Oxford University Admissions 2026: Requirements, Application Deadlines & Fees

The University of Oxford has entrance tests like TSA, PAT, MAT and LNAT for different courses available here and Indian students are required to qualify for them to get admission here. 

Indian applicants should start preparing for these tests at least 4 to 5 months in advance.

These tests are typically conducted in late October or Early November, hence the students should start the prep in April. 

Yes, the Oxford University courses like Medicine, PPE and Law have earlier application deadlines. The important admissions test registration for all the applicants typically falls around Oct 15 each year.

Look at the admission deadlines given below -

• For the Oxford Medicine program, the students should take the UCAT which generally falls between Sep 7, 2026, and Sep 19, 2026. 
• And for Oxford Law programs, the LNAT is required to be taken and the registrations for the same stays open till Oct 15, 2026.

Yes, the October intake is the only main intake for both UG and PG courses at the University of Oxford.

Unlike other UK universities offering the January or May intakes for some of the courses, Oxford has a single cohort starting in late September or early Oct for almost all of its programs. 

International students who wish to study at Oxford University must apply for admission through UCAS application for Undergraduate admission. They can submit an online application through program website for graduate admission. Applicants can check below the steps to apply for admission at the university:

Step 1: Select your prefered course from Oxford courses and meet the course requirements.

Step 2: Explore the University of Oxford college and decide where you want ot study.

Step 3: Check the Oxford admission deadline and apply before it.

Step 4: Submit all the admission related documents.

Step 5: Pay non-refundable Oxford University application fee to submit the application.

Check the Steps to UK College Admissions

As an Indian students, applicants must meet the Oxford University requirement for admission in UG programs. Mentioned below are the grades for XII qualification, studied with either the CBSE (All-India SSC) or CISCE (ISC) boards -

For courses requiring A*A*A:

• For CBSE board: Grades A1 A2, with grade A1 in any subjects relevant to the course applied for.
• For CISCE board: Overall grade of at least 90%, with 95% or above in four subjects (including any relevant to the course applied for) and 85% or above in the fifth subject. 

For courses requiring A*AA:

• For CBSE board: Grades A1 A2, with grade A1 in any subjects relevant to the course applied for.
• For CISCE board: Overall grade of 90% or more, with grades of at least 95% or above in three subjects (including any relevant to the course applied for) and 85% or above in the other two subjects.

For courses requiring AAA:

• For CBSE board: Grades A1 A2, with grade A1 in any subjects relevant to the course applied for.
• For CISCE board: Overall grade of 90% or more, with grades of at least 95% or above in two subjects (including any relevant to the course applied for) and 85% or above in the other three subjects. 

Indian students who want to study at the University of Oxford should fulfill the program requirements which are given below - 

• A total score of 38, 39 or 40 points like core points, with 6s and 7s in subjects taken at the higher level.
• English Literature, or English Language and Literature to A-level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level.

Oxford University requirements for international students are given below:

Undergraduate Admission

All those Indian students who have a Class 12 qualification, studied with either the CBSE or CISCE boards are accepted, provided they have the following grades:

Note: State board examinations, NIOS Class 12 qualifications are not accepted

Graduate Admissions

Undergraduate Qualifications

If the graduate course at the University of Oxford requires a strong upper-second class undergraduate degree with honors in the UK system, the applicants must have either one of the below-given qualifications:

• A professional bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised institution with an overall grade of 60% for degrees granted by prestigious institutes (Example: Institutions of National Importance), or 70% for degrees awarded by other institutes; or a cumulative GPA of 3.3 out of 4.0; 5.0 out of 7.0; 6.0 out of 8.0 or 8.0 out of 10.0
• A standard bachelor’s degree (3 years) from a recognised institute with an overall grade of 65% for degrees awarded by prestigious institutes (Example: Institutions of National Importance), or 70% for degrees awarded by other institutes

Also, master’s degree holders from non-recognized institutes will also be eligible

If the graduate course at Oxford University requires a first-class undergraduate degree with honors in the UK system, the applicants must have either one of the below-given qualifications:

• A professional bachelor’s degree (4 years) from a recognised institution with an overall grade of 65% for degrees granted by prestigious institutes (Example: Institutions of National Importance), or 75% for degrees awarded by other institutes; or CGPA of 3.5 out of 4.0; 5.5 out of 7.0; 6.5 out of 8.0 or 8.5 out of 10.0
• A standard bachelor’s degree (3 years) from a recognised institute with an overall grade of 70% for degrees awarded by prestigious institutes (Example: Institutions of National Importance), or 75% for degrees awarded by other institutes

Master’s qualifications

If the graduate course at the University of Oxford requires a master’s degree in the UK system, then the applicants should have a master’s degree awarded by a recognised institute with an overall grade corresponding to the following:

• 55% for a pass grade in the UK system
• 60% for a merit grade in the UK system
• 70% for a distinction grade in the UK system

Students willing to avail themselves of the Rhodes scholarship must be of age between 18 to 23, or up to 27 and must submit all the required documents before the application ends. The last date to apply to the Rhode application has passed. Students must submit some mandatory documents and wait for the response. The shortlisted students will be expected to undergo a preliminary interview. The mandatory list is given below:

• Birth certificate or valid passport
• Academic transcripts
• Class 10 or 12-mark sheet
• CV
• Four-year formal study proof
• Headshot photograph

Yes, Oxford University offers full scholarships for international students, especially those aiming for postgraduate studies. They offer limited scholarships that cover both tuition fees and living costs. To get these scholarships, students must be eligible and must hold all the required documents. Some of the scholarships that cover 100% cost are listed below:

Yes, Oxford University accepts Indian students. In last three years, around 1,800 Indian students apply for Oxford admissions among which approximately 65 admitted in the UG program. Notable Indian alumni of the University of Oxford include:

• Indira Gandhi: Former Prime Minister of India
• Manmohan Singh: Former Prime Minister of India
• Amitav Ghosh: Writer
• Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi: Former Captain of the Indian Cricket team
• Vikram Seth: Writer

It may be difficult for international students to get admission at Oxford University because of its high acceptance rate. The Oxford University acceptance rate is around 22% for UG admission and 30% for PG admission according to the enrollment data for 2023. The high acceptance rate at Oxfrod makes admission very competitive for international students. 

The University of Oxford has a larger student body than all the Ivy Leagues.

In total, Oxford is known to admit around 26K students at UG and PG levels. For Harvard University, Yale University and Princeton, the total enrollments remain around 19K to 23K. 

Only Cornell stays neck to neck to Oxford with around 26K students each year.

Yes, the University of Oxford is considered highly selective. It terms of enrollment though, it is a mid-sized rather than a small university. 

Oxford is the federation of over 35 independent colleges so the community is quite big.

This is definitely not a small liberal arts college with a total enrollment of around 26,000 students at UG and PG levels.

Oxford University offers many scholarships for international students to manage their studies and other expenses. 

There are over 40 University of Oxford scholarships available to applicants as per their eligibility.

Look at the University of Oxford scholarships in the table below -