How to Apply

Graduate applications to Oxford work in two stages. You apply directly to your Department or Faculty for a place on your course. When you do this, you can either state a College preference or leave it blank – if you don’t choose, a College will be allocated to you.

Your Department assesses your application and decides whether to make you an offer. The College preference doesn’t affect this decision. Once your Department has made an offer, they pass your application to Colleges for consideration for a College place.

If you’re offered a place by your Department, you are guaranteed a College – though it may not be your first choice.

Graduate students make up over a third of Brasenose’s students and are an important part of College life. While departments and faculties handle your academic work, your College provides pastoral support – particularly important if you’re new to Oxford or the UK.

You’ll have access to the Hulme Common Room, a dedicated space for graduate students with an active social, sporting and cultural programme run by an elected committee.

Applications are reviewed by academic staff in the relevant subject area, and we give preference to applicants whose research overlaps with our tutors’ work.

We aim to admit a balanced number of graduate students across the subjects we support each year. When we have more applicants than available places, we consider relative academic merit and potential.

If applications arrive late in the admissions cycle when places are already full, we may not be able to make offers even to strong candidates.

You cannot change your College preference after submitting your application.

Any offer is conditional on providing satisfactory evidence that you can meet tuition and living costs for your course. See the University’s financial declaration guidance for details.

For full details on the graduate application process, see the University’s graduate admissions page for Brasenose.