The Richard Doll building against a blue sky
The Richard Doll building, housing many of the University's research laboratories, offices and support spaces for the Medical Sciences Division
(Image credit: Rob Judges / Oxford University Images)

Initiatives to improve access to graduate study

A number of departments have initiated pilot initiatives to improve postgraduate access for under-represented and socio-economically disadvantaged groups at the University of Oxford.

If activities are being undertaken, the Entry Requirements section of the course page will provide details of the specific actions under an 'Initiatives to improve access to graduate study' heading. You do not need to refer to this page if the course you are applying to is not participating in these initiatives.

The pilots aim specifically at better contextualising the admissions procedure for graduate applicants, in order to improve the fairness of the assessment and selection process, and minimise conscious and unconscious bias. The initiatives being undertaken are described on this page and vary between departments and in some cases between courses offered by the same department.

These initiatives apply only to the course selection procedure. The college selection procedure has not been amended and will be undertaken in the same way for all graduate courses.

Collection of socio-economic data

The action described below is not undertaken for all graduate courses. Please consult the Entry Requirements section of the relevant course page to find out if this initiative is carried out for the course you are applying to.

The University currently collects a range of socio-economic data from candidates who apply for graduate study. Where provided by candidates, this information is used for research purposes, to understand the demographics of those applying and of those who are offered places.

It is also used by the courses taking part in this initiative to better understand the context of your achievements and the challenges that you might have faced in your education to date. This data may be used at several stages in the assessment and selection process.

Contextual statement form

The action described below is not undertaken for all graduate courses. Please consult the Entry Requirements section of the relevant course page to find out if this initiative is carried out for the course you are applying to.

We recognise that the socio-economic data that we collect may not fully capture an individual student’s personal circumstances or educational trajectory, so if any of the criteria listed below apply, we encourage you to submit a statement providing additional details on your personal circumstances, using the contextual statement form.

A link to the form will be included in the How to apply section of the course page if the course is participating in this initiative.

Your contextual statement will be used to contextualise assessment and selection processes, and may be used in association with any socio-economic data provided.
You may wish to provide a contextual statement, particularly if you:

  • are in the first generation of your family to go to university;
  • have been in care for at least three months;
  • have been a young carer;
  • are from a low-income background;
  • have received a means-tested scholarship;
  • have needed to work to support yourself during your academic studies because of your socioeconomic circumstances;
  • are a refugee;
  • are neurodivergent;
  • have or have had one or more disabilities or chronic illnesses that have affected you in education or at work; and/or
  • wish to disclose other circumstances that have substantially affected you in education or at work.

Please note, this statement is in addition to completing the 'Extenuating circumstances’ section of the standard application form.

Anonymisation of applications

The action described below is not undertaken for all graduate courses. Please consult the Entry Requirements section of the relevant course page to find out if this initiative is carried out for the course you are applying to.

Anonymisation means that all references to your name and your gender pronouns (she/he/they/ze) will be removed in any materials used by the academic assessors to assess your application during the shortlisting procedure.

The people assessing your application will, therefore, have no idea of your cultural background, ethnicity, gender or skin colour from your name or pronouns at the academic shortlisting stage.

The reason for using anonymised applications is because research has shown that information inferred from your name or gender may lead to bias in the shortlisting process.

If the course you are applying to is taking part in this initiative, we will request that you assist in the anonymisation of applications by taking the following actions when you submit your online application:

  • Anonymising your statement of purpose or research proposal when you submit your application; and
  • Asking your referees to anonymise their letters of reference in relation to your name and gender pronouns.

Shortlisting Black-British students for interview

The action described below is not undertaken for all graduate courses. Please consult the Entry Requirements section of the relevant course page to find out if this initiative is carried out for the course you are applying to.

Once academic shortlisting has taken place, we will use information on ethnicity to ensure that if you identify as Black British, you will be invited to interview, provided that you: 

  1. have clearly demonstrated that you are interested in undertaking research within the remit of the programme for which you are applying; and
  2. meet at least one of the following criteria:
    • consistently high performance or a strong upward trajectory leading to a predicted or obtained high 2.1 or 1st class degree in a relevant STEM subject;
    • high performance consistent with a distinction in a masters' degree; or
    • substantive relevant work experience consistent with the academic criteria listed above.

The reason for taking this positive action initiative is to address the under-representation of Black British students in doctoral research in certain subjects by ensuring that if you are eligible, you are given the opportunity to demonstrate your potential for doctoral study at interview.