Portsmouth
Aerial view of the town and the bay of Portsmouth
(Credit: Vittorio Caramazza/Shutterstock)

Oxford for South East

Every year the University of Oxford receives many high-quality applications from students from the South East of England. However, when we look at these applications in more detail, it is clear that we attract more applications from some parts of the region than others. For example, students from coastal areas are underrepresented at Oxford, and we want this to change. It's time for a new approach!

Local Authorities in this region extend from those clustered around the South Coast - Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, West Sussex, Kent, Medway, Portsmouth, Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surrey, Hampshire - to those around the Thames Valley - Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham.

St John's, St Hilda's, St Hugh's and Somerville Colleges are combining forces to launch Oxford for South East, our new community outreach programme in your area. These colleges are focussing their support on state schools along the South Coast and have an ambitious programme that will provide better and more bespoke support for students of different ages, their teachers and their families. In addition, Hertford College will continue working with schools in the Medway local authority, alongside their work in the East of England.

Our outreach programmes are of course affected by the current public health situation, which is why we have focussed this year on expanding our digital outreach programmes and resources. These are freely available via the Online resources link below, and include virtual courses for secondary school pupils, academic and super-curricular resources for all ages and teaching resources for the classroom. We know this is a stressful time for everyone, and we aim to support you in whatever way we can. We will keep this website updated as and when the situation changes and we are able to resume our normal programmes.

Trinity, University and Brasenose Colleges will continue to provide outreach support as required for state schools across the Thames Valley as well as working to tackle under-representation in other parts of England. Find out about this support here.

For more information on our outreach aims for the South East - and the South Coast in particular - see About Us.