Study at the University of Oxford

Study at the University of Oxford

Academic excellence and international reputation

Adam Girsault, Consultant en Admissions Internationales

Adam Girsault, International Admissions Consultant

The University of Oxford is one of the most prestigious universities in the world and is located in the amazing city of Oxford in England.

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I want to study at Oxford

The University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is very linked to its lifelong rival, the University of Cambridge , and they are often referred to as ‘Oxbridge’.

Oxford welcomes more than 33 000 students which are part of 38 colleges and 6 Permanent Private Halls.

There are countless thousands of famous graduates of the University of Oxford: 27 British Prime Ministers (Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, David Cameron and Theresa May). leaders of Pakistan, Australia, Canada and the United States (Bill Clinton) have studied there. They stand out in all fields; from mathematics (3 fields medals) to literature (C.S Lewis, Oscar Wilde, J.R.R Tolkien, Lewis Carroll and Aldous Huxley) and including law, philosophy and sport.

With the University of Cambridge, Oxford is reputed for being one of the most selective universities in the world. In fact, only 23% of candidates receive an offer from Oxford.

In 2016, the number of French candidates at Oxford at Undergraduate (1er cycle) rose to 237 for only 25 received offers, which meant a success rate of 10.5%.

Being accepted to the University of Oxford is therefore reserved to the most academically talented students. Studying at Oxford requires both having obtained excellent school results and following very rigorous preparation.

How do I apply?

If you decide to apply for Undergraduate level at Oxford (1er cycle) to obtain a Bachelor of Arts (BA), it will not be possible to also apply to Cambridge.

You will therefore have to choose between applying to either Oxford or Cambridge. It is important to note that certain courses are not offered at both universities (‘Philosophy, Politics and Economics’ (PPE) at Oxford or ‘Social and Political Studies’ at Cambridge for example).

The application on UCAS
You must first submit your application on the UCAS platform, the equivalent of Parcoursup in England. This file comprises a cover letter (Personal statement) as well as a letter of recommendation from one of your teachers.
Taking specific exams
For certain courses, it will also be required to take one or some specific tests for the subject that you wish to study like the ‘TSA’ for social sciences and experimental psychology or the ‘MAT’ and the Step for mathematics.
Choosing a college
It will also be asked of you in your application to choose which of the 38 colleges and 6 Permanent Private Halls of Oxford you wish to apply to. It is also possible to make an ‘open application’ in which you don’t indicate a preference for one college in particular.

The selection interviews
If your application is accepted in the first selection, you will be invited to interview at Oxford at the beginning of December. These interviews, which aim to test your academic capacities and your motivation in front of members of the college which you applied for are very demanding and require a lot of preparation.
The Conditional Offer of Admission
Finally, if you succeed at the interview stage, you will receive a ‘conditional’ offer of admission. This means that you will only be accepted on the condition that you obtain the minimum results in the Baccalaureate (most often a ‘Tres Bien’ grade in the French Baccalaureate’) and in a standardized English exam (7.5 in the IELTS for example).

When do you have to start preparing for the University of Oxford?

The deadline for applying to the University of Oxford is fixed at October 15th of your final year.

In all cases, take into account the immense preparation required for admission to Oxford, it is strongly recommended to start preparing yourself for it from the end of the Seconde or the start of your penultimate year in order to maximize your chances of success.

What is the profile of the students at the University of Oxford

Because of the high selectivity of the university, we recommend to apply to this university only if yo can show excellent academic results and you are sure to obtain a ‘Tres Bien’ grade in the Baccalaureate.

Moreover, given that the selection process involves interviews, you must also show an excellent command of the English language.