How to Apply to Oxbridge: A Step-by-Step Guide

Gareth Davies

September 2nd 2026

Course Choice

Perhaps the most important choice of all. Your subject choice will dictate your entire experience at Oxford or Cambridge, and it is important to remember that Oxbridge focuses on academic depth rather than breadth.

You must:

Choose a subject you love reading about and exploring without prompts.
Research academic entry requirements early on the respective subject webpages, to check that you are likely to meet them. Academic requirements vary from at least AAA - A*A*A at A-level, or 38 - 42 points at IB which would equate to 4 or 5 AP subjects, each at grade 5, for the US system for example.
Ensure you have the right combination of subjects needed for entry

Oxford vs Cambridge

For undergraduate entry, you can only apply to one or the other, not both, in a single application year.

You must:

Look at the distinct assessment styles of each university. Oxford typically relies on mid-term college exams called ‘collections’, whereas Cambridge often focuses on end-of-year finals. Which might you prefer or suit better?
Review publicly available application data to weigh competitive ratios for various courses.
Attend open days to get a feel for the campuses, accommodation, teaching etc.

College Selection

Both universities are networks of distinct colleges. Your college acts very much as your mini community where you will live, eat, and receive tutorials (for Oxford) or supervisions (for Cambridge).

There are two methods:

Direct Application: Select one college based on your preferences, such as size, location or historic architecture perhaps.
Open Application: If you do not have a preference, you can submit an open application. An algorithm will automatically assign you to a college with lower application volumes.

Do not over-think your choice. There are inter-collegiate pools such as Cambridge’s winter pool which redistribute high-quality candidates if their chosen college is oversubscribed for whatever reason.

UCAS Deadlines

The deadline is strictly set for 15 October at 6pm UK time in the year before proposed entry.

Ensure your UCAS form is complete, including your personal statement, your school reference and predicted grades (if applicable) and submitted by that strict deadline.
Structure your personal statement to be predominantly academic, with lots of super curricular activities such as wider reading, academic lectures, courses, review of research papers etc.

Admissions Tests

Most competitive courses require candidates to sit an entrance exam, usually in October.

Common admissions tests include the UCAT (for Medicine), TMUA (for Mathematics/Computer Science), and TARA (for some Humanities subjects). There are other tests as well.
Scoring highly is critical, as these admissions tests serve as an important filtering mechanism for interview shortlists.

Written Work Submissions

If your chosen course requires written work, you must submit it by late October or early November.

Submissions must typically be actual school essays marked by your regular teachers.
Keep a copy and re-read it before your interview. Interview tutors frequently use your submitted work as a prompt for debate and discussion during the interview.

The Oxbridge Interview

Shortlisted candidates are invited to academic interviews, normally in early-to-mid December.

Interviews are designed to simulate a real tutorial session.
Tutors are not testing general knowledge, but rather how you think, and what you are thinking about. They may give you unfamiliar problems in a STEM interview, or unusual poems in an English interview to evaluate your teachability, problem-solving skills, and intellectual flexibility.

Final Offers & Outcomes

Decisions are officially communicated to applicants in mid-to-late January.

Conditional Offer: You have a place secured if you achieve specific academic grades.
Pool Offer: You are accepted into the university, but your application has been claimed by a different college than the one you originally selected.
Unsuccessful: You are rejected, releasing you to pursue your other four UCAS choices.

Where can I find out more?

If you're at the start of this process and want to understand what serious Oxbridge support looks like in practice, our full Oxbridge Applications Consultancy page sets out exactly what's included, along with case studies from students we've helped secure places at Oxford and Cambridge. You can also hear more from our team on our podcast on demystifying Oxbridge applications.

Get in touch with one of our Oxbridge application specialists to find out how we can help.