Decision timeline
This is our guide to the assessment process, including department, college and funding decisions.
Completing your application
Once you have submitted your application and it has been processed by the Graduate Admissions Office, you will be able to log in to access Graduate Applicant Self Service. You can use self-service to edit and replace your referees, track your application status, view your application and upload any missing documents.
Look out for our automated emails to let you know when each reference is submitted. Check self-service regularly and stay in contact with your referees to make sure all documents have been sent in by the deadline.
Once we have everything we need for your application to be ready for assessment, we will let you know by email and in your self-service.
topAcademic assessment
Depending on your course, you may be interviewed (usually via video call or in-person). Check whether applicants to your course are usually interviewed in the entry requirements on your course page, under ‘Performance at interview’.
You will usually receive the outcome of your application from your academic department about 8 to 10 weeks after the application deadline.
If you are successful, you will receive an email to notify you of this and the department’s certificate of offer will be available to you to download via self-service. It will set out the steps you need to take to become a student at the University. It will give details of any conditions on your offer and how to respond to your offer, including any deposit required to secure your place.
For a list of courses that require a deposit, see our Deposits webpage. If your course requires a deposit this will also be confirmed on your course page.
topFunding and scholarships
Funding for graduate courses is competitive, but the University of Oxford offers a number of full or partial graduate scholarships. For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.
When will you be notified of your scholarship?
Most Oxford scholarships are awarded between late February and June – for example, Clarendon Fund offers are usually sent out by early April. You can find notification dates via the Fees, Funding and Scholarship A-Z listing.
An offer of funding can be made along with your departmental or college offer, or separately at any time afterwards.
The University only notifies successful scholarship applicants and offers are usually sent by email.
Competition is very strong but the University expects to be able to offer over 1,100 full or partial graduate scholarships for new students starting in 2026-27.
topYour college place
College membership is a special part of Oxford’s student experience. There are 43 colleges (including those designated as societies and permanent private halls) around the city.
If you are applying to a course with college membership and have been accepted by the academic department, you are guaranteed a college place. You can see whether there are colleges associated with your course on your course page.
The process of college placement will begin automatically once your academic department accepts you, and you do not need to contact colleges yourself.
When will I find out which college I will be a member of?
You will usually find out which college will be part of your offer around 8 to 10 weeks after receiving your offer from the academic department. Once you are accepted by a college, you will not be considered by any other colleges. Your college will ask you to complete a Financial Declaration to confirm that you have enough funding to undertake your course.
Tracking your college place
If you have been accepted on a course with college membership, and accepted by a college, you will be notified directly by that college by email. College decisions will not be displayed in Graduate Applicant Self Service.
If you stated a preference for a particular college in your application and that college is not able to accept you then you will be notified as early as possible, often around 4 to 6 weeks after the departmental decision date, and you will be automatically considered by other colleges.
More information on the progress of individual applications through college placement is not available before a final college offer is made and further college preferences cannot be taken into account, so please wait until you are contacted by your accepting college.
If you have queries about the college system in general, please contact Graduate Admissions.
College scholarships
Many colleges offer their own scholarships. For the majority of college scholarships, it doesn’t matter which college, if any, you state a preference for in your application. If another college is able to offer you a scholarship, your application can be moved to that college if you accept the scholarship. Some college scholarships may require you to state a preference for that college when you apply, so check the eligibility requirements carefully.
Finding out more about your college
Once you have a college place, you may want to find out more about what your college has to offer. There is a detailed summary of each college, including links to college websites and contact details, in our Colleges section.
topFinalising your offer
Once you have met all the conditions of your offer, you will be sent a final Completion of Conditions letter with a form to return that confirms that you intend to enrol at Oxford.
If you need a student visa for your course, the process can start after you have received your Completion of Conditions.
topFrequently asked questions
We understand that waiting for the outcome of your application can be a tense and difficult time. Below are answers to some of our most common questions, which you might find helpful while you wait for the outcome of your application.
How do I know if my graduate application has been received?
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming that your application has been successfully submitted. This email will only acknowledge receipt of your application: it does not confirm that your application arrived in time for a particular deadline, nor that you have submitted all of the required documents for your application for it to be assessed by the department.
It is your responsibility to ensure that you submit your application and all of the required supporting documents, and make sure that your referees have submitted their references, by the relevant deadline.
After you have submitted your application, you will have access to Graduate Applicant Self-Service, where you can check whether your application has fulfilled all of the requirements for it to be assessed, including the status of your references.
What happens to my graduate application once it has been submitted?
After submitting your application, you will receive a confirmation email. Your application will be processed by the Graduate Admissions Office. Processing is usually completed within a few working days but it may take longer around the application deadlines.
Within a few days of submitting your application, you can access Graduate Applicant Self-Service and check whether your application has fulfilled all of the requirements for it to be assessed (including the status of your references).
If your application includes all of the required documents in the correct format, the department will assess it and communicate the outcome to you directly within 8-10 weeks of the relevant deadline under which you applied. If you have not heard back from the department 10 weeks after the relevant deadline, please contact them directly using the contact details on the course page.
How can I check if my graduate application is ready for assessment?
You can check whether your application is complete and ready for assessment using Graduate Applicant Self-Service. This platform becomes available within a few days of your application being submitted.
If you submit your application at least one week before the deadline, we will try to let you know whether your application is ready for assessment within one week of you submitting the application.
It is your responsibility to ensure that all necessary documents, including references in support of your application, are received by the deadline, which falls at 12:00 noon (ie midday) UK time.
If you submit your application in the week leading up to the deadline, it is very unlikely that we will be able to check your application and inform you whether your application is ready for assessment, or to assist you with any queries. During the week leading up to the deadline and the two weeks following the deadline, we will be unable to let you know if we have received your references or documents sent by post and email, as this is not clear to us until we have finished processing the high volume of applications and documents we receive. Once we have processed all the applications and documents, we will let you know the status of your application.
You can also find further information about how your application is assessed.
How can I check the status or progress of my graduate application?
After you have submitted your application, you will have access to Graduate Applicant Self-Service, where you can check whether your application has fulfilled all of the requirements for it to be assessed, including the status of your references.
When the academic department has made a decision, you will receive the outcome by email and the outcome will also be available in Self-Service.
We understand that you want to know information on the progress on your application as early as possible, and the University will keep you updated by email throughout the admissions process.
When will I hear the outcome of my graduate application?
If you submitted your application correctly (including all required supporting documents and at least two references), a decision will be sent to you via email and your Self-Service portal 8-10 weeks after the application deadline.
If you have not heard back from the department 10 weeks after the relevant deadline, please contact them directly using the contact details on the course page.
Decisions are made and communicated by the academic department. Graduate Admissions will not be able to tell you the outcome of your application.
If you receive an offer of a place, the Self-Service portal is not used to communicate college or funding decisions - these will be sent via email only.
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