Qualifications and experience
Contents
Entry requirements
You can find the entry requirements for each course in the 'Entry requirements' section of its course page.
If your qualifications aren't from the UK, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the grades and qualifications that are considered equivalent to the University's minimum entry requirements.
If your qualifications aren't listed, or you are still unsure whether your previous academic study will enable you to make a competitive application, contact the relevant academic department using the contact details on the course page, under 'Course-related enquiries'.
The Graduate Admissions Team cannot advise you on your likelihood of being accepted for a particular graduate course. Remember that Oxford’s graduate admission process is very competitive. The University is committed to supporting applicants from underrepresented and disadvantaged groups via a range of graduate access schemes, but you are unlikely to be offered a place if your qualifications are below the minimum entry requirements for your course unless you have significant extenuating circumstances. Similarly, meeting the minimum entry requirements doesn’t guarantee that your application will be successful.
If the strength of your application has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the Extenuating Circumstances section of this guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.
Entering your qualifications
On the ‘Qualifications’ tab of the application form, you should provide details of all qualifications and periods of study you have undertaken at university level, including qualifications you haven't yet completed. Add the most recent first.
If you have a non-UK qualification, you don't need to convert this to the UK degree classification, or provide an official statement of comparability from UK ENIC.
Please do not enter details of qualifications you studied before university, eg high school.
If you have more than one qualification to enter, click the ‘Add another qualification’ button in the right-hand corner of this section. You can enter up to five qualifications in this section.
For each qualification you enter, you should complete all of the fields in this section, and upload a transcript covering that qualification.
How to enter your institution(s)
- Enter one keyword from the institution’s name and wait for the search tool to return relevant matches. You must select an option from the list for the question to be completed. If you have correctly selected an answer, you will see a code in the field, and details will appear to the right.
- If there are too many results to display, enter an additional keyword to refine the results. The search tool will look for exact matches with the text you enter, so you may need to try more than one variation for it to pick up the correct institution (eg ‘The University of Oxford’ rather than ‘Oxford University’).
- If you can’t find your institution, select ‘Not Listed’ (38948). A new field will appear, and you can manually enter the country and institution name.
How to enter your qualification(s)
Qualification (obtained or intended)
- In this field, you should enter your qualification type using a single keyword, eg ‘Bachelor’, and wait for the search tool to return relevant matches.
- You must select an option from the list for the question to be completed. If you have done so correctly, a code will appear in the field, and the name of the qualification type will appear to the right.
- If you can't find your qualification type through the search function, type in ‘Other’ and then click on the most appropriate option from the list (eg ‘BACH_NONUK’, ‘BACH_UK’, ‘MAST_NONUK’, ‘MAST_UK’).
Degree title
You can use this field if required to give a precise title of your degree where this is not clear from the qualification and subject fields.
'Main subject' and 'second subject' (if applicable)
- When entering the main subject of your qualification, enter one keyword and let the search tool return matches. You may need to try a few different keywords.
- If you can't find the exact subject of your qualification, choose a more generic subject or discipline from the list of matches. If you have correctly selected an answer, you will see a number in the field, and the subject name will appear to the right.
Actual or expected result
- Choose the most accurate option for your overall degree grade from the available list.
- The options shown will depend on your previous answers. For example, if you have indicated that you have a UK bachelor's degree, you will see the options for the standard UK grading system (First, 2.1, 2.2, 3). The letters 'P', 'M' and 'D' refer to 'Pass', 'Merit' and 'Distinction'.
- If your qualification uses a grade system not offered by the form, select either ‘Pass’ (if applicable) or ‘Other’.
- If you select ‘Other’, you should enter your grade in the format used by your institution, otherwise this section will show as incomplete.
Start date
Use the calendar tool to fill out the start date of your course. If you don't know the exact date on which the course began, you should use the first day of the relevant month. Entering the date manually will cause an error if it is incorrectly formatted.
Date of expected completion
If you're currently studying towards a qualification, enter the date when your final results (official transcript) will become available. If you don't know the exact date of completion, use the first day of the relevant month. Use the calendar tool to fill out the date, as entering the date manually will return an error if it is incorrectly formatted. More information about providing a transcript while currently studying is available in the Supporting documents section of this guide.
‘Other UK study’ and ‘Other degree-level study’
You must include in your application all periods of University-level study. These sections of the application form ask you to provide details for periods of study you have not already included in the ‘Current and previous qualifications’ section.
If you require a student visa to study in the UK, you should provide details of any periods of study you have undertaken in the UK in the ‘Other UK study’ section. This includes study not at degree level. You can add multiple periods of study by clicking ‘Add another period of UK study’.
In the ‘Other degree-level study' section, you are asked:
- details of any university-level study you have begun but not completed, excluding qualifications that you are currently studying toward; and
- whether you intend to begin a degree at any institution at the same time as the course for which you are applying, and if so, how you expect to be able to do this.
Can I study at Oxford and another institution at the same time?
Applicants for full-time study who, if successful, would be registered concurrently at Oxford and another institution are not eligible for admission to Oxford. If your application is successful and you would be registered at another institution at the start date for your course, it will be a condition of your offer that you must provide a letter from your institution confirming that your registration has been terminated or suspended for the duration of your studies at Oxford.
An exception may only be made where such registration is part of a formal collaborative arrangement between the University and another institution.
If you wish to apply to study for a part-time course at Oxford while registered at another institution, you must give details of the course you will be undertaking at the same time as your graduate study at Oxford, indicating whether it is full- or part-time and outlining how and why you expect to be able to pursue both courses simultaneously. The academic department will assess whether undertaking both courses is feasible.
GRE General Test scores
The How to apply section of your course page will state whether GRE test scores are required as part of your application. If you have questions about this requirement, contact the relevant academic department using the details on the course page, under 'Course-related enquiries'.
You can find further details about taking the GRE General Test on the ETS website.
Providing your scores
In the ‘Other admissions tests’ section of the ‘Qualifications’ tab, you're asked whether you have GRE General Test scores to report. If you select ‘Yes’ in answer to this question, you must enter your test date and results in the relevant fields in order to complete this tab.
You can upload a PDF or screenshot of your GRE Test-taker Score Report on the ‘Supporting Documents’ tab of the application form, in the ‘GRE certificate’ slot. If you don't have a score report to upload before you submit your application, you may upload it after you have submitted your application through Graduate Applicant Self Service.
GRE test-takers can also designate the University of Oxford as a test score recipient using the institution code 0713 when registering for the test.
Can I submit GRE scores even if they're not required or recommended for my course?
Your application should only include documents that are required or recommended for your course. If your course page doesn't state that GRE scores are compulsory or otherwise accepted, any GRE scores you include with your application will be disregarded when it is assessed.