What are you looking for?

We hope you’ll join us at Worcester. To apply, you’ll make an application to the University of Oxford via UCAS and choose Worcester (Campus Code: Z) when selecting your college preference.

Don’t forget that Oxford has an earlier deadline than most universities. You’ll need to submit your application and register for any admissions tests in September and October.

We’ll see the personal statement you write for all of your university options on UCAS. In addition, many courses require you to sit an admissions test and some ask for written work to be submitted. It’s really important to check your course’s admissions requirements on the University website and make sure to give yourself lots of time to prepare your application and complete the different steps in the process.

For international students the application process is the same, although there may be additional requirements, such as student visas and English language requirements.

Admissions timeline Course admissions requirements Guidance for international students

What we’re looking for

We want you to be enthusiastic about your subject and able to demonstrate your interest with concrete examples. Perhaps you’ve gone above and beyond  the curriculum and read widely, attended lectures (online or in person) or watched documentaries related to your course. Show us that you’re committed to your subject and have the self-motivation to study it at university level. We also want to see your independent thinking skills. It’s important to approach material critically and to have an opinion about what you’ve engaged with.

Oxford digital resources hub What are super-curriculars?

Hear from our students

"I definitely built up the interview in my head before I joined, and while yes, it is a bit scary, I realised that it was actually just a conversation with someone interested in the same things as me."
Dan, Geography student
"I made sure to take the tutors through my thought process, even if I wasn’t 100% sure about my answers; I think it helped them to see where I was coming from. I also just tried to enjoy it as a conversation about something I was really interested in."
Ag, Biology student
"I was really nervous, but the tutors were super reassuring. There were some hard questions, but I just explained what I was thinking (and actually disagreed with my interviewer) and tried to relax and enjoy the experience!"
Gioa, History student
"I definitely built up the interview in my head before I joined, and while yes, it is a bit scary, I realised that it was actually just a conversation with someone interested in the same things as me."
Dan, Geography student
"I made sure to take the tutors through my thought process, even if I wasn’t 100% sure about my answers; I think it helped them to see where I was coming from. I also just tried to enjoy it as a conversation about something I was really interested in."
Ag, Biology student
"I was really nervous, but the tutors were super reassuring. There were some hard questions, but I just explained what I was thinking (and actually disagreed with my interviewer) and tried to relax and enjoy the experience!"
Gioa, History student

What you don’t need to worry about

Anything that’s unrelated to the subject you’ve applied for. It’s great to get involved with extra-curricular activities like sport or music but, if they don’t link to your subject or relevant skills, then they won’t be considered as part of your application. Likewise, you don’t need to worry about putting on a pitch-perfect performance at your interview. We can all get tongue-tied or nervous, but it’s just one part of the admissions process. We’re not expecting you to get everything right – in some cases there may not even be a ‘right’ answer. What the tutors are hoping to hear from you is how you think and how you approach new ideas, even when you get stuck. Even if you’re on the wrong track, they want to hear you explain your reasoning and show your working out – these are much more important skills in demonstrating your potential to do well at Oxford than how many facts you can remember.

Find out more about interviews 

Everyone in the interview will get stuck at some point, or not explain something as well as they might, so don’t worry about that. We like to see students explaining their thinking, taking on board new ideas and techniques, and adapting those as the interview progresses. We like to see how students tackle new problems, take hints and apply them. We are ultimately looking for people who will make good independent learners at Oxford.
Dr Richard Earl, Mathematics Tutor
Don’t try to give us the answers you think we want to hear: give us your answers. For us, it’s a good sign when someone says ‘I don’t know’ and sounds interested in what happens next, how they might find out, what other questions there might be. That suggests they would enjoy studying History here.
Dr Conrad Leyser, History Tutor