The success rates for Oxbridge applications vary significantly by course and year. Below, we provide an insight into the acceptance rates for both the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge, highlighting the competitiveness across different programs.
For the University of Oxford, the success rate for various courses in the years 2019/20 and 2020/21 shows a trend towards increasing competition. For instance, the course in Ancient and Modern History had a success rate of 29% in 2019/20 which dropped to 20% the following year. Biochemistry saw a success rate of 16% in 2019/20 and 17% in 2020/21. Chemistry was at a higher success rate of 35% in 2019/20 which slightly decreased to 30% in 2020/21.
The overall undergraduate offer rate at the University of Cambridge was 19% for the year 2021/22, indicating that approximately 1 in 5 undergraduate applicants received an offer. The acceptance rate across various courses showed a wide range. Highly competitive courses included Medicine (Graduate Entry) with a 7.8% acceptance rate and Computer Science at 8.5%. On the other hand, less competitive courses such as Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic, and Classics had significantly higher acceptance rates of 53% and 48% respectively.
The data indicates that Oxbridge application success rates are contingent upon the university's overall selectivity and the specific course applied for. With such diversity in acceptance rates, applicants face varying degrees of competition based on their chosen field of study.