Anyone applied for Dphil International Relations or Politics 2024

I applied around the January Deadline for DPhil IR but haven't received anything yet I'm too nervous and don't know if I will be able to get admission or not, Although I have two postgraduate degrees one form UCL and One from SOAS, with substantial work experience and volunteer experience, and some article publications and research projects I did. I also have a kind of approval from the Professor under whom I want to work and he encouraged me to go for it but what concerns me is my marks at UCL where I have distinctions and merit but overall it's a Pass, but in SOAS where my Degree is on IR I have overall 68+ High Merit. I would love to know about your experience and any insights you can provide, It will be very helpful, Thank You

Oxford can be quite stringent on minimum requirements. It’s unlikely that your application will pass through the initial stage of the DPhil committee. It’s better to have one degree with a distinction than a few degrees in which any of them can weigh down your overall profile.

All I can say about myself is that I was a student at DPIR. What they care about is your excellent grades and research proposal. What is secondary is your letters of recommendation.

[start]They don’t care about applcants’ work experience unless they publish in Q1. Even if they have publications in Q1, the committee will not value them unless applicants meet minimum requirements anyway. If you apply to the US schools, they will consider the entirety of your profile. However, in the UK, especially IR departments, they prioritise academic excellence (excellent grades and proposal). Other attributes are just added values which will only be valuable to your application when you meet or go beyond minimum requirements.[/start]

[start]With regard to having been approved by a potential supervisor, this matters significantly in other IR departments in the UK but not in Oxford, Cambridge, and the LSE. This is because the PhD committee is more powerful and authoritative than potential supervisors. There are many instances that potential supervisors want this and that candidate but are declined by the committee.[/start]

Thank you for your insights about the DPhil admissions process at Oxford, especially in regard to the Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR). Your perspective, as a former student of the department, is particularly valuable to me.
[start]I understand the emphasis on academic excellence, particularly the importance of grades and the research proposal in the selection process. I have worked extensively on my research proposal to ensure it aligns with Oxford's standards and contributes meaningfully to the field of International Relations.[/start]
[start]While I recognize that my overall grade from UCL may not be as strong, my higher merit in International Relations from SOAS is directly relevant to the DPhil program. I hope that this, along with my research proposal and the potential support from a professor at Oxford, will positively influence my application.[/start]
[start]I am curious if you don't mind sharing, which course you were in at DPIR? [/start]
[start]Again, thank you for your time and advice. It's incredibly helpful to have this dialogue and understand the various aspects of the admissions process.[/start]

Hi! I was just accepted to the IR program. I will have a masters from two different programs, one relevant and one not. I have a very low score at the not relevant one, 63.8, and a superb score at the relevant one, 4.0 (US university, distinction equivalent). I think the admissions committee takes a holistic approach. Good luck!

I don’t think the department has finalised their decisions on DPhil in IR yet unless you’re talking about an MPhil in IR.

I received an offer for the DPhil along with funding yesterday.

I received an offer for the DPhil along with funding yesterday.

Oxford can be quite stringent on minimum requirements. It’s unlikely that your application will pass through the initial stage of the DPhil committee. It’s better to have one degree with a distinction than a few degrees in which any of them can weigh down your overall profile.

How does the "initial stage of the Degree Committee" work?
Any tips on how to overcome that hurdle?