Oxford and Cambridge are very well known and considered as very prestigious universities. People try constantly to be able to enter these Universities, so may want to take their chances by applying to both Universities. However, this may raise complications, and people wonder if you can apply to both Oxford and Cambridge University.
You cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge university in the same year. This is due to the coordination of having to through a huge volume of applications. Both universities are well sought after by students, so if all of those students apply to both Universities, there would be too many applications to process.
In this article we will be going over why you cannot apply in more detail, and the number of courses to which you can apply. Read on to find out.
Table of Contents
Why can’t you apply to Oxford and Cambridge?
You cannot apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year. Both universities already receive a large number of applications, and only a small number are admitted.
If they were to allow applicants to apply to both Oxford and Cambridge, they would receive even more applications, when the number of students admitted would still be low. It is essentially an issue of ‘supply and demand.’ You can read more about this, on the Oxford UCAS page by clicking on this link.
Can you apply to both Cambridge and Oxford in different years?
If you choose to apply to a new University in your second year, the same rules apply. You cannot apply to both universities in your second year. If you got in to neither University in your first year, you could apply to the same University as you did the first time or choose the other option.
When applying for a second year UCAS, select Year 2 as your point of entry. Apart from that, the same UCAS rules apply, and you will need to meet the deadline, and register for any written tests or work.
You can read more about this on the Oxford second year applications page by clicking on this link.
When Do Cambridge Offers (and Interviews) Come Out?
Cambridge University interviews will take place during the first three weeks of December, and some may continue into early January. Cambridge interview over 80% of their applicants. Usually, the Cambridge offers are given out before the end of January. In 2022, the offers were given on the 25th of January. You can find this on the ‘dates and deadlines’ pages on the Cambridge website, by clicking on this link. You can also find more details on Cambridge interviews by clicking on this link to a Think Student article.
If you would like help on your Cambridge decisions check out this link also on the Cambridge website.
When Do Oxford Offers (and Interviews) Come Out?
In Oxford, over half of applicants are interviewed. Oxford interviews commence from the end of November until the first few weeks of December. Oxford offers are given out around January time. The 2022 offers were given on 11th of January 2022, and 2023 offers will be given on 10th of January 2022.
You can find information on interviews by clicking on this link, as well as looking at the decisions page by clicking on this link.
How many courses can you apply to at Oxford or Cambridge?
At Oxford you can only apply to one course to study on your application. However, at graduate level, you can then apply for as many courses as you want. You can find out more by clicking on this link.
At Cambridge, you can choose one course as well to study at Undergraduate level, but at Graduate level, you can apply for as many as you want. You can find out more by clicking on this link.
How hard is it to get into Oxbridge?
It is seen as very hard to get into Oxbridge. University of Oxford had and acceptance rate of 16.9%, and Cambridge University had an acceptance rate of 24.2%. This is substantially lower where other Russel Group Universities, which are around 75%-85%. To further explore these acceptance rates, click here and here.
There are also many other factors, like your school’s confidence and whether you went to private or public schools. In the end, it depends on how hard you are willing to work to get into the Universities.
You can read more about this difficulty in detail, by clicking on this link to a Think Student article.
We wish you luck in your applications!