Outcomes of your application
If you have submitted a complete application in time for the deadline, comprising all required supporting materials and payment of the application fee, the relevant department will assess your application.
You may be called for interview. Your department may want to conduct this with you by phone or in person. The department will contact you directly to arrange this if it is necessary.
Your department will send you a letter, usually via e-mail, to let you know the outcome of your application. Please contact the department directly if you require details of their notification arrangements.
If you have been successful, the letter will make you an offer and these sometimes have academic conditions attached. The department will ask whether you wish to accept the offer they have made to you and they will give you a deadline for your response and a deadline by which you will need to fulfil any conditions of your offer.
If your application is unsuccessful you will also receive a letter informing you of this. Due to the volume of applications the University receive, it is not possible to provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.
In some cases the department may feel that you performed well against the selection criteria for the programme, but they wish to evaluate your application against those received in the next deadline. In this instance they will consider your application as part of the next deadline and you will receive a letter to inform you that your application will be re-evaluated.
If a department feels that you have performed well against the selection criteria for the programme but there are no more places available, they may place you on a waiting list. You will receive a letter to inform you of this, in case any additional places do become available.
If you are successful, you will then receive an offer from a college or hall - unless you have received an offer for non-matriculated programme of study, which does not require a college place. The college offer will include financial conditions that you will need to meet. When you complete your Financial Declaration, you will be asked to:
- Show that you have sufficient funding to cover the University and College fees for Year 1 of your course, by providing financial evidence such as a letter from your scholarship sponsor or your bank
- Give your assurance that you are able and willing to meet all University and College fees beyond Year 1, if the duration of your course is longer than a year (no financial evidence is required)
- Give your assurance that you are able and willing to meet your living costs for the duration of your course (no financial evidence is required)
Timetable for Admissions Decisions
| Application Deadline | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Date | Friday 22 November 2013 | Friday 10 January 2014 or Friday 24 January 2014 | Friday 14 March 2014 |
| Notification of application outcome from department | Late January onwards | Late March onwards | Mid-May onwards |
| Expected notification of college placement* | Approx. 8-10 weeks following departmental decision | ||
*For successful applicants only. Timescale is for guidance only; in some cases, placement may take longer.
All decisions are communicated in writing from the department or college, usually by e-mail; please note that the Graduate Admissions Office is not permitted to disclose the outcome of your application.
Occasionally applicants may hear from the department or college before the times given above. Please contact the department directly if you require details of their notification arrangements.
Once you have met all your conditions you will be sent a confirmed offer letter, usually via e-mail, and you will be required to sign and return the University Student Contract. For more information on the legal process, please see our page on Legal information.
Your department and college will also send you all the information you need ready for your arrival in Oxford. For further information regarding this stage of the admissions process, please see our page on Accepting your offer.
Other resources
If you are awaiting the outcome of your application, or if you receive an offer from the University, you may wish to use the prospectus to explore the facilities and services the University, its departments and colleges have to offer. Our About the University section is a good starting point for prospective students and includes information about accommodation options, the University's libraries and academic resources, and the many student groups and activities available including music, sport and drama. |