This page gives you a practical overview of admissions process, with handy links to lots of resources and further information.
I found the experience of visiting Christ Church for the interviews very exciting.
I met so many wonderful people who I'm friends with to this day. It’s completely normal to be a bit nervous - I definitely was - but just try to enjoy these few days because it won’t be like anything you’ve experienced before.
Luca Hargitai
All applications for undergraduate study at the University of Oxford are made via the Universities’ and Colleges’ Admissions Service, (UCAS). The admissions process is uniform across all colleges, with college tutors in each subject making judgements and decisions based on a commonly agreed set of subject-specific criteria.
Our tutors at Christ Church admit candidates on the basis of their academic abilities and potential. Our tutors have to make distinctions amongst many excellent applicants, which means they take into account all the information available to them, including contextual information about your background. Here are the main elements that we look at:
Your grades
This includes your GCSE results, and AS Level qualifications if you’re from Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as your predicted or actual A-Level grades (or equivalent qualifications). We also get a sense of your academic record from your teacher’s reference.
Your Personal Statement
Your personal statement is your opportunity to tell us about your academic interests and the reading that you’ve done around your subject and beyond your school curriculum. It may well form the basis of a conversation in an interview. Although many of our successful candidates pursue interests outside their academic studies, extracurricular activities unrelated to your subject do not form part of our selection criteria. We’ve put together some tips and a video to help you with your personal statement.
Your written work and admissions test score.
After you’ve put in your UCAS application by the October deadline, for most subjects you’ll also need to submit an example of your written work and sit an admissions test. Make sure to check the admission requirements for your course plenty of time in advance.
Your interview at Oxford.
This is the final stage of the application process. If you are called for interview, you should expect to be invited to Oxford in early December. Think of the interview as your opportunity to discuss your academic interests with experts in the field and try your best to enjoy it. It is a great achievement to get this far.
