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• 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.
• Willingness to approach analysis of problems with numbers as well as words is important.
• Students from purely arts backgrounds have successfully undertaken the course.

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. The potential to achieve these grades will need to be clear from your application. 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, in early November. Separate registration for this test is required and the final deadline for entries is the end of September. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that they are registered for this test. See the Information on tests on the University's website for further details.

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

Candidates 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. Interviews in 2022-23 will take place on-line.

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 a 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 (see below) or you can leave the choice of college to the University Admissions Office.

• Hertford
• Keble
• Magdalen
• Mansfield
• St Catherine's
• St Hugh's
• St John's
• Wadham
• Harris Manchester (Mature Students only)

Enquiries should be directed to the Tutor for Admissions

See also:

Colleges on the main Oxford University Website