Foreign Students in Oxford

I doubt it's true.

What you've heard might be that they have to pay more fees, so the university wants them more, but I think there's a quota for international students at Oxford for undergraduate level (I don't know about Imperial etc), so depending on the number of applicants it's probably harder.

I would have to look up the statistics. Things are complicated by EU being different to non-EU.

At Oxbridge the choice is made by individual admissions tutors after carefully assessing only 30 or so individuals, so the aren't going to pick someone worse because they're an international student. However, they have a good chance if they're good enough. Plenty of my friends are international students, and at postgraduate level the percentage is very high.

Are you non-British? Undergraduate or postgraduate?

I am not British but I'm from another country of the European Union
I hope to get into Oxbridge in 2 years as an undergraduate
Where are you studying?

2 years is a good amount of time to try to set up a good application. What is your subject?

Jumping in as I'm not British but I would like to study in Oxford as well. Do you know of any international students studying Ancient History (w/ Modern History or Classical Archeology)

There are international students studying everything. Oxford isn't some kind of mono-cultural throwback to the 19th century.

Thanks for stating something I already know, however I highly doubt anyone from HK or China had studied Ancient History in Oxford. I was asking Octohedral if he personally know of any int students studying the aforementioned subject.

Someone in the year below me from Hong Kong was doing it.

Oh? How odd; the Hong Kong secondary school curriculum only briefly touches upon the greco-roman world, and that's during the first year. It's annoying how we lack any history museums that aren't about China.

Is the person taking it with Modern History or Classical Archaeology?

Thanks for stating something I already know, however I highly doubt anyone from HK or China had studied Ancient History in Oxford. I was asking Octohedral if he personally know of any int students studying the aforementioned subject.

They were doing Classical Archaeology and Ancient History.

I do not know whether they were educated in the UK or Hong Kong, but they were definitely from Hong Kong.

Most UK schools do not offer ancient history in any form- it's rare to find it taught outside of private or grammar schools. Studying it at school is not a requirement. I believe some form of greek/roman project is required at primary school level, but that's of no real value or help at that age.

It's not a surprise you only have museums about China; most countries do not hold extensive collections from abroad. Britain is one of the few exceptions to this because of it previously ruling much of the world and having the funding/interest/capacity for conservation work.

Yes, but A-Levels offers Classical Civilisation, Archeology, Classics, whereas in HK these are not available as courses but only briefly touched upon.

I know there are no mandatory A-Levels to take if one wants to study CAAH at Oxford, but that's definitely the easiest/ most obvious way to show the enthusiasm that they require.

That's why I was saying how rare for someone from China to study Ancient History given all the close to non-existent contact we have to the Western archaic world.

So so few schools offer those subjects at Alevel. I have never met someone who did Archeology Alevel.


The tutors will know that for most people they are not an option. The Oxford admissions process is far more sophisticated than "Oh x took a subject at Alevel which few schools offer.... let's take them"



I think you kind of over-estimate how much most British people know about the subject/how much of an opportunity they have to study it.

1. It's not like a lot of people would choose those subjects for their undergrad as well?

2. Oh, you mean they don't draw the candidates' names out of a hat?
I don't know about the amount of schools offering A Levels, but there's always self study. The CAAH page requires candidates to show enthusiasm, which I said would be easiest shown by, oh I don't know, taking related A-level subjects? How about volunteering at museums, going to digs, reading books outside of course related work? Things to put in the application letter? They are all opportunities that are close to nonexistent in HK and China, thus I said it would be rare for us to be studying subjects that we have such limited contact with.

3. Well, at least you have museums and ways to go to digs in UK and some parts of Europe, unlike being in China.

29% (24 places) was accepted last year for CAAH, which is decently high for Oxford.

1. It's not like a lot of people would choose those subjects for their undergrad as well?

2. Oh, you mean they don't draw the candidates' names out of a hat?
I don't know about the amount of schools offering A Levels, but there's always self study. The CAAH page requires candidates to show enthusiasm, which I said would be easiest shown by, oh I don't know, taking related A-level subjects? How about volunteering at museums, going to digs, reading books outside of course related work? Things to put in the application letter? They are all opportunities that are close to nonexistent in HK and China, thus I said it would be rare for us to be studying subjects that we have such limited contact with.

3. Well, at least you have museums and ways to go to digs in UK and some parts of Europe, unlike being in China.

29% (24 places) was accepted last year for CAAH, which is decently high for Oxford.

Jumping in as I'm not British but I would like to study in Oxford as well. Do you know of any international students studying Ancient History (w/ Modern History or Classical Archeology)

Oh? How odd; the Hong Kong secondary school curriculum only briefly touches upon the greco-roman world, and that's during the first year. It's annoying how we lack any history museums that aren't about China.

Is the person taking it with Modern History or Classical Archaeology?

I'm at Balliol College, Oxford doing maths - I've been here 5 years (undergraduate and masters).

You have a good chance. In my undergraduate class of 6 there was someone from Vietnam and someone from Poland. Don't bother 'playing the statistics' or anything, though - just be the best you can and try to impress the admissions tutors. They want a good student - they don't care where you're from.

2 years is a good amount of time to try to set up a good application. What is your subject?