Foundation Year in PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics)

A typical week

During your foundation year you will be expected to devote at least forty hours per week to your studies. For the PPE units, you may have around 2 hours of lectures, 2-4 hours of seminars and classes, and 2-3 hours of tutorials in a typical week during full term.

You will also participate in regular meetings with tutors to discuss work, carry out independent research and you are likely to submit 2-3 assignments each week. 

Your time will be spent both on academic work for your PPE programme and work related to the Preparation for Undergraduate Studies course. In each term you will study two of the constituent subjects of PPE (Philosophy, Politics, Economics) as well as a mathematics for PPE module. Each module should deepen your subject interest and build your skills in independent study.

Tutorials are usually for around two students and a tutor. Classes are slightly bigger, and class sizes may vary depending on the modules you are taking. There are likely to be around four students in a class, however when the whole PPE cohort is together, this may include up to 8 students. Lectures are a larger format again, and are likely to be delivered to the foundation year cohort (up to 50 students) as a whole.

Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by staff who are tutors in their subject. Some teaching may also be delivered by postgraduate students.

To find out more about how Oxford's teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.

Course structure

Term 1

Term 2

Term 3

Eligibility criteria

Offers for Oxford's Astrophoria Foundation Year courses are awarded on academic suitability, and applicants must also meet the eligibility criteria relating to socio-economic and educational disadvantage.

The foundation year is designed to address the education attainment gap associated with factors relating to socio-economic and educational disadvantage experienced by eligible applicants.

The Astrophoria Foundation Year will make academic offers specific to this one year of intensive study, and the offers will take into account the educational disruption experienced by these students. The courses aim to provide a year of academic study that will help support successful students transition to their chosen undergraduate course.

Currently the programme is open to UK state school students who are ordinarily resident in the UK (home fees status) and meet the academic and eligibility criteria.

Evidence of meeting the eligibility criteria is required during the application process and can be supplied by applicants via the Foundation Year Additional Application Questionnaire. This will be accessible through the foundation year webpages in due course. There will also be a full guide to assist in the completion of the questionnaire.

Checking your eligibility

Please note the following eligibility criteria is currently under review and any changes will be confirmed on this page before applications open again in September 2025.  

Applicants should be a state school educated student who is ordinarily resident in the UK (with home fees status) and would usually:

• meet either the criteria outlined in categories 1,2 and 3
• or meet the criterion of category 4

Category 1: Socio-Economic indicators

You must meet at least one of the criteria in Category 1.

• Your home postcode (where you live the majority of the time) falls into IMD quintiles 1 or 2 (deciles 1, 2, 3 or 4)
• Your home postcode (where you live the majority of the time) should fall into ACORN Category 4, 5 or 6
• Being eligible for Free School Meals (FSM) at any point in the last six years (also known as Ever 6 FSM)

Category 2: School/College Characteristics

You must meet the criterion in Category 2.

• You will have attended, normally for all compulsory education (usually between the ages of 11-18), non-selective state-funded UK secondary schools/colleges.

Category 3: Individual experience

You must meet at least one of the criteria in Category 3.

A verified individual level measure of socio-economic disadvantaged background and/or experienced a disrupted education which may include:

• being eligible for FSM any point in the last six years (also known as Ever 6 FSM)
• having refugee status or humanitarian protection
• having been on a child in need and/or having had a child protection plan
• having care responsibilities for a sustained period of time
• being pregnant or having parental responsibilities whilst in education
• having a medical or health issue that has resulted in long absences from school or college (more than six months)
• being from a Gypsy, Traveller, Roma, Showman or Boater background
• being a child of a military family
• being a service leaver or veteran
• being from a household with an income of less than £25,000
• experiencing bereavement of a close family member during secondary education
• being an estranged student
• becoming homeless whilst in education
• having experienced time out of secondary school or college education (over one year)
• having a late diagnosis of Special Educational Needs (within the past two years).

Category 4: Care Experience

If you meet this criterion in category 4 you are automatically eligible.

• You have spent any length of time in local authority care and have been at UK state schools

State educated applicants with experience of being in care are automatically eligible. You do not need to meet the criteria in categories 1, 2 or 3, but you may wish to provide us with information in those other categories so that we have a comprehensive understanding of your educational experiences.

Further details

Visit the 2026 Eligibility Guide for Applicants for further details about the eligibility criteria for 2026 entry.

Contextual information

Course data from Discover Uni provides applicants with statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford. But there is so much more to an Oxford degree that the numbers can’t convey.

The Oxford tutorial

College tutorials are central to teaching at Oxford. Typically, they take place in your college and are led by your academic tutor(s) who teach as well as do their own research.

Students will also receive teaching in a variety of other ways, depending on the course. This will include lectures and classes, and may include laboratory work and fieldwork. However, tutorials offer a level of personalised attention from academic experts unavailable at most universities.

During tutorials (normally lasting an hour), college subject tutors will give you and one or two tutorial partners feedback on prepared work and cover a topic in depth. The other student(s) in your college tutorials will be from your year group, doing the same course as you and will normally be at your college. Such regular and rigorous academic discussion develops and facilitates learning in a way that isn’t possible through lectures alone. Tutorials also allow for close progress monitoring, so tutors can quickly provide additional support if necessary.

Read more about tutorials and an Oxford education

College life

Our colleges are at the heart of Oxford’s reputation as one of the best universities in the world.

• At Oxford, everyone is a member of a college as well as their subject department(s) and the University. Students therefore have both the benefits of belonging to a large, renowned institution and to a small and friendly academic community. Each college or hall is made up of academic and support staff, and students. Colleges provide a safe, supportive environment leaving you free to focus on your studies, enjoy time with friends and make the most of the huge variety of opportunities.
• Each college has a unique character, but generally their facilities are similar. Each one, large or small, will have the following essential facilities:
  
  • Porters’ lodge (a staffed entrance and reception)
  • Dining hall
  • Lending library (often open 24/7 in term time)
  • Student accommodation
  • Tutors’ teaching rooms
  • Chapel and/or music rooms
  • Laundry
  • Green spaces
  • Common room (known as the JCR).
• All foundation year and first year students are offered college accommodation either on the main site of their college or in a nearby college annexe. This means that your neighbours will also be ‘freshers’ and new to life at Oxford. This accommodation is guaranteed, so you don’t need to worry about finding somewhere to live after accepting a place here, all of this is organised for you before you arrive.
• All colleges offer at least one further year of accommodation and some offer it for the entire duration of your degree. You may choose to take up the option to live in your college for the whole of your time at Oxford, or you might decide to arrange your own accommodation after your first year – perhaps because you want to live with friends from other colleges.
• While college academic tutors primarily support your academic development, you can also ask their advice on other things. Lots of other college staff including welfare officers help students settle in and are available to offer guidance on practical or health matters. Current students also actively support students in earlier years, sometimes as part of a college ‘family’ or as peer supporters trained by the University’s Counselling Service.
• Astrophoria Foundation Year students are currently allocated to a college. They do not apply for a specific one.