Winning a place to study at Oxford is notoriously competitive, but perhaps less famed is how generous its financial support packages for students are: about one in four UK undergraduate students receive an annual bursary of up to £6,150 from the university, which provides £11 million of financial aid for undergraduates, and is our Runner-up University of the Year for Scholarships & Bursaries 2027.
As might be expected of an almost 800-year-old institution, tradition is key and no more so than the weekly tutorials, a core feature at the university in which up to three students meet with their tutor – academics at the forefront of their field – in an intimate forum that helps sharpen their critical thinking and deepen their understanding of their subject. Oxford has gone up 20 places to rank 24th for teaching quality this year, based on feedback from students in the National Student Survey 2026 (NSS), eclipsing Cambridge by 17 places for this metric. Oxford wins our University of the Year in the Southeast 2027 award.
Ambitious modern developments have joined its famous dreaming spires, most recently the epic Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. In the broader climate of an erosion of humanities in higher education it makes even more of a statement, and fits the bill for Oxford’s new accolade as the world’s best university for the arts and humanities, according to the QS World University Rankings 2026.
What is the University of Oxford’s academic reputation
Oxford has produced 56 Nobel prizewinners and is the alma mater of 31 British prime ministers. Even so, it has slipped from 4th to 5th in our table, the university's lowest rank in our guide’s 33-year history, and one below its ancient rival Cambridge.
Oxford is fourth in our research quality index with a stellar set of results in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021), which rated 91 per cent of its submissions world-leading or internationally excellent. In global rankings, which take account of the research profile but not student reviews, Oxford has been ranked first in the world by Times Higher Education every year from 2017 to 2026.
The university achieved triple gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF 2023). However, feedback in the NSS shows discontent with the broad experience, for which Oxford ranks 124th this year, as it did last; low rates of student satisfaction that hold it back from further ascent of the main table.
What are the University of Oxford’s entry requirements — and my chances of getting in?
Oxford averaged the sixth-highest entry standards, with 197 Ucas points. The university does not make contextual offers but, like Cambridge, its admissions process takes an applicant’s background into account. Oxford invites only the strongest contenders to interview and does not enter clearing. For 2025 entry it had 23,329 applications, and 3,302 undergraduates were accepted (about four fifths of them UK students). The proportion of triple A* UK entrants rose nearly 2 per cent in 2025, with 47.1 per cent of new undergraduates achieving three A* grades or better, up from 45.5 per cent in 2024.
Typically, it gets seven applications per place, though this varies significantly. For example, economics and management is the most oversubscribed, with 18.8 applications per place, while theology and modern languages are among the least popular.
What are the graduate prospects and how will the university help me get career-ready ?
The university is down one place to rank fourth in our Graduate Outcomes survey analysis, based on 84.1 per cent of graduates being in highly skilled work or postgraduate study 15 months after finishing their course.
What is the University of Oxford’s campus like?
The picture-postcard image of Georgian courtyards, gothic spires and baroque porticos of the university colleges defines the city centre. This character, along with landmarks such as the Radcliffe Camera, part of a network of libraries that also includes the renowned Bodleian, makes the city a tourist destination as well as a historic seat of learning.
The Schwarzman Centre, with its 500-seat concert hall, is thought to be the largest building in the country to meet Passivhaus environmental standards.
The Old Power Station in Osney reopened as the Global Leadership Centre in 2026, providing a teaching and residential base for the Saïd Business School. The £35 million new Global Health Building at Old Road campus is due to open in the 2026-27 academic year, and will house the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health and the Oxford Population Health department.
When can I visit?
How does the college system work?
Oxford is part of the Ucas system but there are peculiarities to applying, including an October 15 deadline. You can apply to either Oxford or Cambridge in any one year, but not both. Selection is in the hands of colleges, not the university.
Colleges vary considerably in atmosphere and student mix. Mansfield had a state school intake (including grammar schools) of 94.7 per cent between 2023-2025; at Oriel the proportion was 51.3 per cent. At Keble, 39.6 per cent of its intake came from black or ethnic minority backgrounds in the same three-year period, compared with 23.8 per cent at Somerville.
Most candidates apply to a specific college, although open applications can be made if you are happy to go to any college. All shortlisted candidates are invited to interview.
Everything you need to know about the University of Oxford’s student life
Instead of a campus, the university is made up of colleges spread across the city. Its gardens, libraries and museums hold 21 million objects, specimens and printed items. The student experience involves traditions like summer balls, black tie dinners and formal halls.
Oxford’s short eight-week terms mean that student life may be likened to a series of sprints. The university expects all students to study for at least 40 hours a week. A work-hard, play-hard attitude prevails, sport and drama are particularly competitive and ambitious but there are 400 societies and clubs to choose from, including nearly 80 sports clubs, plus collegiate teams. Sports facilities include the Sir Roger Bannister running track on Iffley Road, a pool and three gyms.
Student media is well resourced and there are opportunities to contribute to the weekly newspapers: Cherwell and the Oxford Student, or broadcast live on Oxide Radio. The Oxford Union is the university’s most famous and prestigious society, hosting world-famous speakers year-round for a lifetime membership fee of £357.
Colleges have invested more resources into their in-house support, hiring student support officers and rolling out peer support schemes. There is also a peer-led sexual consent education programme. About one in eight students consult the university-wide counselling service, which offers one-to-one sessions, therapeutic groups and weekly workshops.
What do the students say?
“Oxford really is the most inspiring and exciting place to study. The tutorial system allows me to engage meaningfully with academics who are leaders in their field, and the city itself feels perfectly suited to its student population, with beautiful scenery, lots of pubs and surprisingly good nightlife.”
Amelie, third-year English language and literature, New College
What about student accommodation at the University of Oxford?
Students live in college accommodation. Most can be housed for at least two years, if not the full duration of their degree. Rents vary by college, and while meals are taken in the dining hall, most colleges allow students to opt out and have basic self-catering facilities.
How diverse and inclusive is the University of Oxford?
Oxford continues its efforts to widen participation in its elite education. Recent initiatives include the Oxplore Festival, which has visited places including Bradford and Warrington, to encourage young people to think about higher education and Oxford, through interactive workshops and exhibitions. Admissions staff also travelled across the country to meet participants on its flagship access programme, Uniq.
The number of applicants accepted from state and independent schools is an enduring hot topic. Between 2021 and 2025, the proportion of UK undergraduates admitted from state schools decreased slightly from 68.2 per cent to 66.5 per cent (including selective grammars). Our social inclusion figures consider only the proportion from nonselective schools (50.6 per cent, placing Oxford 110th in England and Wales). Oxford is bottom out of 114 universities in England and Wales for social inclusion overall. It does better with its proportion of students from ethnic minorities (29.5 per cent, 65th) although its black awarding gap has widened to -16.4 per cent, dropping to 55=.
What financial help is available?
About one in four undergraduates are in receipt of a nonrepayable bursary. UK students with household incomes up to £32,500 can become Crankstart Scholars, eligible for payments of up to £6,270 a year, funded internships and volunteering opportunities. Students with household incomes of £50,000 or less qualify for an Oxford Bursary of £1,120 to £4,480 a year. Oxford Travel Supplements of between £220 and £550 are available to Crankstart Scholars or Oxford Bursary recipients from the UK who live more than 80 miles from Oxford. Care-experienced and estranged students can apply for additional bursaries worth up to £3,500.
Colleges often also have their own funds, such as travel grants, academic prizes and book grants.
