Student Applications

All the information you need in order to apply for a postgraduate course at Oxford University is contained on the Application and Admissions Procedure page of the University's Graduate Studies website: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/. What follows is a brief account of the process.

Postgraduate students at Oxford University are members of both a department and a college. An application from a candidate is first considered by a University department and then, if the candidate is accepted, by a college. You may choose to either (i) indicate that you have no preference, in which case a college will be selected on your behalf, or (ii) state a college preference. You will not be able to amend your choice after submitting your application. Whether or not you state a college preference will not affect how your department assesses your application and ultimately whether or not they decide to make you an offer. In effect, candidates who are accepted by a University department are guaranteed a college place, though not necessarily at a college for which they have expressed a preference.

Applications are considered by University departments at fixed times during the year. Some departments accept applications at all of the applicaiton deadlines, others at only some of them. It is important, therefore, to know which deadlines apply to the relevant department. It is possible for a department to neither accept nor reject an application and to hold it over for reconsideration at the next deadline. In order to be considered for some funding sources, for example ESRC quota and competition awards, it is necessary to apply by certain deadlines.

Further information about applying can be found on the following Web pages:

University of Oxford - Graduate Studies Prospectus

University of Oxford - applying for graduate study

Virtual Open Day - an introduction to graduate student life at Oxford

Nuffield student prospectus - how to apply

Nuffield student admissions criteria