UCAS application

The deadline for applications is 6pm (UK time) on 15 October and this must be strictly adhered to.

Completing a UCAS application for Oxford follows the same process as for other universities, we just have an earlier submission deadline of 15 October.

Please note that you should not send us as part of your application any certificates, transcripts or other documents for qualifications that you have already taken. The only exception to this is if you already have a degree from a university – see the 'Do you need to send anything else' section on this page.

We will contact you for evidence of your qualifications if you are offered a place at Oxford.

1. Choose which course you would like to study. You can only apply to one course at Oxford, and you can't apply to Oxford and Cambridge in the same year. Read more information on all our courses.
2. Check the admission requirements for your course. Specific grades and subjects required for qualifications are also shown on each course page. These pages also tell you if you need to take an admissions test or submit written work.
3. Decide whether to express a preference for a particular college or make an open application. If you make an open application, you will be assigned to a college which has had relatively fewer applications for your course in the year you apply.
4. If you are already studying at another university outside the UK and thinking of applying to Oxford, please read our guidance carefully. Similar guidance is available for those already studying at another UK university. 

1. Personal details including an email address. Make sure you check this address frequently for updates.
2. Details about your education, and any qualifications you have already achieved, or are expected to achieve before starting at university.
3. A personal statement where you tell us why you are interested in your chosen course. Read our guidance on writing your personal statement.  
4. Your reference. Remember that your teacher or adviser will need some time to complete your reference, and this must be completed before the deadline. Read our guidance on academic references. This must be submitted with your UCAS application.
5. A fee payment to UCAS is required to complete the process unless you are eligible for a UCAS fee waiver.

Additional documents

In specific sections and depending on your responses, you may be invited to upload various documents to accompany your UCAS application. Please note that while these may be used by other universities, Oxford will not review these documents as part of your Oxford application.

Read guidance from UCAS on filling in your application.

In addition to submitting a UCAS application form, some courses at Oxford require you to take an admissions test as part of your application. From 2026 Oxford will be using the ESAT, TARA and TMUA computer-based tests owned and managed by UAT-UK and delivered in Pearson test centres. Medicine will continue to use the UCAT and as usual Law candidates will need to take the LNAT. 

Note: Registration is not automatic and is not part of the UCAS process so you will need proactively to organise taking any required admissions test for yourself.  Oxford courses require candidates to take the October sitting for UAT-UK tests. Details regarding test booking, registration and preparation are available via UAT-UK.

Specific details on other aspects of the application process for your chosen course are available via course pages and via our Guide for applicants. 

If you are applying for a second undergraduate degree, please send a copy of the transcript from your first degree to the college that is considering your application, to arrive by 10 November.

No other references, transcripts, or certificates are required or accepted except for students applying for Graduate Entry Medicine (A101) or Choral scholarships or Organ scholarships.

The application process for international students is exactly the same as for UK and EU students: i.e. you must apply through UCAS by 15 October. 

UCAS is an independent organisation that handles all applications to study undergraduate degrees in the UK. To complete a UCAS application, you will need to register with UCAS and pay them a fee. The UCAS website also has guidance for international students.

There is no separate application form for Oxford's undergraduate courses (with the single exception of A101 Graduate Entry Medicine), and it is not possible to apply without completing a UCAS form.

Read our detailed guidance on applying as an international student.

You may find it helpful to read our guidance for mature students  and UCAS' guidance for mature students before filling out your UCAS application 

Please read the information below on declaring a disability when filling out a UCAS application. Whatever your particular circumstances, the earlier we know about your individual requirements, then the sooner we can begin to meet them.

We would also recommend you read our guidance for disabled students and UCAS' guidance.

The University of Oxford is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information (‘personal data’).

This privacy policy describes how we collect and use your personal data during the admissions process in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and related UK data protection legislation. It should be read in conjunction with the privacy policy of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Read more about how we collect and use the personal data of undergraduate students during the application process.

The format of the personal statement has recently changed from one longer piece of text to three sections with question prompts. You can read more about how to structure your personal statement on the UCAS website.

The three questions will help you to scaffold your answers and ensure you include exactly what universities and colleges want to see, to help you succeed in your applications. Each answer will have a minimum character count of 350 characters, which is clearly labelled on the question boxes, along with an overall character counter, so you can keep track. The 4,000 overall character limit (including spaces) remains the same, as does what you're expected to include. 

We strongly recommend that you follow the comprehensive guidance provided by UCAS:

• Read UCAS's guidance on how to write your personal statement
• Watch a video on how to write your personal statement
• Explore UCAS' personal statement subject guides

Please note the above information from UCAS currently relates to 2026 entry and will be updated for 2027 entry as soon as possible. No changes to the personal statement are expected for 2027 entry.

Do:

• Apply for a course you really want to study.
• Be yourself: tell the truth about your interests.
• Sell yourself: this is not the time for modesty.
• Re-read your personal statement before an interview – the tutors may ask you to talk about things you've mentioned
• Read the UCAS guidance on personal statements.

Don't:

• Be tempted to make anything up, as you might be asked about it at interview.
• Copy anyone else’s personal statement. UCAS uses plagiarism detection software.
• List qualifications like your GCSE grades or anything else that's covered elsewhere on the application.
• Just list your other achievements: you need to evaluate them.
• Feel the need to be dramatic in order to be memorable.

• The process is different for those applying through a school/college/centre and those applying after they have left school or as an individual.
• Read how to get a UCAS undergraduate reference and how a reference should be written.
• The reference must be in English. If your referee is not confident writing in English, they can ask an English-speaking colleague to help them. Alternatively, you can have a certified translation made for them to upload. Please ask them not to submit a reference in any language other than English, and to make sure that they have uploaded a reference in English to UCAS by the 15 October deadline.
• Your reference must be from someone who can write about your academic potential; it can't be from a family member.

• UCAS registered centre linked applications (for those applying through their school or college).
• Independent or individual applicants (for those who are not at school or college).

• Read how to write UCAS undergraduate references for information about writing an academic reference for a student's application to Oxford. The reference is split into three separate sections so it is important that all referees are aware of the guidance.
• References can be up to 4,000 characters (including spaces, headings and line breaks) or 47 lines of text, whichever comes first, and comprise three sections.
• It is up to the referee how they divide the word count between these three sections but we would advise leaving plenty of space for Section three, which is where you can comment on the individual academic achievements and potential of your Oxford applicants.
  • Section one: this invites referees to enter a general statement about their school, college or centre. We strongly recommend including relevant information about school closures and disruption to whole cohorts on a specifically created webpage on your school website. You can then link to this webpage in section one of your academic reference to ensure that most of the reference word count can still be dedicated to the academic achievements and potential of your student.
  • Section two: if applicable, include here any information about individual extenuating circumstances which may have impacted your applicant's education and achievements. Alternatively, if for any reason this is inappropriate, you are welcome to contact the college considering your candidate's application.
  • Section three: use this to comment on the individual academic achievements and potential of your Oxford applicant and how these relate to the course they are applying for.
• UCAS have published sample references which you are likely to find useful.
• If the candidate is currently studying or awaiting results you will be asked to include predicted grades for these qualifications. These should not be included as part of the reference but be included in the Education section of a candidate's UCAS application. Students who are awaiting examination results or are yet to take examinations should enter 'pending' against those qualifications (including resits) when completing the Education section. Those pending qualifications will then be shown in the adviser portal and is where referees should record their predicted grades for these pending examinations. Where applicable, this is an important part of the application, so please do include predicted grades.
• It may be helpful first for you to refer to the selection criteria and admission requirements for your candidate's chosen course.
• You may like to refer to the additional advice about writing a reference for an Oxford applicant on our For teachers page.

This is the section of the UCAS form where you list all your qualifications along with the grades you have already achieved and any standardised test scores. Please list everything as the admissions tutors need to see the whole picture of your academic studies so far. It doesn't matter if you have taken a lot of qualifications, a few, or none, we ask you to tell us about them. 

You also need to list any educational qualifications you are currently working towards. Students who are awaiting examination results or are yet to take examinations should enter 'pending' against these qualifications (including resits) when completing the Education section. Pending qualifications will then be shown in the adviser portal and is where referees should record their predicted grades for these pending examinations. Where applicable, this is an important part of the application, so make sure your referee is aware of this.

If you are not a native English speaker, please also include any English language qualifications that you have taken or are due to take. Our English language requirements page lists which tests we accept and also explains possible exemptions.

Personal circumstances

You should normally let us know about any special circumstances which are relevant to your education in your UCAS application. We must receive this information before admissions decisions are made. If you have personal circumstances that you'd like to tell us about please include them in your personal statement, or ask your teacher to include the information in your academic reference. Teachers and other academic referees should follow the guidance provided by UCAS in order to explain an applicant’s extenuating circumstances. 

If for any reason this is not appropriate, then please wait until you have had confirmation that your application has been received by a college and then contact them directly. This is likely to be around the end of October.

You can contact our Admissions Office for further information and advice if you're not sure what to include. If you are applying for Medicine, please read the Medical School's guidance on submitting information about extenuating circumstances. 

Widespread cohort disruption 

Usually, special circumstances are something that you as an individual have experienced, something that is unique to you. So, we would not for example, expect you to let us know about your school being closed due to building or staffing issues or COVID-19. Your academic referee will have the opportunity to tell us how any wider disruptions affected you and your year group. Our advice is for schools to include in your academic reference a link to a webpage on the school or college website which explains these sorts of issues. This will mean they don’t have to take up valuable space in your academic reference. 

Information received after admissions decisions have been made will only be considered in exceptional circumstances and if this was not available earlier. Examples would include disruption caused by change of school or system or severe discontinuity of teachers, bereavement, and debilitating illness.

We are committed to making sure that all our students can benefit from the great opportunities at Oxford so please do tell us about any disability, whether seen or unseen, on your UCAS application. This should include:

• Sensory and physical impairments
• Specific learning difficulties e.g. Dyslexia
• Long-term mental health conditions
• Autism spectrum conditions
• Chronic illnesses and health conditions

Please be assured that admissions decisions are made on academic grounds alone. Around 30% of all our undergraduate students are known to the Disability Advisory Service.

By telling us now, you will help us put in place any agreed support early and to make reasonable adjustments to facilitate your access to your course and our University. It will also mean that we can provide appropriate arrangements during the admissions process, so for any test or interview.

While you do not need to include this information at this stage, we strongly recommend you do so in order to give us time to prepare and arrange suitable support.

You’ll find the relevant section at the bottom of the Personal Details tab of your UCAS application

• Click ‘see list’ to select the relevant category
• Fill in the second box below Category to give details of any facilities or special provisions required.
• UCAS also has some good advice about how to tell us about your disability.

See also our further Guidance for disabled applicants. This includes information on contacting our Disability Advisory Service and how to put in place any necessary arrangements for our admissions tests, if this is one of the admission requirements for your chosen course.