University of Oxford

Admissions

Entrance requirements

• There are no mandatory subject requirements for pre-selection for Human Sciences; however, for non-native English speakers, evidence of proficiency is required. See http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/enreq/english.shtml
• Maths and Biology A levels are useful but not essential.
• Candidates with Scottish Highers, Baccalaureate or its equivalent are welcome.
• Willingness to approach analysis of problems with numbers as well as words is important.
• Students from purely arts backgrounds have successfully undertaken the course.

Selection process and Criteria for Human Sciences

1. Decisions about admission to undergraduate courses at Oxford, including Human Sciences, are made by colleges.
Candidates are invited to name a first-choice college or make an open application. Oxford aims to ensure that candidates’ chances of obtaining a place are not affected by an applicant’s choice of college.

2. Candidates should submit their application form as described in the Application Procedures below.

What will I need to show in order to be considered?
Tutors responsible for admitting undergraduates in Human Sciences will be looking at all the available information from past and predicted examination results. Colleges normally require grades of AAA in A-levels or the equivalent in other exams such as Scottish Higher, national or international baccalaureate etc. School reports, personal reports and interviews are also used with a view to assessing the individual candidate's potential to benefit from the academic courses provided by Oxford in Human Sciences. Evidence of your ability to cope successfully with both the quantitative and the essay-based components of the course will be an advantage.

3. Written Work and Tests

You do not need to take a written test or submit any written work when you apply for Human Sciences. If you wish, you may submit a statement of around 100 words about why you would like to study Human Sciences by 10 November. You should paste your statement into the on-line form at http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/colleges/hs_statement.html

4. Candidates are then invited for an interview.

Why might a candidate not be granted an interview?
Candidates will normally be invited for interview unless all colleges agree that there is no reasonable chance, on the basis of the written evidence available, of their being offered a place. This may be if they possess one or more of the following: poor results in official examination, especially GCSE or its equivalent; poor results predicted, or already obtained, in A level (A2) or equivalent examinations; a negative school report.

5. Candidates who come to Oxford for interview will be interviewed by their college of first choice and at least one other college, and/or by the Human Sciences Admissions Panel - an interdisciplinary body constituted to ensure that as many promising candidates as possible are offered places.

All interviews will broadly follow the pattern outlined in the Interview Booklet available from the Admissions Office or see the Interviews Section of the Admissions Website.The interview is an important component in the selection process. Shortlisted applicants who hold a passport from the UK or European Economic Area will be invited to interview in Oxford and must attend if they wish thier application to be considered.  Shortlisted applicants from other regions of the world who are unable to travel to Oxford due to visa requirements may be interviewed by telephone, video conference or over the internet through Skype (see http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/international_students/interviews.html)

Oxford aims to ensure that candidates’ chances of obtaining a place are not affected by an applicant’s choice of college.

What are the Interviewers looking for?
The interview is aimed primarily at assessing the candidate's potential for independent thinking, ability to follow an argument, skill in communication and listening. It is not a test of knowledge in isolation from context, or of verbal facility. Interviewers will be looking for evidence of ability to respond in a thoughtful way to unpredictable questions and ideas, intellectual curiosity, openness of mind and independent thinking. They will be looking for enthusiasm for their current studies or activities, but also evidence that the candidate's interest goes beyond their current academic training, and that they are able to deploy their knowledge in ways that show initiative.

6. Places are offered as soon as possible after the interviews. Offers are conditional on the results of A-levels or equivalent qualifications, except that definitive offers are made to candidates who have already obtained such qualifications.

Can I defer my entry?
If the candidate wishes to defer entry to the year after the intake being interview for, they need to state this on the application form. However only a very limited number of deferred places are offered, and successful deferred entry candidates will generally be among the strongest of the cohort for Human Sciences. Some deferred applicants may be offered a non-deferred place instead.

Application procedures

You make your application through UCAS by 15 October

see the UCAS website 


You may select ONE college from the list of colleges (to the top right) or you can leave the choice of college to the University Admissions Office.