Application fee

Paying the application fee

The application fee is a standard charge, which supports the administration of the application process and the development and maintenance of the systems used in this process. It is also used to deliver our Graduate Access programmes, as part of the University’s commitment to increasing access to study at Oxford. This helps us to support applicants and potential applicants from all backgrounds, at every stage of their journey into graduate study at Oxford.

Application fee waivers are available to some groups of students. Details can be found in the Fee waivers section of this page tab.

The application fee is £75 per course application, unless you're eligible for an application fee waiver (please see the criteria on the next tab).

Recent UK and EU regulations require Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) by banks and card providers. This might require you to have access to a card-reader device, mobile app or phone at the point of making a payment. If you aren't sure whether this will affect your payment, we recommend that you submit your application as early as possible before the deadline. Paying the application fee is an essential part of submitting your application, and late applications won't be accepted for the deadline.

You must pay in GBP (£) via credit or debit card and your card will be charged as you submit your application. The following payment cards are accepted:

• Visa
• Visa Debit
• Mastercard

Your application fee can't be refunded, even if you later decide to withdraw your application. This payment doesn't go toward the course fees you'll need to pay if you're offered and accept a place at Oxford.

Your application won't be considered unless you have either paid the application fee or have been granted an application fee waiver. 

A friend or family member can make the payment on your behalf; see below for further instructions.

How can someone else pay the application fee on my behalf?

We recommend that you arrange for the payment to be made in your presence, to avoid having to share your account log-in details.

The payer will need to provide the following credit or debit card details in order for you to submit your application:

• cardholder name
• credit or debit card number and type
• expiry date
• 3-digit security code (found on the reverse beside the signature strip)
• billing address.

If it isn't possible for the payment to be made in your presence, we recommend that the payer makes the payment remotely via the University of Oxford's Online Store. Before they make the payment, you must provide them with the following details so that their payment is associated with the correct application:

• your surname
• your first name
• your date of birth
• the course to which you are applying.

The payer must click 'Add to Basket', then enter the above details and proceed to make payment. They'll receive an automated confirmation email after submitting the payment, which will contain an application fee order reference ('OXF' followed by seven digits) and information on how to submit the application. They should forward this email to you so that you may submit your application.

In the unlikely event they do not receive this email, they should provide the order reference to you, the applicant, and you should contact Graduate Admissions quoting this 'OXF' reference as the subject of your message. We'll then provide instructions on how to submit your application without needing to go through the payment screens.

Troubleshooting

I have a credit/debit card, but I'm unable to make a payment

If you're not able to submit your payment, check that you have completed all sections of the online application form correctly. If you see a red 'X' icon above any of the tabbed sections, return to the corresponding tab and make sure you have answered all mandatory questions in the required format before attempting to make your payment.

If all of the sections of the online application form have been completed correctly (as indicated by a blue 'tick' icon) and you're still unable to make a payment, we recommend taking the following steps:

• Use a Windows-based PC and the most up-to-date version of a browser such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox. Please note that it is not possible to make the payment using any version of Microsoft Internet Explorer.
• Disable any pop-up blockers, as these may interfere with the payment process.
• Make sure the payment details you're entering exactly match the details held by your card issuer, including personal details, billing address, card number, etc.
• Try to make the payment using an alternative PC at a different IP address. Occasionally, if there are multiple failed purchase attempts from the same IP address, this may cause subsequent attempts to be declined by the card issuer. This will also rule out any local IT issues that might be causing the payment issue.
• Ask the permission of a friend or relative to use their card details for the payment (see the instructions above).

If you've followed the above steps and continue to experience difficulties, please contact Graduate Admissions with further details and if possible screenshots of the issues you're experiencing, and we'll try to assist you.