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Admissions » Applying

Applying

Oxford seeks to attract the best and brightest applicants irrespective of background. We encourage and welcome applications from all kinds of candidates, whatever their age, nationality or schooling. There is no such thing as an ‘Oxford type’: the only two essential criteria are a dedication to and passion for your subject, and a dedication to learning. If you think you meet these criteria, then we are interested in you, and you should seriously be considering applying to us!

All candidates wishing to apply for an undergraduate place at Oxford must submit a UCAS application online. UCAS is the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, the central organisation that processes all applications for entry to higher education in the UK. Applications for places commencing in 2011 have now closed. The next round of applications via UCAS for undergraduate places in 2012, or deferred entry places in 2013, takes place between 1 September and 15 October 2011.



For further details about the application procedure, including how to choose a course and a college, please refer to the Undergraduate Admissions pages of the University website.

The majority of Music applicants are called for interview in December. You will be invited to stay in Oxford for two or three days. You will also be invited to submit a couple of examples of marked essays in advance. If you are studying harmony and counterpoint, or if you are a composer, then you will also be invited to submit examples of this work for us to see. Once in Oxford you will attend a minimum of two interviews, and you will be asked to play on your first instrument or sing.

As part of admissions you will be asked to take part in a practical test. Here are the details of the arrangements for Practical Tests which will take place in December 2011.

Music Shortlisting Criteria

Candidates will normally be invited for interview unless the first-choice college believes beyond reasonable doubt that the candidate would find the Oxford Music course too demanding and too difficult for it to be of value to them.

Shortlisting decisions are normally based on some, or all, of the following criteria:

  • results in GCSE and/or equivalent examinations,
  • predicted results for A Level and/or other impending examinations,
  • results at A Level and/or equivalent examinations if an application is made after A-Level or equivalent examinations,
  • school report and submitted written work
  • interest in the subject in the candidate's application.

It should also be noted that the standard offer made to candidates is AAA at A2 Level with an A in Music: if a candidate is predicted, or has been awarded, grades lower than AAA, that will under normal circumstances constitute grounds for not inviting a candidate to interview in itself. The college of preference (or allocated college in the case of open applicants) will consult other colleges and will only take the decision not to interview an applicant if all colleges agree. All decisions are reviewed by the Music Faculty Admissions Officer to ensure consistency of standards and procedure across the gathered field. However, requests for feedback about individual decisions should normally be directed towards the first-choice college.
If we decide to offer you a place and you already have appropriate passes at A-level (or equivalent), then we normally make you an unconditional offer of a place.

This all might sound rather daunting, but it should not put you off! Most people who come here for interview – whether or not they are offered a place – say how much they enjoyed the experience. We try to make it as comfortable for you as we can.

So, find out more. Read our prospectuses. Come to the next Faculty Open Day (6th and 7th July 2011) or attend a college Open Day. Check out the admissions pages of the University website. And if you are at all interested in what we have to offer, then put in an application. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

iF YOU HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS DO HAVE A LOOK AT OUR FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ON HOW TO APPLY

Graduate applicants for the degrees of M.St., M.Phil. and D.Phil. should go to the main University website for full details of the application procedure.

Admissions Enquiries and General Course Information

Alec Sims, Academic Administrator
Tel: +44 (0)1865 286264
Email: academic.admin@music.ox.ac.uk