A competitive application is an application to a course that typically receives more applications than it has places to offer, for example most courses at Russell Group universities, as well as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and law courses.
In order to make a successful competitive application, yours needs to stand out from the crowd, and demonstrate what makes you the best fit for the course. Use the information and resources below to give yourself the best chance of receiving an offer from top universities.
For most UK Universities a competitive application is judged on your achieved or predicted grades, your personal statement, teacher references, and any contextual information provided through UCAS.
For applications to Oxford you may be required to take a subject-specific test and submit written work as part of your application. You will also be required to attend an interview as part of your application to the University. This page provides resources and links to help you with each of these criteria – and make sure that you are able to put together the strongest application (to Oxford or any other University).
For students expecting to make an application for entry in the 2026/27 academic year the format of personal statements will be changing. See here for further details: Personal statements for 2026 entry onwards | Undergraduate | UCAS. You will still be expected to to cover similar ground in your personal statement – covering how you have been prepared for university study, and your passion and enthusiasm for your degree course.
Beyond the Classroom
Super-Curricular Resources
We've created a bank of resources (as well as links to other colleges' resources) to help you learn more about your subject beyond what you learn in the classroom.
Not only are super-curriculars a great way to boost your application and make your personal statement stand out, they'll allow you to explore aspects of your favourite subject further and in more detail, and will be genuinely enjoyable in the process! Top tip: don't just do a super-curricular to boost your application; if you're not enjoying or not understanding that resource, try another one that does interest you – there are plenty out there!
Further reading, useful websites, Oxford-specific events and so much more!
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How to write...
Personal Statements
Prospective applicants need to have submitted their UCAS applications by mid-October (16th October for 2024-25 entry applications) and therefore need to have their personal statements ready by then.
There's no need to stress about your personal statement! Different things work for different people – some prefer to work on theirs in short but frequent bursts, whereas other prefer to sit down for a few extended periods of time. Typically, schools will recommend that students begin drafting their personal statements before the summer between Years 12 and 13, so here are some resources to help in the run up to the deadline.
See our OverviewPreparing for...
Admissions Tests
Many of the courses offered at Oxford use admissions tests as a part of their application processes. Typically these take place in October before the year of entry, and for applicants hoping to start university in September/October 2025, this year’s tests must be taken between 21st and 31st October 2024.
You can find out here whether the course you’re interested in requires an admissions test.
Click on the test(s) required for your subject – there are past papers, solutions and webinars for the different papers that you can use to practice. There are also a number of useful resources from across the Oxford Colleges and Departments you can use, for example:
- Jesus College’s YouTube channel also has some really useful resources for preparing for the TSA (Thinking Skills Assessment).
- The Maths Faculty has a number of videos to help you prepare, including this video on the MAT
- Several faculties are running online workshops for their admissions tests, so check their websites to find out how you can join
The testing process has changed for 2024 – you will now need to register with a Pearson VUE test centre free of charge between 15th August and 4th October. Admissions Tests will take place at a Pearson VUE centre between 21st-31st October. When registering, candidates will be able to request the access arrangements normally available to them in school. For more information please visit https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests
Submitting...
Written Work
Some subjects will require applicants to submit some written work, typically after admissions tests, and may act as a springboard for discussions during interviews, should the applicant be shortlisted and invited to interviews.
What needs to be submitted varies from subject to subject, and if you have any queries about what your application requires, click here, or ask the college to which you applied or were allocated.
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Preparing for...
Interviews
For many competitive applications, universities use interviews to help make decisions about which applicants should receive offers. the prospect of interviews can often be daunting, particularly for those who might not be used to the tutorial style or on-the-spot thinking and discussions, so our students have some tips to help.
Although interviews are the final hurdle in many application processes (in Oxford they take place in December), this does not mean that your performance in interviews is all that is used to make the final decision as to whether to offer you a place on the course – all applications are considered holistically, taking into account personal statements, teachers' references, contextual information, performance in admissions tests and written work as well.
The button below will take you to the University's official guidelines and advice on interviews, as well as the recently-updated demonstration interviews.
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