Oxford University has today published its first Annual Admissions Statistical Report which sets out a detailed picture of our undergraduate admissions over the past five years. This report gives a great deal of information on who applies to study at Oxford and who is admitted. It pays particular attention to questions of diversity in the undergraduate body.

Several trends are evident in the report:

• Applications for undergraduate study at Oxford are at an all-time high, with an average of some six applicants per place
• The number of UK students from disadvantaged areas, and areas which have a poor track record of progression to higher education, is increasing rapidly
• The number of UK BME undergraduates is rising fast, up by a quarter in four years
• The University has either exceeded or is on track to meet all the targets it has been set by the access regulator

There is a lot of good news in the report, as well as evidence that there is still a great deal to do. A number of regions of the UK and some groups within society remain under-represented in our community and, notwithstanding the progress that has been made, the numbers of students in some categories remain small. The university and college are determined to make further progress through their outreach work, as well as partnerships with schools and other organisations.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Louise Richardson, comments “I hope the Annual Report will be widely read and that it will help to dispel some of the myths about Oxford admissions. This university is deeply committed to admitting the most talented students regardless of their background. It is heartening to see reflected in the report the impact of the progress we have made, and I hope we can all find in it the encouragement we need to maintain our focus on attracting the most exceptional students.”

Univ’s Senior Tutor, Dr Andrew Bell, adds “This report will be very helpful to students, teachers and parents who want to know more about the reality of undergraduate admissions at Oxford. The data made available today show Oxford to be a thriving and diverse academic community which is open to talented students of any and every background. We know that some groups are still under-represented here, and we want to work with them to support them in making competitive applications to the university and to the college.”

The full report is available at ox.ac.uk/adstats

Dr Andrew Bell was interviewed on BBC South Today (item starts at 02:33, available to BBC subscribers only).

Published: 23 May 2018

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