After you apply to UNIQ+
What happens next?
After you submit your application, we'll check that you meet our eligibility criteria and that your application is complete. Applications that are complete and eligible will be shared with our academic assessors for consideration.
Checking that your application is eligible and complete
When you submit your application, we will check that your documents meet our requirements and that you meet our eligibility criteria. You will not be able to make further changes to your application, however you will still be able login to read your submitted application while it is being checked or assessed.
If we consider that you are ineligible or if your application is missing required documents or documents have been received after the deadline, your application will not be considered and you will be informed accordingly.
If your application is eligible, it will then be shared with academic assessors for consideration. We’ll let you know by email that your application has been sent to our assessors.
You are responsible for making sure that all required documents, including your reference, are submitted by the deadline and meet the University’s requirements. If your application is submitted late, or it is incomplete or ineligible, it will not be put forward for assessment.
We anticipate that most applicants will be notified by mid-March whether or not their application has been shared with our academic assessors.
Assessment of your application
If your application is eligible, it will be reviewed by our academic assessors and project supervisors. They will consider the quality of your previous academic excellence and future potential, on your own merit and in comparison with the applications received from other candidates. You would usually be on track to achieve or have achieved a final undergraduate degree grade of a strong 2:1 or First, in a subject area related to the listed projects that you are interested in.
In addition to academic merit and your potential to do research in the relevant field, selection for UNIQ+ will take account of the following information which is collected via your application form and personal statement:
- socio-economic information including financial circumstances;
- any relevant contextual information;
- when choosing between candidates of equal merit, preference may be given to:
- female candidates in certain subject areas where women are underrepresented (Computer Science, Engineering Science and Statistics);
- candidates who are of Black or Mixed Black, Bangladeshi or Mixed Bangladeshi, or Pakistani or Mixed Pakistani ethnicity, or a member of the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller, Showman or Boater Communities because these groups are underrepresented in postgraduate education at the University of Oxford;
- candidates who fulfil more than one of the eligibility criteria;
- candidates who studied for their undergraduate degrees at UK institutions outside of the Russell Group; and
- those in the middle years of their course who have not yet experienced a substantial period of research.
We receive many more applications than we can offer places, so it is important that you take care over your application to best illustrate your academic achievement and future potential, to ensure that you provide accurate information and to show you meet the eligibility criteria for the programme. You should also ensure you demonstrate why the programme will be of benefit to you following the guidance provided in this application guide.
We do not conduct any interviews for UNIQ+.
Contextual data
We know that factors such as socio-economic disadvantage and school performance can make it difficult for students to demonstrate their full potential. Therefore, we use a range of contextual data to help us to better understand students’ achievements in the context of their individual background.
For UNIQ+, we look at:
- your financial information;
- whether you are the first generation in your family to go to university;
- information about your school;
- information about your neighbourhood; and
- your experience of the care system, or being a carer; of homelessness; of being a refugee; or of being estranged; and
- whether you belong to an ethnic group under-represented at Oxford.
This information helps us to understand more about your particular circumstances. Applicants from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will be more likely to be considered for UNIQ+ provided that they also meet our academic criteria.
Notifying you of the outcome
We expect to make final decisions during April 2024, and notify candidates of the outcome of their application by email by the end of April. Please ensure that your email address is kept up to date and if you are concerned that you have not heard from us, please check your junk/spam email folder before contacting us.
Successful applications
If you are successful, we will try to match your interests to available projects and supervisors. We will also match you to funding on the basis of your interests, project/supervisor availability, and closest match with the eligibility criteria, in order to maximise the number of places we can offer.
Please note that we will not always be able to meet your preferences for a project/supervisor, but we will try our best to do this wherever possible. Only projects that are matched to successful applicants will run this year.
You will receive an email and offer letter that will confirm your source of funding. It will also include what you will need to do next and information on how to prepare for your research placement.
If your application is successful, you will be required to arrange for a final and/or official transcript to be sent directly from the institution or accredited e-transcript provider or to post a hard copy of your original transcript. Your institution may need several weeks to produce your transcript, so you should look into your institution's arrangements as soon as possible.
Unsuccessful applications
If your application is unsuccessful, you will receive an email notifying you of the decision.
If you are not successful, you might be placed on a waiting list – if so, we will let you know when you can expect to hear whether you have been offered a place.