Final Decision
Oxford University tries to send out all of its letters of decision to arrive before Christmas, but this is not always possible because of the Christmas post, and offers can still be made up to the end of January. You should also be able to receive this information via the tracking option on the UCAS website. The letter will take one of several forms:
- No Offer - Sadly, you have not been made the offer of a place at Oxford for the coming year. Try to put your experience in Oxford behind you and think of it as a worthwhile few days. Colleges receive around three well-qualified applicants per place, so on average two-thirds of those interviewed cannot be offered a place (more in the popular subjects). Oxford University does not believe that it is the only institution at which you can gain an excellent education (and have lots of fun) - and nor should you.
- Conditional Offer - This indicates that you have been offered a place at Oxford, either by your College of application or by one of the other Colleges - the letter will identify this. It will also identify whether the place is for the coming academic year, or for deferred entry. The offer will usually be conditional on A-Level (or equivalent) grades of AAA or AAB - Congratulations, and good luck in your exams!
- Unconditional Offer - This indicates that you have been awarded a place at Oxford with no further conditions attached. These are awarded usually only in the case of people who have already completed their qualifications and for mature students. Congratulations!
- Open Offer - Several subjects, including Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Classics, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, Modern Languages and Physics have, during the last two or three years, adopted schemes for making open offers of places at Oxford. These offers are made in December on an inter-collegiate basis. They guarantee successful candidates a place at Oxford, provided they meet the conditions of any offer, but the student's college is not determined until after publication of A-level results. Congratulations!
Once you have received the results from all the institutions you applied to, you should accept or decline the offer in the normal way, through the UCAS website. After the A-Level results are published in August, you will receive a letter of confirmation from your College and information on what to expect, what to bring with you and when to come. Well Done!
If you do not quite achieve the grades required in your A-Levels to satisfy your conditional offer, particularly if you were ill or under some sort of stress, you should ring the College and explain this to them - see Contacts.
