Post-graduate applicants pass through a two-stage admissions process: first in their respective departments and, if admitted, in the College.
General criteria
Applicants must first have been accepted by a department or faculty of the University of Oxford before any college or permanent private hall may consider them. All prospective students should apply to the University online. For more information see the University Graduate Studies Prospectus.
At Nuffield applications are considered for any of the courses in which the College offers admission. Please consult the graduate prospectus to see a list of these courses.
At Nuffield applications are usually considered by three separate admissions committees – in economics, politics and sociology – made up of permanent fellows of the College associated with these three broad disciplinary groups. In addition, the Senior Tutor considers applications by interdisciplinary applicants.
The College aims to admit a certain number of graduate students each year spread across the range of subjects in which it accepts graduate students, and this will determine the number of offers which can be made to applicants. At Nuffield the number of applicants usually exceeds the number of offers that can be made. It may not be possible to make offers to applicants whose applications are received late in the admissions round.
Please note that any offer of a place will be subject to satisfactory financial evidence that the applicant can meet the tuition and living costs for the duration of their course.
Academic criteria
Nuffield places a strong emphasis on the applicants’ academic merit. Successful applicants usually have a first or a distinction (or equivalent) in the degree preceding their application. Students applying to Nuffield should normally have a degree in one of the following subjects: economics, politics, international relations, philosophy, history, economic history, sociology, statistics.
Nuffield is a small, specialised post-graduate college, and preference will normally be given to applicants whose area of study overlaps with the academic interests of the College’s academic staff.
Competitively-won funding may be taken into account as an indicator of the applicant’s academic merit and potential.
