One of my favorite numbers is 17.5%, as that’s Oxford’s acceptance rate. It’s not great, of course, but it’s still at least double digits!
Of course, you apply by field (or course) at Oxford. so some programs have a significantly lower admissions percentage. Medicine and PPE hover around 10%, with some courses going significantly lower. Computer Science, for example, is around 6%, but if you’re willing to add philosophy in the mix, it goes up to 9%. Yes, you do have to be qualified to apply (and you’d be surprised how many Americans don’t bother reading requirements before applying), but even at 6%, that beats some universities here in the US.
However, despite what a visit to r/chanceme would have you think, not everyone wants to do computer science. Here is a listing of the degrees at Oxford with an acceptance rate of above 20%:
| Course Name | Admitted Percentage |
|---|---|
| Archaeology and Anthropology | 24% |
| Chemistry | 29% |
| Classical Archaeology | 24% |
| Classics | 40% |
| Classics and English | 34% |
| Classics and a Modern Language | 36% |
| English Literature | 24% |
| English and a Modern Language | 25% |
| European and Middle Eastern Languages | 34% |
| Geography | 20% |
| Geology | 29% |
| History | 23% |
| History: Ancient and Modern | 22% |
| History and a Modern Language | 22% |
| Materials Science | 28% |
| Modern Language | 39% |
| Modern Language and Linguistics | 37% |
| Music | 40% |
| Oriental Studies | 24% |
| Philosophy and Modern Language | 32% |
| Philosophy and Theology | 20% |
| Religion and Oriental Studies | 33% |
| Theology | 39% |
That’s 23 of the 45 or so options that Oxford students have.
Here are a few caveats to keep in mind:
- Remember that a high ACT/SAT and 3 AP scores of 5 (from UCAS Group A) meet the minimum requirements, and from there you’ll have to (more likely than not) take a placement test and do an interview. Otherwise, you can replace the ACT/SAT with another 5 on a different AP exam.
- Modern Languages refers to European languages; Oriental Studies includes Middle Eastern and Asian languages. Modern language degrees almost always require at least an AP level in the target language. Oriental Studies languages assume you don’t know anything about the language in question.
- Classics has routes for those who have studied Greek and/or Latin, and those who don’t know what a declension is.
- Music is insanely self-selective, but if you’re good, you’ve got a great shot.
- Remember that the more elite university you go to (with some exceptions), the more ‘liberal arts’ the majors will be. Theology or archaeology degrees from Oxford get hired just as easily as Economics/Management degrees; it’s about the transferable skills, and an Oxford education develops all of these.
- At most other universities in the UK, you’d get a slight bump from being American. Don’t expect that at Oxford (or Cambridge, or LSE) as a matter of course. However, if you do well on everything, and it’s between you and a UK student with an identical profile, Oxford will more often than not be happy to take your money.