The University of Oxford 

The University of Oxford was the first university in the English-speaking world and remains at the forefront of centers of learning, teaching and research.  Students from more than 140 countries and territories make up a student population of over 23,000, including 11,747 undergraduates and 11,687 postgraduates.

More than half of undergraduates are studying for degrees in the humanities and social sciences, and 44 per cent in the medical, mathematical, physical and life sciences. The remainder are studying for undergraduate-level diplomas and certificates offered by the Department for Continuing Education.

Oxford was ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021. It offers more than 350 different graduate degree programmes. Five percent of all the UK’s graduate research students are studying at Oxford University, and according to the Research Excellence Framework, the official UK-wide assessment of all university research, Oxford has the largest volume of world-leading research in the country.

The tutorial is at the core of undergraduate teaching and learning at Oxford. It offers students a unique learning experience in which they meet regularly with their tutor, either on a one-to-one basis or with one or two other students.  Undergraduates attend, on average, one hour-long tutorial every week and undertake a considerable number of hours’ preparatory work for each tutorial, including background reading, essay-writing and problem-solving.

The university has 38 independent and self-governing colleges, and 6 permanent private halls. The collegiate system is at the heart of the university’s success, giving students and academics the benefits of belonging to both a large, internationally renowned institution and to a small, interdisciplinary academic community.  Colleges bring together leading academics and students across subjects and year groups, and from different cultures and countries.  All colleges accept both men and women. The university’s oldest colleges are Balliol College, University College and Merton College, all of which were established by the 13th century.

Oxford’s academic staff come from almost 100 different countries and territories. The largest groups of international academic staff are from the USA, Germany, Italy, China, Australia, France, Ireland, India and Canada. The university, including the colleges and Oxford University Press, is the largest employer in Oxfordshire, supporting around 17,000 jobs and injecting more than £750 million annually into the regional economy.

Other Oxford University Awards and Rankings

• Oxford was ranked first in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
• There are more than 25,000 students at Oxford, including 12,510 undergraduates and 13,044 postgraduates.
• Entry to undergraduate courses at Oxford continues to be very competitive: there are usually only around 3,300 places, and over 23,000 people applied to start in 2020.
• The majority of Oxford’s UK undergraduates come from state schools. For 2020 entry, over 69% of UK offers went to students from the state sector.
• Oxford offers more than 350 postgraduate programmes.
  For 2020/21 entry, over 34,500 applications were received for some 6,675 postgraduate places.
• International students make up almost 45% of our total student body – around 11,500 students. Students come to Oxford from more than 160 countries and territories.
• According to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, the official UK-wide assessment of all university research, Oxford has the largest volume of world-leading research in the UK.
• The University of Oxford contributes around £15.7 billion to the UK economy, and supports more than 28,000 full time jobs (2018/19). Find out more here.

The information above is provided by the University of Oxford.