Open Days

Explore Oxford

If you are considering going to one of the Oxford University open days (or even if you aren’t) you must see the video on the open days web page - it’s one of the best there is and gives you an interesting, short and snappy insight into what an open day offers and why it’s an essential part of finding out about a university and the types of course it offers.

What’s on during an Oxford open day?

Oxford, like Cambridge but unlike most other UK universities, is a collegiate rather than a campus institution. That means that it is made up of individual colleges that provide accommodation for students and also arrange their teaching. The main lecturers and practicals, if you are doing a science or engineering subject, for example, take place in the academic departments that are separate from the colleges.

Confused already? If you’ve not been to Oxford before, that’s understandable and it’s more important than ever that students thinking of applying here attend one of the open days. The atmosphere of a college is something that you just can’t get from looking at pictures or videos, and you won’t understand how the university works if you don’t make the effort to go there.

The open days are planned to pack in as much as possible:

• All the colleges are open, so that you can tour as many as you like (and as many as the time will allow you to). You can see the accommodation, the facilities, meet current students and find out how the teaching system works.
• The academic departments are also open and the science departments usually put on a good show, with experimental demonstrations usually involving loads of loud bangs and explosions where they can justify them.

Other ways to find out about Oxford University

• Choosing a college: is an important part of the application process at Oxford, and because the deadline for applications is early, by October 15^th of the year before you intend to start studying, you need to plan ahead and make your decisions in good time.
• The application process: Applying to Oxford involves extra steps compared to most other universities – the video on the Oxford University website explains more.
• Events and outreach: The university arranges regular events for teachers and prospective students, including pre-16s and students who want to attend summer schools.