About the University

Undergraduate admissions statistics: School type

Introduction

For 2012 entry, of UK students attending maintained or independent schools or colleges in the UK, 57.5% of places went to applicants from the state (maintained) sector and 42.5% to applicants from the independent sector:

UK domiciled applications and acceptances by maintained (ie state) and independent sector (as percentages):

 Applications 2012Acceptances 2012
Total (%) Total (%)
Maintained sector 63.1 57.5
Independent 36.9 42.5
TOTAL 100.0 100.0

 

For all candidates, 47.0% of places went to those from the state (maintained) sector, 37.5% to the independent sector, and 15.6% to ‘other’ (e.g. individual applicants and those applying from overseas).

All domiciles
 Applications 2012Acceptances 2012
Total (%) Total (%)
Maintained sector 42.5 47.0
Independent 28.1 37.5
Other 29.4 15.6
TOTAL 100.0 100.0
Back to top

Statistics on the national context for Oxford’s application numbers

  • Nationally, although independent schools educate just 7% of the total UK school population, they account for 15% of all A-level entries, 30%  of all A grades, and 33% of all those getting AAA.
    [Source: Harris report]
  • On average for 2010, 17.5% of state school students getting AAA or better (excluding General Studies) applied for courses Oxford doesn’t offer.
    [Source: UCAS]
Back to top

Additional statistics on Oxford’s acceptance numbers

  • State applicants’ success rate is affected by subject choice: UK domiciled state school students apply disproportionately for the most oversubscribed subjects. On average, 35% of UK domiciled state school applications between 2010 and 2012 were for the five most oversubscribed subjects at Oxford. This compared to just 29% of independent school applications. (The five most oversubscribed subjects, based on the course with over 70 places with the highest applicant to places ratio between 2010 and 2012, were: Economics & Management, Medicine, PPE, Maths, and Law)
  • State students also apply in disproportionately low numbers for the least oversubscribed subjects: 18% of UK domiciled independent school applications between 2010 and 2012 were for Oxford’s five least oversubscribed subjects, compared to just 13% of all state school applications. (The five least oversubscribed subjects, based on the courses with over 70 places with the lowest applicant to places ratio between 2010 and 2012, were: Classics, Chemistry, Modern Languages, Biological Sciences, and Biochemistry)
Back to top

More detailed breakdowns by school type

UK domiciled applications and acceptances by type of school/college in detail, 2012 entry

  Applications 2012Acceptances 2012
Total % Total %
Comprehensive 3,359 28.4 703 26.1
Grammar 1,948 16.5 495 18.4
Sixth-form colleges 1,331 11.2 232 8.6
FE Institutions 1 424 3.6 51 1.9
Other maintained 2 117 1.0 29 1.1
Maintained sector 7,179 60.7 1,510 56.0
Independent 4,200 35.5 1,118 41.5
Other UK Institutions 3 47 0.4 6 0.2
Overseas Schools 56 0.5 7 0.3
Individuals 350 3.0 54 2.0
All other category 453 3.8 67 2.5
TOTAL 11,832 100.0 2,695 100.0

All domiciles: applications and acceptances by type of school/college in detail

  Applications 2012 Acceptances 2012
  Total % Total %
Comprehensive 3,382 19.6 707 21.9
Grammar 1,954 11.3 496 15.3
Sixth-form colleges 1,363 7.9 234 7.2
FE Institutions 1 480 2.8 53 1.6
Other maintained 2 140 0.8 29 0.9
Maintained sector 7,319 42.5 1,519 47.0
Independent 4,853 28.1 1,211 37.5
Other UK Institutions 3 63
 0.4 8 0.2
Overseas Schools 1,855 10.8 227
 7.0
Individuals 3,151 18.3 268 8.3
All other category 5,069 29.4 503 15.6
TOTAL 17,241 100.0 3,233 100.0

Equivalent table from last year, for comparison:

  Applications 2011 Acceptances 2011
  Total % Total %
Comprehensive 3,437 19.8 653 20.5
Grammar 2,036 11.7 490 15.4
Sixth-form colleges 1,434 8.3 265 8.3
FE Institutions 1 527 3.0 77
 2.4
Other maintained 2 189 1.1 31 1.0
Maintained sector 7,623 44.0 1,516 47.6
Independent 4,818 27.8 1,188 37.3
Other UK Institutions 3 60 0.3 10 0.3
Overseas Schools 1,737 10.0 191 6.0
Individuals 3,105 17.9 281 8.8
All other category 4,902 28.3 482 15.1
TOTAL 17,343 100.0 3,186 100.0
Back to top
  1. FE Institutions comprise tertiary colleges and all types of further education colleges.
  2. ‘Other maintained’ comprises other secondary schools, special schools and city technology colleges.
  3. ‘Other UK Institutions’ mainly comprises language schools and HE Institutions, but also includes a few other UK institutions that are not classified as either maintained or independent.
Back to top

Table showing success rates (the percentage of all applicants that are accepted) by school type

Success rate by type of school/college: all domiciles

  Success rate 2012 Success rate 2011
All (%) All (%)
Comprehensive 20.9 19.0
Grammar 25.4 24.1
Sixth-form colleges 17.2 18.5
FE Institutions 11.0
14.6
Other maintained 20.7
16.4
Maintained sector 20.8
19.9
Independent 25.0
24.7
Other UK Institutions 12.7
16.7
Overseas Schools 12.2
11.0
Individuals 8.5
9.0
All other category 9.9
9.8
Total 18.8 18.4
Back to top

Courses and school type

The table below shows, for each course, applications and acceptances by school type. It also shows success rates by course and by school type.

The figures are given as three-year averages, because numbers vary from year to year, so a single year can give a misleading picture.

The table gives figures for applicants of all domiciles.

Three-year average of applications and acceptances by course and type of school/college, 2010–12: all domiciles

  Maintained Independent Others
App Acc Success rate (%) App Acc Success rate (%) App Acc Success rate (%)
Arts  
Ancient & Modern History 36 8 21.3 32 8 25.3 10 1 13.8
Archaeology and Anthropology 30 8 25.8 30 11 35.2 32 6 19.8
Classical Archaeology & Ancient History 41 11 27.6 35 7 19.2 16 2 14.9
Classics 71 28 39.3 194 86 44.4 40 8 20.2
Classics & English 13 2 15.8 13 3 25.6 7 1 9.1
Classics & Modern Languages 7 2 30.0 22 7 30.8 6 1 11.8
Computer Science & Philosophy $ 4 3 75.0 7 2 28.6 15 3 20.0
Economics & Management 289 33 11.3 306 39 12.9 526 19 3.5
English 664 119 18.0 412 95 23.0 167 16 9.6
English & Modern Languages 84 10 11.6 41 9 22.0 33 2 5.1
European & Middle Eastern Languages 20 5 24.6 20 7 32.8 8 1 8.3
Fine Art 88 10 11.7 42 6 14.2 44 7 15.2
Geography 175 39 22.5 175 40 22.8 33 5 15.3
History 505 124 24.5 410 91 22.3 88 12 13.6
History & Economics 23 6 25.0 26 6 24.1 33 2 5.1
History & English 48 6 11.7 13 3 25.0 24 2 8.2
History & Modern Languages 57 10 16.9 30 7 22.2 11 1 6.3
History & Politics 151 26 17.4 74 12 16.1 95 8 8.4
History of Art 32 5 16.5 42 8 18.3 33 1 3.0
Law 537 90 16.7 228 51 22.2 456 53 11.7
Law/LSE 119 16 13.4 56 8 14.9 132 5 3.8
Mathematics & Philosophy 42 6 13.5 28 8 27.4 27 4 13.8
Modern Languages 263 79 29.9 265 88 33.0 49 11 23.1
Modern Languages & Linguistics 34 12 34.7 24 7 27.8 15 3 20.0
Music 106 32 30.6 91 34 37.0 23 3 14.3
Oriental Studies 57 16 27.3 44 16 36.6 52 9 17.8
Philosophy & Modern Languages 25 6 24.0 29 4 15.1 23 7 30.0
Philosophy & Theology 35 9 25.0 42 10 24.8 15 4 28.9
PPE 493 99 20.0 390 87 22.2 806 63 7.9
Physics & Philosophy 44 7 15.8 35 6 18.3 43 7 15.6
Theology 43 14 33.3 53 21 39.2 12 4 30.6
Theology & Oriental Studies 2 0 16.7 1 1 100.0 4 0 8.3
TOTAL ARTS 4,138 839 20.3 3,210 787 24.5 2,878 271 9.4
SCIENCES  
Biochemistry 171 51 29.9 87 29 33.8 111 14 12.3
Biological Sciences 190 57 30.2 115 39 34.1 85 9 10.5
Biomedical Sciences $$ 100 14 14.0 46 12 26.1 63 6 9.6
Chemistry 303 98 32.4 160 67 42.2 97 18 18.8
Computer Science 78 14 17.4 21 3 12.9 47 6 13.6
Earth Sciences 82 26 32.0 33 6 19.0 25 2 7.9
Engineering Science 239 60 25.3 212 64 30.0 297 30 10.0
Engineering Economics and Management 12 1 8.3 14 3 18.6 94 6 6.4
Experimental Psychology 140 26 18.8 81 19 23.6 66 9 13.2
Human Sciences 39 11 29.1 41 8 19.7 56 8 13.6
Materials Science and MEM 30 12 41.1 39 15 37.9 53 5 9.5
Mathematics 660 95 14.4 243 49 20.3 140 28 20.0
Mathematics & Computer Science 47 11 23.2 18 7 37.7 38 6 15.9
Mathematics & Statistics 50 4 7.3 48 5 9.8 90 12 13.3
Medicine 694 85 12.2 380 62 16.3 416 7 1.6
Physics 551 94 17.1 201 49 24.3 132 22 17.0
Psychology & Philosophy * 49 6 12.9 28 7 25.9 62 8 13.0
TOTAL SCIENCES 3,434 667 19.4 1,765 444 25.1 1,872 195 10.4
TOTAL 7,572 1,506 19.9 4,975 1,230 24.7 4,750 466 9.8

The figures for applications and acceptances are given to the nearest whole number. However, success rates have been calculated using non-rounded figures.

$ New course so data from one year only.

$$ New course in 2011 so data for two years only.

* Data from previous years includes Physiology & Psychology and Physiology & Philosophy applicants.

Back to top

Colleges and school type

The table below shows, for each college,
a) The percentage of applications to that college which came from the maintained (state) sector out of all applications from the maintained and independent sector; and
b) The percentage of acceptances by that college that went to maintained sector out of all offers to the maintained and independent sector.

Three-year averages are also given because proportions vary from year to year, so a single year can give a misleading picture.

The table gives figures for UK-domiciled applicants only.

UK domiciled applications and acceptances by college

  Applications and acceptances for 2012 Three-year average of applications and acceptances 2010–12
  Applications from maintained (%) Acceptances for maintained (%) Applications from maintained (%) Acceptances for maintained (%)
Balliol 69.0 62.5 70.0 62.7
Brasenose 56.2 49.0 54.4 50.7
Christ Church 63.5 49.5 63.5 50.5
Corpus Christi 67.7 60.3 66.5 57.5
Exeter 50.4 57.1 53.3 53.8
Harris Manchester1 90.0 75.0 79.1 60.0
Hertford 66.4 63.1 68.9 62.7
Jesus 68.3 60.5 70.0 57.1
Keble 63.2 50.4 63.9 51.7
Lady Margaret Hall 64.1 55.9 61.9 52.0
Lincoln 64.3 62.5 61.6 59.7
Magdalen 69.7 64.7 67.0 61.4
Mansfield 82.0 84.7 80.7 78.0
Merton 70.8 59.5 72.1 65.1
New 57.1 46.2 57.4 48.4
Oriel 57.1 62.7 58.3 59.8
Pembroke 47.7 40.7 48.9 46.7
Queen's 54.0 55.7 56.5 55.0
Somerville 63.5 59.8 65.5 59.7
St Anne's 71.3 63.1 68.9 61.0
St Catherine's 66.1 59.1 65.8 58.8
St Edmund Hall 51.6 54.3 53.7 55.1
St Hilda's 70.8 51.5 71.0 55.3
St Hugh's 69.8 50.5 69.6 55.4
St John's 73.6 52.5 72.2 55.0
St Peter's 52.5 56.5 55.1 52.2
Trinity 50.6 53.7 52.6 50.0
University 60.5 56.0 62.3 54.8
Wadham 69.4 64.8 71.2 64.6
Worcester 61.8 67.0 60.7 63.2
Average 63.1 57.5 63.3 56.9
  1. For mature students, aged 21 or over

 

> See also: College choice

Related pages