UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD · GRADUATE STUDY GUIDE
At Oxford, each department judges graduate applications for its own courses, and an offer for a degree course comes with a college place. Start here, then read your course page closely.
2027–28 entry
GET TO KNOW THE UNIVERSITY
Oxford’s graduate courses are either taught, such as the MSc, MSt, and MPhil, or research courses, such as the DPhil. Your department decides on your application, and every student on a degree course also belongs to a college.
TAUGHT COURSES
Full-time master’s courses typically take a year. An MPhil takes two, and its first year is normally taught.
RESEARCH COURSES
A full-time DPhil typically takes three to four years. An MSc by Research, with no taught parts, takes one to three.
YOUR COLLEGE
You can name one preferred college or none. Your preference doesn’t affect the department’s decision, and an offer guarantees you a college place.
You can submit two applications a cycle if both are for taught courses, or three if at least one is for research, each with its own fee. Oxford strongly encourages focusing on one.
Length: Most full-time taught courses last nine to twelve months, and an MPhil usually lasts two years.
Assessment: Coursework, exams, or both, and often a dissertation: around 10,000 to 15,000 words for an MSc or MSt, and usually up to 30,000 for an MPhil.
At the start: Most DPhil students start as Probationer Research Students, working on a thesis with a supervisor.
Two milestones: You apply for Transfer of Status, normally by your fourth term, and gain Confirmation of Status, normally within nine terms. Each usually involves an interview with two assessors.
The finish: You defend your thesis in an oral exam, the viva.
An example: Most DPhil in Economics students first complete Oxford’s MPhil, and offers usually depend on a distinction at master’s level.
English: The economics courses require Oxford’s higher level, such as IELTS 7.5 with 7.0 in each part, or TOEFL iBT 110. Oxford only accepts TOEFL tests taken before January 21, 2026.
Timing: You don’t need English scores to apply. If you receive an offer, the department may set a deadline for them as a condition. Tests must fall within two years of your course’s start.
Your degree: Oxford’s guidance for 28 countries says a U.S. GPA of 3.5 usually matches a strong upper second and 3.7 a first. Course pages set their own minimums.
GRE: The economics courses require the GRE unless you hold, or will soon hold, a UK or Republic of Ireland degree.
After you graduate: Master’s graduates who apply for the UK Graduate visa from January 1, 2027, can stay for 18 months.
Complete it yourself: Oxford says you must complete the form yourself, without an agency.
UNDERSTAND WHAT OXFORD LOOKS FOR
Your grades would normally need to place you near the top of your class. Departments assess the academic quality of your application and your fit with the course, and whether you have funding isn’t considered.
YOUR RECORD
The MPhil in Economics asks for a first-class or strong upper-second degree in economics, or a U.S. GPA of at least 3.6. Most successful applicants have higher GPAs.
Letrado’s adviceIf one grade is weaker, show newer evidence of the same skill, such as demanding work you’ve completed since.
YOUR PREPARATION
MPhil applicants must show strong quantitative preparation, and a working knowledge of one programming language by the time the course starts.
Letrado’s advicePoint to specific courses, projects, or code you’ve written, not a general interest in methods.
YOUR MOTIVATION
Your personal statement explains why you’re applying, what experience and education prepared you, and which areas you want to specialize in.
Letrado’s adviceName the parts of the course you want to take and why they fit your next step. Specific choices show you’ve read the course.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
MPhil in Economics (21 months): January 26, 2027, for Oxford scholarships, and March 2, 2027, as the final deadline. A personal statement of up to 800 words, one essay of up to 2,000 words, a CV, and the GRE. Interviews aren’t normally held.
MSc in Economics for Development (9 months): one deadline, January 26, 2027. A personal statement of 500 to 1,000 words, two essays of 2,000 to 4,000 words each, and the GRE.
MSc in Environmental Change and Policy (12 months), which replaced Environmental Change and Management: November 13, 2026, for earlier decisions, and January 26, 2027, as the final deadline. A concept map with a statement of up to 600 words, and a set written task of up to 1,500 words. Interviews may be held.
OXFORD GRADUATE ADMISSIONS
Oxford’s latest university-wide figures are for 2024–25 entry. Course pages give three-year averages.
WHAT OXFORD ADVISES
Research courses usually need a research proposal and often expect you to contact a potential supervisor first: usually necessary in the sciences, and often optional in the humanities and social sciences. Your course page says which applies.
Oxford suggests writing to one or two people at a time. Even an enthusiastic supervisor can’t promise a place.
PLAN THE APPLICATION
Applications for 2027–28 are open, and every deadline falls at 12:00 midday UK time. Some courses also have an earlier deadline in November or December.
Earlier deadline, some courses
Nov 13, 2026Economics courses
Jan 26, 2027MPhil in Economics, final deadline
Mar 2, 2027Department decisions
Mar–Apr 2027Most scholarship decisions
Feb–Jun 2027You register three referees, but Oxford can assess your application once two references are in by the deadline, if everything else is complete. If fewer than two arrive in time, it moves to your course’s later deadline, if there is one, and a March or later deadline means no Oxford scholarships. Without a later deadline, it’s unlikely to be considered at all. Oxford recommends submitting at least two weeks early.
£75 for each taught-course application, such as an MSc or MPhil, or £20 for a research course. Waivers are available for applicants from low-income countries, refugees and displaced people, and some UK applicants.
Usually academic. The MPhil in Economics recommends three academic references, but accepts one professional reference among them.
Official transcripts showing your individual grades. Whether you upload a CV depends on the course; it’s compulsory for the MPhil in Economics.
A personal statement and written work of the length your course sets, such as 800 words and a 2,000-word essay for the MPhil in Economics.
The economics courses require it unless you have a UK or Republic of Ireland degree. English scores can follow as a condition of an offer.
Choosing a college: Pick one preferred college or none. You can change it once, within a week of submitting. Most college scholarships don’t require you to name that college.
Interviews: Each course page says whether interviews are held, and how: by video call, phone, or in person. The economics courses don’t normally hold them.
After the department decides: You’ll usually learn your college about 8 to 10 weeks after the department’s offer. Your college then asks for a Financial Declaration showing you can fund your course.
Re-evaluated or waitlisted: If your application is re-evaluated at the March deadline or waitlisted, you lose consideration for funding that needs a January-deadline offer.
Clarendon scholarships: Most offers go out by the end of April. Clarendon doesn’t contact unsuccessful applicants, so if you haven’t heard by mid-June, assume you haven’t received an offer.
Feedback: Oxford doesn’t give feedback on unsuccessful applications.
When to apply: Oxford recommends applying by your course’s December or January deadline. Your visa process can start after you’ve met your offer’s conditions.
Costs: The visa costs £558 from outside the UK, plus a £776 health surcharge for each year of your visa, paid up front.
Family: Only students on a DPhil or a master’s by research, or government-sponsored students, can bring family members.
Four nationalities: From March 26, 2026, the UK refuses Student visa applications made outside the UK by nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan. If this applies to you, Oxford recommends not applying, because you couldn’t take up a place.
WRITE IN YOUR OWN VOICE
Set by each courseThe MPhil in Economics, for example, asks for a statement of up to 800 words and one essay of up to 2,000 words.
Your statement is assessed for your reasons for applying, your motivation for and understanding of the subject, and your ability to present a reasoned argument in English. Oxford allows AI only for formatting, checking spelling and grammar, and early research, and asks you to note any research use in a footnote. Tools that support a disability are also allowed. AI can’t be used during an interview, and misuse found after an offer can cost you the offer.
Letrado’s adviceOxford’s AI rules are stricter than ours, so don’t use AI to generate ideas for what you’ll say. Use your written work to show your own thinking, and if it comes from a thesis or team project, make sure the parts you submit are clearly yours.
Say why you’re applying to the course at Oxford, what experience and education prepared you, and which areas you want to specialize in.
An academic essay or an extract from longer work, from your most recent qualification and in English. The MSc in Economics for Development asks for two essays instead. Oxford advises against co-authored work, and some courses, including that MSc, don’t accept it. If you do submit it, list every author and describe your part at the top.
A CV is compulsory for the MPhil in Economics, and most applicants submit one or two pages on their academic achievements and relevant work.
Your references should support your intellectual ability, academic achievement, and motivation. Give referees plenty of notice before the deadline.
The DPhil in Economics allows up to 1,500 words and reads it for originality, coherence, and whether you could finish in four years.
MAKE ROOM FOR THE FINANCIAL QUESTION
Course fees depend on your course and your fee status, and you pay them for each year of your course. Oxford estimates living costs of £1,475 to £2,175 a month for 2027–28.
OXFORD SCHOLARSHIPS
full or partial graduate scholarships expected for 2027–28. For most, you’re considered automatically.
CLARENDON
Over 200 new scholarships a year cover course fees and a living grant, with no restrictions on nationality or subject.
ECONOMICS FUNDING
is the application deadline for economics courses if you want to be considered for Oxford funding.
To be considered, apply by your course’s December or January deadline. Most Oxford scholarships, including Clarendon, are awarded between late February and June.
Clarendon scholarships (opens in a new tab)PUBLISHED 2027–28 FEES · MPHIL IN ECONOMICS, OVERSEAS
£34,850Per year; the Home fee is £29,130. You pay fees for each year of the 21-month course, and they usually rise each year.
Add visa costs and the UK immigration health surcharge if they apply to you.
MPhil in Economics fees (opens in a new tab)Letrado’s adviceApply by your course’s December or January deadline, even if it has a later one. After that, you won’t be considered for Oxford scholarships.
The Rhodes Scholarship covers Oxford course fees and a living stipend. You apply through the Rhodes Trust, and deadlines for October 2027 entry vary by country or region; several have passed.
The Rhodes Scholarship (opens in a new tab)ADMITTED TO OXFORD · M.C.
He had strong economics training and a year as a research assistant, but limited independent research and one weaker math course. We helped him describe exactly which work was his and present the master’s as a serious test of doctoral study.
His first draft implied more independence than he had. He asked who chose each question, method, and conclusion, and described only what he could defend.
He completed extra proof-based exercises with a faculty member, without claiming they erased the earlier grade.
It came from his undergraduate thesis, after a careful check of the supervision and his original contribution.
Oxford’s MPhil in Economics (opens in a new tab) ends with a required thesis supervised by a member of the department, which suited someone testing whether to pursue a doctorate.
HIS OXFORD OUTCOME
Offered a place on Oxford’s MPhil in Economics
HIS CHOICE: OXFORDBodleian Library · Photo: Honcques Laus / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Cropped.
Two years of demanding coursework matched the preparation he knew he still needed, and his own research would show whether doctoral study should become a commitment.
ALSO ADMITTED TO
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