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Which university is better for international students?

I am under the impression that Oxford is slightly better known internationally, and therefore that they have more international applicants.

Does this mean it is easier to get in to Oxoford than Cambridge as an international student?

I haven't found any statistics on how many international students are admitted to each university, anyone who knows anything about this?

Reply 1

hobnob

ElleMarja

I am under the impression that Oxford is slightly better known internationally, and therefore that they have more international applicants.
The number of international applicants who apply / get offers is roughly similar, I should think. Not enough of a difference to be in any way significant, anyway.

Does this mean it is easier to get in to Oxoford than Cambridge as an international student?

Seeing as neither university has a quota for internationals, probably not.

Just apply to the one you prefer.

Reply 2

Luxun3

Seriously it wont make a difference..... However I would not be so sure about oxford being better know internationally. Because of its strength in science Cambridge is at least as well know as England in Asia if not better known. At least that is how I experienced it during my time in China.

Reply 3

The Sherminator

I won't compare which is better/easier to get in, but I have a *feeling* that Oxford is slightly more well known in Asia, especially among the masses.

Reply 4

Zhen Lin

Cambridge is very well-known here in Malaysia, and there are more Cambridge alumni than Oxford ones in the alumni club.

Reply 5

Cookiewithmilk

Reputation, reputation, reputation. I have lost my reputation, Iago, I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!

Alas....

Reply 6

Craghyrax

I'm getting quite sick of that being quoted all over TSR like a virus :dry:

And there I was hoping A level would be the last time I'd have to look at that text... :p:

OP: They are both so filled with internationals that any difference in numbers won't translate to a difference in experience. My college is the smallest undergrad college in Cambridge and we have tonnes of internationals.

Reply 7

vivieneswi

Ghassan

omg,u study Chinese.one of my teachers who speaks Chinese very fluently graduated from oxford
well,i think both unis are internationally prestigious. in china,it also makes no difference. however ,the entrance requirement is even higher for international students cuz u need to prepare for IELTS in which u should got 7 in 4 part.and u have to write a perfect ps (without the poor english),provided Alevel 3a is met

Reply 8

hobnob

vivieneswi

But surely you'll need to do that regardless of whether you apply to Cambridge or Oxford? :confused:

Reply 9

The Sherminator

hobnob

But surely you'll need to do that regardless of whether you apply to Cambridge or Oxford? :confused:

Yes you have to. LSE has a requirement as well, and so do most other top unis.

Reply 10

hobnob

The Sherminator

Yes you have to. LSE has a requirement as well, and so do most other top unis.

Obviously. :smile:

But unless I misunderstood her post, she was saying that one or the other is more difficult to apply to for internationals because of those requirements.

Edit: Come to think of it, maybe I did misunderstand her and what she meant was that generally speaking it's harder for internationals because they're competing with native speakers. But that observation doesn't really make much sense in this context, does it?

Reply 11

The Sherminator

hobnob

Obviously. :smile:

No it doesn't, because natives don't do IELTS, so its not part of their offer. I haven't done IELTS myself, but I have heard that for a 2nd language speaker they are quite difficult exams.

The requirements are generally quite high for many universities, hence the level of difficulty in entrance.

Reply 12

mshaikhy

hey any international students already in the uk can help me out with this one, did anybody need to carry a chest xray and a medical form when coming into the uk? coz i got the camb. international freshers guide and they say u mite need it in immigration...anybody know anythin bout this?

Reply 13

hobnob

mshaikhy

It depends on which country you're from, but yes, some internationals do have to have chest x-rays. Something to do with whether or not tuberculosis is widespread there, I believe. :dontknow:

Reply 14

Zhen Lin

It is a recommendation but it is not necessary - but on the off-chance that they do ask for a chest X-ray and you don't have one, you'll end up having to do it in the airport, which can take several hours, or so I've heard.

Reply 15

Leprechaun

Cookiewithmilk

Reputation, reputation, reputation. I have lost my reputation, Iago, I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!

Alas....

What's with Othello? :shifty:

On that note, my favourite line was "I am not what I am."

In terms of international intakes, 10% of Cambridge freshers are international. Not sure about Oxford.

Reply 16

Miam!

To answer the OP, they have no quotas for internationals so the number of internationals applying at the same time as you doesn't matter.

As for language requirements, they're the same at both Ox and Cam. That's entirely personal, but I think that Cambridge Certificates seem a little easier than IELTS, if only because they won't look at your individual grades in the different components (reading, writing, speaking etc). And Cambridge CAE isn't too hard, really - I was surprised that they accepted it when some other unis, like Edinburgh, only want CPE.

Finally, I don't know if either is "better for internationals" in terms of support etc. I can only talk about Cambridge, differences are down to your college, which may or may not organise a welcome week for internationals before freshers' week. Apart from socialising, this is meant to let people settle in, get used to speaking English and setting a bank account, getting a phone, bike and stuff for their room before the real freshers' week starts - I thouhgt it was really fun and useful, but you could just arrive early and do all that by yourslef, it's not rocket science. There is a university-wide international student union (iCUSU), who publish a useful guide, but apart from that they don't seem to do too much. There might be more established societies for Asian students but I don't know about them. And your DOS will be happy to give you info on academic language classes if you need them.