Admissions

• There are no mandatory subject requirements for pre-selection for Human Sciences; however, for non-native English speakers, evidence of proficiency is required. See English Language requirements on the University website.
• Maths and Biology A levels are useful but not essential.
• Candidates with Scottish Highers, Baccalaureate or its equivalent are welcome.
• We expect you to have taken and passed any practical componenet in your chosen science subjects.
• Willingness to approach analysis of problems with numbers as well as words is important.
• Students from purely arts backgrounds have successfully undertaken the course.
• All candidates for Human Sciences must also take the Thinkings Skills Assessment (TSA) as part of their application. (Please see selection process and criteria for Human Sciences below.)

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

All candidates for Human Sciences must take the Thinking Skills Assessment (TSA) normally at their own school or college, on Thursday 4 November 2021. Separate registration for this test is required and the final deadline for entries is 15 October 2021. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that they are registered for this test.

Applicants don't need to attend a formal course to prepare for the test but research has shown that practicsing using past papers does make a significant difference to test success. A comprehensive list of past papers (including worked answers), overview and workshop videos are available for free on the University's Undergraduate Admissions Website, which also provides information on how to regsiter for the TSA.

 4. Short-listed Candidates are then invited for an interview.

Candidates whe are invited 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. For applicants applying in 2021 for entry in October 2022, interviews will be held on-line and are expected to take place in December 2020.

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.

5. 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.

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.