end, you’ll understand the facts and figures behind the school’s reputation, what to expect as a student there, and what you can do to improve your chances of admission.
Also read: University of Cambridge Acceptance Rate : All You Need to Know
University of Oxford Acceptance Rate
The undergraduate admittance rate at Oxford is roughly 17%. To put this figure in context, around 80% of undergraduates and 36% of graduate students are from the United Kingdom. The University of Oxford acceptance rate for international students varies slightly, but we’ll get to that in a bit.
Oxford, with a 17% acceptance rate, is highly competitive, but not as demanding as Harvard, Columbia, or Yale, where acceptance rates hover around 5%. At the same time, Oxford has a little lower acceptance percentage than Cambridge (21%). Nonetheless, Oxford and Cambridge receive over 20,000 undergraduate applications each year, both domestically and internationally.
Unlike many top-tier American universities, Oxford’s acceptance rate has gradually increased over the last five years. This growth can be attributed in part to the school’s purposeful attempt to increase accessibility and inclusion for previously underrepresented groups such as women, minorities, the economically disadvantaged, and the disabled.
Economics and business, medicine, maths, computer science, and biomedical sciences are the most common undergraduate majors at Oxford. Some of these undergrad majors, particularly medicine, may sound odd due to the UK’s unique approach to higher education.
With the exception of professional or technical degrees, most undergraduate degrees in the United States emphasize broad knowledge and abilities. On the other side, UK degrees require students to dive deep into their chosen profession. As a result, no universal education standards are normally in place. That is why medicine and law are offered as bachelor majors: students can begin learning the required courses for these areas immediately rather than waiting until graduate school.
Oxford’s undergraduate degrees, like those at most English universities, require three years to complete. In most situations, students can add a master’s degree for only one more year of study.
Tuition at the University of Oxford
Despite being of the same class as the Ivy League and other elite American universities, Oxford is significantly less expensive. Students from the United Kingdom and Ireland currently pay £9,250 ($13,027) per year, while overseas students pay £26,770-37,510 ($37,700-52,825). The price varies depending on the degree; some require students to spend a year abroad, which incurs an additional expense.
Living expenses each 9-month school year might be between £10,575 and $15,390 ($14,893-21,673). This includes food, lodging, textbooks, and other expenses. Oxford guarantees undergraduate housing for the first year and at least one additional year.
Oxford provides financial aid in a variety of types to help with expenditures. For example, low-income students in the United Kingdom and Ireland get annual bursaries (grants) that are scalable based on household income. The maximum scholarship is £3,200 ($4,507) per year for students from families earning less than £16,000 ($22,533) each year.
Furthermore, undergraduates who are UK citizens with an annual household income of £27,500 ($38,728) or less will be eligible for a Crankstart Scholarship of up to £5,000 ($7,042) per year. Additional bursaries and scholarships are offered to UK students who have other mitigating circumstances or come from underprivileged homes.
International students must seek loans from their home country, whereas UK students can apply for loans from the UK government. However, a few scholarships are available for students from Asia, Eastern Europe, China, Russia, and other countries.
The Oxford website includes a useful tool for searching for scholarships and estimating your overall expenditures based on your country of origin, major, starting year, and college.
Oxford University Prerequisites
Unlike American institutions, Oxford requires you to select a course (major) and apply only to that course via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) application.
Different courses will have different criteria, such as entrance exams, written work submissions, and/or completion of required high school classes. However, each program will require certain A-Level, other UK equivalent, or international equivalent scores.
For example, if you are a UK student applying as a Physics major, you must have A*AA A-Levels with an A* in Mathematics, Physics, or Further Mathematics. An A* is a score of 90% or above, whereas an A is a score of 80-89%. As a result, you’ll require three A-Levels, hence the three scores.
In terms of course prerequisites, Oxford expects you to have A-Level Physics and Maths, as well as a Maths Mechanics class. Applicants must also take the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT), a university-administered entrance exam.
If you are an American student interested in majoring in Physics, you must submit equivalent test scores as part of your application. In this example, it’s four APs with 5s (on subjects required for the Physics major) or three APs with a 32 on the ACT or 1470 on the SAT. Here you can look for the international qualifications required for your specific course.
Oxford University History – When Was It Founded?
There is no definite date, however, teaching at Oxford began as early as 1096 and grew rapidly when King Henry II prohibited English students from attending the University of Paris in 1167.
This dates back nearly 1,000 years, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world.
Emo of Friesland, the first known international student, arrived in 1190, igniting the school’s goal of fostering international contacts through study. This occurred long before Oxford created its first residence halls and official colleges in the 13th century. University, Balliol, and Merton Colleges were established between 1249 and 1264 and are still in operation today.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw great advances in both science and religion. As an illustration, professor Edmund Halley foresaw the recurring appearance of what is now known as Halley’s comet. At the University Museum in 1860, evolutionist Thomas Huxley famously sparred with Bishop Samuel Wilberforce.
Women were first permitted to enroll in colleges with only female students in 1878, but starting in 1974, only a few colleges with only male students were open to women. All other colleges have since done the same. They are all co-ed today. 11,955 undergraduate students and 12,010 graduate students make up the over 24,000 total enrolments.
Acceptance Rate of International Students at the University of Oxford
It is not surprising that a fifth of undergraduates and two-thirds of graduate students are from more than 150 different countries given Oxford’s long and illustrious history of educating international students.
Although the institution has a 17% overall acceptance rate, accepting international undergraduate students is far more difficult; the percentage was around 9% last year.
On the other hand, the acceptance rate for postgraduate studies was around 26%. You would have a better chance of getting into Oxford as a graduate student than you would as an undergrad, just based on the numbers.
No matter which Oxford program you are applying to, you must still have excellent research possibilities, academic status, and accomplishments.
Oxford does not place as much of an emphasis on extracurriculars as many top American institutions do. Instead, they are more intrigued by students who have outstanding academic achievement and enthusiasm for their chosen subject of study. Extracurricular activities that align with this passion would only improve the applicant’s chances.
For instance, if you’re applying to Oxford to study politics, you should at the very least achieve strong marks in your A-Levels in politics, history, philosophy, sociology, and/or law. Discussing your involvement in a local political party or local government can also assist set your application apart from those of other political candidates who may lack pertinent extracurricular political activities.
Of course, you should also mention in your personal statement why you chose Oxford over a prestigious university abroad to study politics.
