QS Top Grad School: Schools

Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and lays claim to nine centuries of continuous existence. As an internationally renowned centre for teaching and research, Oxford attracts students and scholars from across the globe, with almost a quarter of our students from overseas. More than 130 nationalities are represented among a student population of over 18,000.
Oxford is a collegiate university, with 39 self-governing colleges related to the University in a type of federal system. There are also seven Permanent Private Halls, founded by different Christian denominations. Thirty colleges and all halls admit students for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Seven other colleges are for graduates only; one has Fellows only, and one specializes in part-time and continuing education.
There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris.

Oxford is one of Europe's most innovative and entrepreneurial universities. Drawing on an 800-year tradition of discovery and invention, modern Oxford leads the way in creating jobs, wealth, skills and innovation for the 21st century. The leading UK university for knowledge transfer and commercial spin-outs, Oxford was also the UK pioneer in developing a university intellectual property policy.

Each year, Oxford welcomes students with great potential, at both undergraduate and graduate level, from all over the globe. Our students are attracted by the chance to study at an internationally-renowned seat of learning, with a centuries-old reputation for outstanding academic achievement and innovation.
Oxford meets the needs of students, teachers and the international research community with an extremely rich and diverse range of library resources provided by over 100 separate libraries.
Oxford's museums and collections are world renowned. They provide an important resource for scholars internationally, and welcome visits from members of the public. Admission is free, except for the Botanic Garden, where visitors are charged a small admission fee, and Christ Church Picture Gallery, which makes a small charge, with concessions for children, students and senior citizens.

Faculty

Number of Faculty Staff	FTE: 4,197
Total number of academic faculty staff who are responsible for planning, directing and undertaking teaching only, research only or both teaching and research. Please include: vice-chancellors, deputy vice-chancellors, principals, professors, heads of school, associate professors, principal lecturers and tutors. Please exclude research assistants, PhD students who contribute to teaching, and exchange scholars or visiting professors who are members of another university. FAQ: How is research assistant defined?
Number of International Faculty Staff	FTE: 1,598
Number of academic faculty staff who are of foreign nationality. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even if from another EU state. In Hong Kong, this includes professors from Mainland China. Inclusion and exclusion mirrors those for academic faculty staff.

Undergraduate Information

Number of Undergraduate Students	FTE: 12,173
Number of students pursuing a Bachelor’s level or equivalent degree. This excludes certificates/diplomas and associate’s degrees.
Number of International Undergraduate Students	FTE: 1,456
Number of undergraduate students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China. Please exclude all exchange students.

Graduate / Postgraduate Information

Number of Graduate / Postgraduate Students	FTE: 6,723
Students pursuing a higher-level degree (Master and Doctorate), including both taught and research postgraduates (e.g. PhD students)
Number of International Graduate Students	FTE: 3,804
Number of graduate / postgraduate students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China.

Students

Total Students	Headcount: 23,620 FTE: 18,667
Total number of students.
Total International Students	Headcount: 5,400 FTE: 5,018
Number of students who are foreign nationals. The term ‘international’ is hereby determined by citizenship. For EU countries, this includes all foreign nationals, even nationals of other EU states. In Hong Kong, this includes students from Mainland China.

Graduate Output

Number of PhDs Awarded	807
Total number of PhDs awarded in the last 12 months

Range of Fees

There are different types of fees and expenses that you will need to plan for and pay. As a guide, please check out following link: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/finance/fees.shtml

Basic TOEFL/IELTS requirements

English is the language of instruction for all programmes offered at Oxford and it is mandatory that all theses or examination papers are written in English. The University has approved both a standard and a higher level of required ability in English and departments may select which is most appropriate for the individual research programme of study concerned. For all taught programmes the higher level of required English will be mandatory. If your first language is not English, you must supply suitable evidence (an original certificate that is not more than two years old and issued by the responsible body) that you have reached the relevant standard before you may be offered a place. The University recognises only certain English tests and these requirements are set out in the table below. See following website for more detail:
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english.shtml

Accommodation

The Land Agent's and Accommodation Office is responsible for the letting and management of University Housing. We have various sites and properties throughout Oxford, ranging from study bedrooms to purpose built sites housing singles, couples and families. See http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/accommodation/ for more details. Details of accommodation provided by individual Colleges are available on their own websites.

Entry Requirements

The normal minimum qualification to be eligible for admission as a graduate student at Oxford is the completion of a Bachelor's degree with a first or upper second class honours or the international equivalent (see www.naric.org.uk for advice on how international degrees compare). However, previous academic excellence is key and students who are accepted for graduate study at Oxford tend to have been those who achieved the very highest results of their graduating class.
Specific entry requirements for your programme are detailed in the relevant subject sections of the prospectus or, of course, you may contact the department directly.
Not all programmes will require a first degree in the same subject area and there are some courses, in particular some of those offered by the Department of Continuing Education, which will take relevant experience or alternative backgrounds into consideration.