For Students
Oxford for Yorkshire and the Humber organise a wide range of events, activities and programmes every year offering you the chance to taste university life and receive advice on your options.
On this page you’ll find opportunities which you can apply for directly as a prospective student as well as resources you can access from home.
Some other activities such as those run in schools and the Oxbridge Student Conferences, need to be organised through your school – please ask your teachers if they can organise a visit or know of any upcoming events that you can attend.
We can provide you with the information and support you need to make informed decisions about your future. Our programmes are designed to support you throughout school:
- For students aged 11 to 16, we focus on providing the information you need to make informed decisions about GCSE and A-Level choices.
- For students aged 16 to 18, we shift the focus to providing information about university admissions, helping you to explore what Oxford has to offer and developing the skills necessary to make successful applications to Oxford.
The resources and activities listed below include information and advice about applying to Oxford as well as exploring your subject to stretch you beyond the curriculum.
Open Days (Years 11-13)
The University holds three Open Days each school year, two in June or July and one in September. All colleges and departments will be open to prospective students on Oxford University Open Days. During the pandemic, open days have been run as virtual events. For more information on our Open days see here.
Explore your subject - Mansfield college
To help students develop their subject understanding and super-curricular interests, Mansfield college has produced a webpage with links to University of Oxford resources, other websites, and podcasts. The Explore your subject website also include recommendations by current Oxford students.
Isolation conversations - Mansfield college
Mansfield tutors and colleagues in other colleges or departments have collated some materials to help students explore their subject at home and find out more about studying at Oxford. These articles, linked by the common theme of social isolation, give an introduction to university subjects and Mansfield’s tutors who teach them. For more information, see Isolations Conversations.
Student Life Videos – Mansfield College
Find out more about life at Mansfield by hearing from our students and tutors in our Student Life Videos.
Think Big (Bradford) - Worcester college
Think Big (Bradford) is a programme of sustained engagement with students between year 8 and 11 studying at state schools in Bradford, that aims to improve students' performance at school by engaging them with 'big questions' and giving them a taste of the kinds of subjects they might study at university. The programme takes the form of a series of challenging tutorial sessions organised in participating schools and a residential at Worcester College. The students are selected such that the programme benefits those who are among the most under-represented in higher education. Think Big has just welcomed its second cohort of 60 year 8s onto the programme. For more information see Think Big (Bradford) website.
Bookshelf project - Worcester college
Worcester College’s Bookshelf project sends selected books to participating students from non-selective state schools and then publishes their book reviews on the Bookshelf website.
Thinking About Oxford series – Worcester College
Worcester College runs a series of online programmes for students who are thinking about applying to top universities. There is a Thinking About Oxford programme for Year 12 students in Bradford and Leeds, Muslim students in Years 11 and 12, BAME students in Years 11 and 12, and Caribbean students in Years 11 and 12.
Application Preparation Days – Worcester College
Every August, Worcester College runs a series of one-day conferences which focus on the application process for specific subjects. These conferences are designed to give students an insight into how the admissions procedure works for their subject and provide detailed guidance on each step they need to take. Any Year 12 studying at a state school in the UK is eligible to attend.
Being Human – Worcester College
Being Human is a university preparation programme run jointly by Worcester College, Corpus Christi College and the Classics Faculty for Year 12s at state schools in the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber. It is aimed at students who would be interested in learning about the ancient world, and who are thinking about studying humanities subjects at degree level. The programme consists of a series of seminar discussions, a residential in Oxford, and specialised admissions support as students begin their university applications.
Supercurricular reading group – Worcester College
Worcester College has launched a new reading group for Year 12 students at state schools in Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. Students spend some time researching their chosen university subject independently with guidance from the college, and then discuss what they have learned with others who would like to study similar subjects. The reading group aims to give students key analysis and communication skills which they may find useful when making their university applications.
Video resources – Worcester College
Worcester College’s YouTube channel features filmed contributions from students, staff and teachers about life at the college.
Brasenose College, Oxford and St Catharine’s College, Cambridge North Yorkshire partnership
A full programme of sessions, workshops, seminars, lectures, study evenings and much more for North Yorkshire state school students organised jointly between Brasenose College and St Catharine’s College Cambridge – for Years 10-13. See here and here for more information.
Student Life Videos - Brasenose College
See what studying and living in Oxford is really like through a series of Student Life YouTube Videos from Brasenose College, including bedroom tours, library tours, day in the life vlogs and more.
Virtual taster days- Magdalen college
Every half term Magdalen College provides a virtual taster day event aimed at Y10, Y11 and Y12 students and teachers from state-run schools across Barnsley, Rotherham & Sheffield. Parents/family members/carers of applicants are also welcome to join. The event includes an Introduction to Oxford, a virtual tour of Magdalen college and a live Q&A with a panel of current students, outreach officers and academics.
Talks with Tutors- Magdalen College
Magdalen College is running a series of virtual lectures delivered by academic tutors for state school students in Barnsley, Rotherham, and Sheffield. These aim to give school students a taster of what studying a particular subject may be like at university level. Talks vary in topic and targeted age group so please find up to date information on the Magdalen website.
Preparing for Oxford outreach resource pack and videos - Magdalen college
The Magdalen Outreach team have prepared a resource pack aimed at helping prospective applicants explore subjects that interest them and to find out more information about Oxford. They also provide videos of outreach talks that the college gives during school visits to Magdalen such as an Introduction to Oxford, a Personal Statement Workshop and short talks by academics. For more information, see the Magdalen college website
Ask an Oxford student- Magdalen college
If you have a burning question about life at Oxford, then why not drop a line to one of our student ambassadors from Magdalen College? Whether you want to find out about the tutorial system, have a subject specific question, or want to find out about Oxford sports, societies and nightlife, our friendly student ambassadors will be glad to give their advice. If you aren’t able to make it to Oxford for an Open Day then this is a great way to find out more. View student profiles on the Chat with a Magdalen student webpage and click to start chatting.
UNIQ (Year 12 students)
UNIQ is the largest University of Oxford residential access programme for students in their first year of further education, who are based at UK state schools or colleges.
Selection considers students’ school grades and their socio economic and educational background. UNIQ 2021 has been extended to better support the needs of students whose education has been disrupted by pandemic restrictions and will be delivered online. Every year a third of UNIQ students who apply to Oxford get offered a place. 231 of our online UNIQ students from last year have now received offers from Oxford. More details can be found on the UNIQ website.
Target Oxbridge (Year 12 students)
Target Oxbridge is a free programme that aims to help black African and Caribbean students and students of mixed race with black African and Caribbean heritage increase their chances of getting into the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge. The programme includes a residential in Oxford, student mentoring by black or minority ethnic Oxbridge graduates as well as many tailored sessions throughout the year. In 2020 alone, Target Oxbridge has helped 74 students to secure Oxbridge offers. For more information see the Target Oxbridge website.
Oxplore: The Home of Big Questions
Oxplore is an innovative digital outreach portal from the University of Oxford. It aims to engage those from 11 to 18 years old with debates and ideas that go beyond what is covered in the classroom. Big questions tackle complex ideas across a wide range of subjects and draw on the latest research undertaken at Oxford. Oxplore aims to realise aspirations, promote broader thinking and stimulate intellectual curiosity. For more information see the Oxplore website.
Competitions for school students
Several colleges and departments of the University of Oxford run competitions which are open to students from schools and colleges. Preparing an entry for one of these competitions is a valuable experience for academically motivated students, so please do encourage your students to enter. There are also some exciting prizes to be won.
Digital resource hub
The University of Oxford also recently developed a digital resource hub which pulls together learning support and outreach materials in one place. This covers resources for different age groups and includes general as well as subject specific materials.
YouTube
The University of Oxford YouTube channel has lots of useful videos including ones providing details on most Oxford courses. You might find these particularly useful when thinking about student life at Oxford:
Oxford University website
The main Oxford University website has a wealth of information available if you choose to apply to Oxford, including Applying to Oxford, Fees and funding and Student life. There is also lots of guidance regarding personal statements and admissions tests online, including tips, past papers and mark schemes. If you are invited to an interview then there are many ways you can prepare including by looking at past questions, watching guidance videos or seeing what tutors think of the interview process.
You can find mock interviews by Oxford and Cambridge online too. Even if there isn’t one for your course, you may find it useful to watch one for another subject to get a better idea of the interview process: Biology, Chemistry, Classics, Engineering, English, Law, Maths and Modern Languages
Keep in touch
Make sure to keep in touch with Oxford for Yorkshire and the Humber via our social media channels:
Twitter: @BrasenoseNews @Mansfieldaccess @WorcCollegeOx @magdalenoxford
Instagram: brasenosejcr mansfieldoxford worcestercollegeoxford magdalenjcr
Oxford: @OxOutreach & oxford_uni