Oxbridge applications guide: college choice and more

This is a beginner’s kit for building an Oxbridge Application.

Well-known for the quality of education and breadth of opportunity they provide to graduates, UK universities constitute just under 25% of the top 100 QS world-ranked universities. As a result, applications to study at many UK universities are competitive due to the wide variety of excellent candidates who apply from the world over.

To support students applying to UK universities, we are publishing a series of articles on the preparation and work required during the application and admissions process in order to secure a university place. In this article, we discuss the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are the most famous universities in the UK; they are both extremely prestigious and notoriously difficult to gain admittance to - Oxford typically receives over 22,000 applications for around 3,300 places every year, this equates to 15% of applicants achieving a place.

Applying to the University of Cambridge or the University of Oxford, therefore, requires dedication and preparation to ensure a strong application. Preparation for your application must commence early to provide adequate time to develop and refine the content necessary for each element including excellent school grades, a sterling personal statement, a confident interview performance and an excellent admissions exam performance. For further information, including an example timeline of preparation for an Oxbridge application, please click here.

Undergraduate applications to Oxford and Cambridge are mutually exclusive - you can only apply to one or the other in the same application cycle. Both offer a once-in-a-lifetime educational opportunity; Oxford has a greater reputation for the Humanities whereas Cambridge has a greater reputation for the Sciences. Both have a variety of courses available for study; however, some courses are only available for study at a particular college of the university. Further guidance is available to understand the courses for Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences.

Both Oxford and Cambridge operate a collegiate system - every student will live in and engage with a college community throughout the course of their studies. All learning activities are generally organised by the respective academic department that runs the course, while colleges organise student tutorials and provide accommodation. You can and should express a preference for your college upon application - some colleges are more traditional in construction and outlook whereas others are more modern. Taking some time to research each college and identify which intrigue you most is highly recommended. For more information on the colleges available for undergraduate study at Oxford and Cambridge, please click here and here. For more guidance on how to choose a college, please click here.

An essential factor of any application to the University of Cambridge or the University of Oxford is the interview - this is your opportunity to demonstrate and expand on the strengths listed in your application. In any given year, Oxford typically interviews ~50% of applicants whereas Cambridge typically interviews ~75% of applicants.  If your application is shortlisted, you will receive an invitation to interview in mid-late November. The majority of interviews take place in the first three weeks of December. For further guidance on the interview and how to prepare for it, please click here.

Both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge operate an applicant pooling system to ensure that every place is filled with the strongest applicant available. A representative from every college will attend meetings together to study the applicants’ grades, along with their predicted grades. They will consider contextualised information such as the GCSE school performance compared with the national average and how the individual candidate performed against the average at the school. They will also review the applicant’s personal statement and reference as well as discuss the applicant’s performance at the interview.