Ethnicity

Context

The following graphics provide context for Oxford’s figures, showing the BME share of the England and Wales population, the A-level achievement of BME students, and the proportion of BME students in different parts of the UK university sector.

Note: Figures for the 2021/22 academic year (2021 intake) are the most recent available from HESA and have therefore been used in these graphics. The most recent figures available for Oxford are for the 2023/24 academic year (2023 intake).

England and Wales population now aged 19 to 25*

Breakdown of students achieving AAA or better at A-level by ethnicity (all UK universities, 2021 UK intake)**

Breakdown of students at UK universities by ethnicity (2021 UK intake)**

Oxford University (2023 UK intake)***

*2021 UK census. Source: Office for National Statistics. Ethnic group by age and sex in England and Wales.
**Most recent available national data covers 2021 intake: defined as first-year, first-degree, UK-domiciled undergraduate students, academic year 2021/22. AAA+ pool includes equivalent Scottish qualifications. See note on HESA data for full citation.
***Excluding students whose ethnicity status is not declared.

University-level data

BME students

• The number of UK-domiciled BME applicants to Oxford has increased since 2019, as have the numbers of students receiving offers and being admitted.
• The proportion of UK-domiciled students admitted to Oxford who indicate in their UCAS application that they identify as BME has risen from 22.0% in 2019 to 28.8% in 2023.

UK-domiciled BME students: applications to Oxford, offers made and students admitted, 2019–2023

11. Excluding students whose ethnicity status is not declared.

Asian students

• Since 2019, applications from UK-domiciled Asian students have been increasing annually, as have offers received and students admitted.
• The proportion of UK-domiciled students admitted to Oxford who indicate in their UCAS application that they identify as Asian has risen from 9.6% in 2019 to 13.1% in 2023.

UK-domiciled Asian students: applications to Oxford, offers made and students admitted, 2019–2023

11. Excluding students whose ethnicity status is not declared. 

*Most recent available national data covers 2021 intake: defined as first-year, first-degree, UK-domiciled undergraduate students, academic year 2021/22. AAA+ pool includes equivalent Scottish qualifications. See note on HESA data for full citation.

Bangladeshi and Pakistani students

• Since 2019, the numbers of UK-domiciled Bangladeshi and Pakistani students applying to Oxford, being made offers and being admitted have risen substantially.
• The proportion of UK-domiciled students admitted to Oxford who indicate in their UCAS application that they identify as Bangladeshi or Pakistani rose from 2.1% in 2019 to 3.0% in 2023.

Note: Within the British Asian group, Bangladeshi and Pakistani students are considered underrepresented at highly selective universities, hence their inclusion as a separate group at University level in this report.

UK-domiciled Bangladeshi and Pakistani students: applications to Oxford, offers made and students admitted, 2019–2023

11. Excluding students whose ethnicity status is not declared. 

*Most recent available national data covers 2021 intake: defined as first-year, first-degree, UK-domiciled undergraduate students, academic year 2021/22. AAA+ pool includes equivalent Scottish qualifications. See note on HESA data for full citation.

Students with Black African or Black Caribbean heritage¹²

• The numbers of UK-domiciled students with Black African or Black Caribbean heritage applying to Oxford, receiving offers and being admitted have increased from 2019 to 2023.
• The proportion of UK-domiciled students admitted to Oxford who indicate in their UCAS application that they identify as Black has risen from 3.2% in 2019 to 3.6% in 2023.

UK-domiciled students with Black African or Black Caribbean heritage: applications to Oxford, offers made and students admitted, 2019–2023

11. Excluding students whose ethnicity status is not declared.
12. This includes students who indicated on their UCAS application that they identified as Black – Caribbean, Black – African or Black – other background. 

*Most recent available national data covers 2021 intake: defined as first-year, first-degree, UK-domiciled undergraduate students, academic year 2021/22. AAA+ pool includes equivalent Scottish qualifications. See note on HESA data for full citation.

Mixed Heritage students

• The number of UK-domiciled Mixed Heritage applicants to Oxford has risen since 2019, as have the numbers of students receiving offers and being admitted.
• The proportion of UK-domiciled students admitted to Oxford who indicate in their UCAS application that they identify as Mixed Heritage rose from 8.1% in 2019 to 9.8% in 2023.

UK-domiciled Mixed Heritage students: applications to Oxford, offers made and students admitted, 2019–2023

11. Excluding students whose ethnicity status is not declared. 

*Most recent available national data covers 2021 intake: defined as first-year, first-degree, UK-domiciled undergraduate students, academic year 2021/22. AAA+ pool includes equivalent Scottish qualifications. See note on HESA data for full citation.

**National data does not include Mixed ethnicity as a separate category; it only provides ‘other including Mixed’ where ‘other’ includes all ethnicities that do not fall into any subcategories of White, Asian or Black ethnic groups.