University of Oxford guide: Rankings, open days, fees and accommodation
Overview
Oxford features at the top or close to the top of every domestic and international university ranking and attracts the very brightest of applicants. Nearly half of 2024's intake achieved A*A*A* at A-level, although it does not routinely ask for A*s across the board. It places more faith in its admissions procedures - which feature interviews and either subject-specific or general aptitude tests - than some of its rivals, with AAA at A-level being the typical offer. Oxford has taken huge strides to diversify its intake over the past decade. In 2024, 66.2% of new students were educated in state schools (although this was down from a peak of 68.6%), 13.6% came from areas with low rates of participation in higher education (17%), and 14.5% from disadvantaged backgrounds (16%). The proportion of black and mixed-ethnic heritage entrants and those who have received free school meals was up between 2020 and 2024. There are 32 undergraduate colleges spanning the ancient and modern, and traditional and relaxed, and not all subjects are available in each. They offer very different social and educational mixes, too, so it pays to choose carefully. The deadline for application is earlier than other universities, on October 15.
Paying the bills
Oxford's two principal scholarship and bursary schemes contribute the bulk of the financial awards that see about one in four current students received a non-repayable bursary from the university. Crankstart Scholarships funded by the billionaire financier, Sir Michael Moritz, and his wife, Harriet Heyman, will pay £6,090 in the 2025-26 academic year to students from homes where annual income is £7,500 or less, and (more commonly) £5,250 where household income is between £7,501 and £32,500. The reach of the Oxford bursary is wider. This is paid to students who do not take up a Crankstart Scholarship and those who are from higher income households (up to £50,000) not covered by Crankstart. This will pay £4,200 in 2025-26 to those from homes with income of £25,000 or less, dropping to £3,680 (for between £25,001 and £32,500 income), £3,150 (£32,501-£37,500), £2,100 (£37,501-£42,875 income) and £1,050 (£42,876-£50,000 income). Crankstart scholars and Oxford bursary recipients who have been in care qualify for an additional £3,500 per year and all beneficiaries are eligible for an Oxford Travel Supplement worth £220 per year if they live more than 80 miles from Oxford. This rises to £550 if they live more than 150 miles from Oxford. There are college funds and a £220,000 university pot for emergency hardship support and numerous university, college and departmental prizes and awards for academic achievement, travel and books. Student residential accommodation can often be provided in college for all three years of study with three meals a day for those who want it. Prices for 25 weeks of term for board and lodging vary considerably between colleges: St John's comes in cheapest at £6,418 while Wadham can cost as much as £9,474.
What's new?
Two of the largest - and most significant - developments in the university's history will open for the 2025-26 academic year. The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities brings together teaching and research space for seven of Oxford's ten humanities faculties in one place. The centre was funded by the university's largest-ever donation - £185m from American billionaire Stephen A. Schwarzman. It will incorporate an Institute for Ethics in AI, as well as a new Bodleian humanities library, a 500-seat concert hall, a theatre, a cinema, an experimental performance space, exhibition space and a dedicated schools' outreach space. The development also beefs up Oxford's credentials among today's environmentally aware generation of students as the largest construction project in England to be certified under the Passivhaus standard for highly energy-efficient buildings. Even bigger than the Schwarzman Centre, Oxford's new Life and Mind Building is also due to open in autumn 2025. The £200m life sciences facility will be home to the departments of biology and experimental psychology within its 25,000 m sq of teaching, research and innovation space. Several other projects are ongoing including a new facility for pandemic and vaccine research (remember the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was developed at Oxford), a Global Health building, and a Global Leadership Centre at the Said Business School. Away from academia, the project to resurface and enhance the Iffley Road running track where Sir Roger Bannister was the first to run the four-minute mile in 1954 will be completed in time for the new academic year.
Admissions, teaching and student support
Oxford has introduced the Astrophoria foundation year for state school students with significant academic potential who have experienced personal disadvantage or disruption to their education and are unlikely to achieve the grades required to make a competitive application for direct undergraduate entry. It sees up to 50 enrol on a supportive and challenging one-year course, which allows them to move on to a full undergraduate degree at Oxford without having to reapply, providing they complete the foundation year to the required standard. Tuition and accommodation are provided for free and a non-repayable bursary covers living costs. Oxford does not offer contextual offers more generally, but seeks to diversify its pool of applicants through several outreach schemes. UNIQ offers 1,300 places each year to Year 12 state school students - 1,000 of them including a residential - who get to work with academics, engage with students and receive admissions support. Priority is given to disadvantaged students, including those eligible for free school meals or living in areas where few progress to university. UNIQ participants (29%) have been more likely to get an offer from the university in the past five years than all other UK applicants (20%). The tutorial system at Oxford, with its emphasis on small group or individual teaching, provides levels of personal and academic support that surpasses that of most universities. Students are well known to staff, and the collegiate structure of the university fosters close-knit academic and social communities. For those with mental health and well-being issues, the university counselling service offers one-to-one counselling, therapeutic group sessions and workshops. About 2,500 staff have undergone mental health awareness training. All new students are now required to complete online consent training, and the university runs a peer-led consent education programme that is delivered as part of college induction weeks.