Applying to Oxbridge is stressful. It’s a big commitment to try and get into one of the top universities in the world, so you’re likely going to be under a lot of pressure during the application process, and even beyond.
The University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are two of the most prestigious, highest ranked and competitive universities in the world. Anyone who is dedicated to studying there will have an uphill battle to complete the admissions process and successfully earn their offer, but it’s not impossible.
It’s natural to feel a lot of pressure when going through this process – especially when you have a lot of expectations surrounding you – but it’s important to manage this stress so that you can keep calm while you work through your application. In this guide, we’ll highlight some of the biggest causes of stress for Oxbridge applicants and offer actionable tips for how to deal with it (or support someone who is going through the process).
The Legacy of Oxford and Cambridge
We’ll start this guide by exploring some of the top causes of stress among Oxbridge applicants. Firstly, let’s consider the reputation that Oxford and Cambridge have each amassed during their lifetimes.
The University of Oxford is nearly 1,000 years old, with the University of Cambridge being around 800 years old. These make them two of the oldest universities in the world, and they have each made a significant impact on the world during this time.
As well as being at the forefront of many scientific innovations and social movements, each university has housed hundreds of iconic alumni from every field. This is a history that any Oxbridge applicant may potentially be joining, which is nerve-racking in its own way.
As well as this, you’ll also be learning about all of the traditions and rules put in place at the different colleges in Oxford and Cambridge. It all feels like a completely different world when compared to your current education, which further adds to the feeling that you’re entering something too big for yourself.
Many studies have found that 60% – 70% of people experience “imposter syndrome”. This is the feeling that you don’t belong in a certain place, whether because you’re less qualified or just too different from the others there. However, these statistics indicate that not many Oxbridge students feel truly comfortable with their surroundings, at least at first.
If, at any point in your application, you’re worried that you won’t fit in at Oxbridge and that you shouldn’t apply, remember this statistic and understand that you are in the majority of people when you feel this way. Attending an open day and speaking with the faculty and current students is also a great way to make everything feel more real and less mythic.
Reduce the pressure of the Oxbridge application with support from UniAdmissions
UniAdmissions specialises in getting applicants into Oxford and Cambridge, using our dedicated formula to success and limitless resources and support options. 59% of our Full-Blue students got their place in 2024, so enrol on one of our programmes to boost your chances of success!
Discover our Full-Blue Programmes by clicking the button below to learn how your child can enrol and triple their chances of success.
Oxbridge Acceptance Rates
While the legacy and reputation of Oxbridge can sometimes feel unreal, the data surrounding admissions at Oxford and Cambridge is very real. Oxford and Cambridge are two of the most competitive universities in the world, and their acceptance rates reflect this:
Oxford Acceptance Rates (2023)
Applicants: 23,211
Offers: 3,721
Acceptances: 3,219
Offer Rate: 16.0%
Acceptance Rate: 13.9%
Cambridge Acceptance Rates (2023)
Applicants: 21,445
Offers: 4,553
Acceptances: 3,557
Offer Rate: 21.2%
Acceptance Rate: 16.6%
Between the two universities, roughly 16% of applicants get their place each year. These success rates get even lower when looking at some of the most popular subjects taught at the two universities.
Oxbridge Medicine Acceptance Rates
| Year Of Entry | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate |
| 2023 | 1,712 | 162 | 9.5% | 1,754 | 288 | 16.4% |
| 2022 | 1,713 | 150 | 8.8% | 1,971 | 286 | 14.5% |
| 2021 | 1,864 | 161 | 8.6% | 2,022 | 270 | 13.4% |
| 2020 | 2,054 | 157 | 7.6% | 1,817 | 295 | 16.2% |
| 2019 | 1,766 | 170 | 9.6% | 1,584 | 281 | 17.7% |
Oxbridge Law Acceptance Rates
| Year Of Entry | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate |
| 2023 | 1,858 | 219 | 11.8% | 1,580 | 280 | 17.7% |
| 2022 | 2,141 | 240 | 11.2% | 1,845 | 245 | 13.3% |
| 2021 | 2,046 | 228 | 11.1% | 1,870 | 246 | 13.2% |
| 2020 | 1,820 | 266 | 14.6% | 1,537 | 262 | 17% |
| 2019 | 1,537 | 228 | 14.8% | 1,498 | 221 | 14.8% |
Oxbridge Economics Acceptance Rates
| Year Of Entry | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate |
| 2023 | 1,542 | 91 | 5.9% | 1,336 | 183 | 13.7% |
| 2022 | 1,502 | 87 | 5.8% | 1,513 | 165 | 10.9% |
| 2021 | 1,887 | 89 | 5.3% | 1,562 | 156 | 10% |
| 2020 | 1,676 | 90 | 5.2% | 1,364 | 165 | 12.1% |
| 2019 | 1,499 | 100 | 6.6% | 1,143 | 156 | 13.6% |
Oxbridge Engineering Acceptance Rates
| Year Of Entry | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate | Applicants | Offers | Success Rate |
| 2023 | 1,031 | 196 | 19.0% | 2,410 | 370 | 15.4% |
| 2022 | 1,110 | 199 | 17.9% | 2,672 | 384 | 14.4% |
| 2021 | 1,103 | 194 | 17.6% | 2,759 | 343 | 12.4% |
| 2020 | 1,097 | 184 | 17.8% | 2,518 | 363 | 14.4% |
| 2019 | 1,159 | 204 | 17.6% | 2,250 | 329 | 14.4% |
This data can be very intimidating and sometimes causes applicants to give up on their Oxbridge application, but you shouldn’t let it discourage you in this way. Firstly, this data is from the 2023 admissions cycle and doesn’t offer any prediction as to what the acceptance rates will be like for your admissions cycle. While the figures often remain consistent, there is no way of knowing if your chances of success will be higher or lower than what is reported here.
Secondly, it’s important that you specifically review the success rates for both the college and the course you’re applying to. Different courses at Oxbridge have varying success rates, with some having offer rates of over 50%, which gives you a much higher chance of success. You can view all of the relevant data in our acceptance rate guides:
Access "The Big Book Of Oxbridge Applications" For FREE
Are you looking for more information about Oxford and Cambridge to help with your application? The Big Book Of Oxbridge Applications is available for free here and explains everything you need to know about Oxbridge admissions. Through over 350 pages, you will find:
- 28 example Oxbridge Personal Statements
- Over 40 admissions test practice questions
- Interviews with Oxbridge students and graduates
- Additional downloadable resources
Fill in your details below to claim your digital copy today!
Oxbridge Admissions Process
If you still believe that Oxbridge is right for you, the next thing you’ll have to contend with is the application process. You may be familiar with that standard UK university admissions process, but Oxbridge applicants will need to complete additional steps to earn their offers.
The two primary steps that most applicants will complete are the admissions tests and interviews. Both of these are put in place to help the Oxbridge faculty differentiate between applicants, as the standard UCAS application doesn’t provide enough information to choose between the thousands of people who apply to each university.
Some Oxbridge admissions tests are sat in October, while others at Cambridge are taken directly before interviews. It’s essential that applicants take the time to prepare for them, but this isn’t always easy. With most of these tests taking place in October or December, you’ll need to be working on your preparation at the same time as your school work. Starting early is always recommended, but this doesn’t necessarily help with the fact that you’ll be taking the admissions test in the middle of your school term.
This pressure will likely build up as you aim to balance these two important aspects of your life, but effective scheduling and planning can help ease this stress. However, you’re going to have to accept that, for these few months, you need to work additional hours and put in more effort to ensure that you achieve a good admissions test score while also maintaining your performance at school.
If you’re applying to study Medicine, you will need to contend with the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), which must be sat between July and September. This gives you even less time to prepare and necessitates starting as early as possible, ideally before the summer holidays have even begun.
While admissions test preparation is crucial during these months, you’re also going to need to get ready for the possibility of attending an interview. These interviews take place in December, and applicants aren’t given much notice about if they’ve been invited or not. This means that you’re going to have to dedicate time to preparation before then, as you need to be ready for the real thing.
These interviews can be a particularly strong source of stress, as it will be the first time you formally meet the admissions tutors who have been assessing your application. They aren’t easy, so you’ll need to be prepared for challenging (or sometimes weird) questions while maintaining a calm and professional demeanour.
However, if you are invited to an interview, it means that the faculty has seen potential in your application thus far, which should give you a confidence boost that will ease your stress to some degree. Of course, attending an interview is very different from sitting a test or writing a Personal Statement, but making it this far in the admissions process is a sign that you have what it takes to be successful.
As nice as it is to know that the college you applied to sees your potential, this doesn’t change that fact this time is incredibly stressful for those preparing their applications, so don’t feel ashamed or annoyed with yourself if the nerves start to become overwhelming. It’s a difficult process that a lot of people don’t make it through, so you can only do your best to stay strong as you work through each step.
Oxbridge Academic Standards
The last major source of stress that we’ll discuss in this guide will mainly come after you’ve earned your offer. If you’ve researched the reputations that Oxford and Cambridge have garnered, you’ll likely know about the high academic standards that are expected of students who are admitted into the universities.
These standards are made obvious by the grade requirements, which require almost all applicants to achieve AAA – A*A*A depending on the course. If you’ve got your offer, you’re likely already on track to achieve these grades, but that doesn’t mean that exam season isn’t stressful. High-performing students typically find success in their academics because they put the time and effort in to do well, but this isn’t easy and leads to plenty of moments of self-doubt.
However, once the exams are finished and you’ve gotten the grades you needed, the stress will all be finished, right? This is far from the truth, as taking your first steps into Oxford or Cambridge may be more scary than anything else you’ve done so far.
Firstly, there’s the academic pressure you’ll be feeling. Classes at Oxbridge are intense and everyone is expected to keep pace with the class in order to succeed. While support is available if you’re struggling, it’s generally a fast-paced study environment that rewards those who perform well.
With how small the class sizes can be in some colleges (especially during the Tutorials/Supervisions), you may begin to compare yourself more and more to your peers. This can lead to further pressure, even if you’re still performing at a good level. It’s important to remember that it’s not a competition and that your own performance is the only thing that’s actually important.
While the classes at Oxbridge are intimidating, there’s a whole other aspect to university life that will add to the pressure even further; this is likely the first time you’ve lived all by yourself! Many new university students are excited by the prospect of leaving home during the application process, but when you actually arrive, it can often be a different story.
That’s not to say that you’ll have a bad experience, as all Oxbridge colleges aim to make students as welcome as possible. However, it’s still a big change in your life that will require some adjustment time. Some begin to fit in quite easily, while others may take longer.
If you find that you aren’t comfortable with your surroundings after a while, you may consider dropping out or changing course. These are very drastic options, so they should not be chosen hastily. It can take some students two terms or even a full year to fully adjust to life at university, so it’s not a good idea to quit unless you absolutely hate the experience you’re having.
If you’re struggling but want to keep trying, keep aiming for small victories and do things to ease your stress or sadness regularly, whether that be getting your favourite food or visiting home on the weekends. All of this will help you ease into your environment and gradually begin to enjoy the Oxbridge experience.
Get expert support for your Oxbridge application with UniAdmissions
If the Oxbridge application seems too much for you to handle, comprehensive support is available. As a UniAdmissions student, you will have access to unlimited one-to-one tuition, intensive courses, a large suite of resources and much more. We get more students into Oxbridge than any other school.
Discover our Full-Blue Programmes by clicking the button below to learn how your child can enrol and triple their chances of success.
Tips For Dealing With The Oxbridge Pressure
Now that we’ve explored the key causes of stress for Oxbridge applicants, here are some tips for how you can reduce it and boost your chances of success:
Conquering Imposter Syndrome
Remember the statistic we mentioned before relating to imposter syndrome? While this isn’t specific to Oxford or Cambridge students, there are plenty of ways that we can see that the people who study at these universities commonly feel this way. If you want to reassure yourself that you aren’t the only one feeling this way, read through some online posts or join a group chat for Oxbridge applicants/new students.
When prompted to be honest about their feelings, you’ll see that a lot of people will say they feel imposter syndrome when applying to or attending an Oxbridge university. However, many of these students go on to achieve success in both their application and actual studies. If you’re given the chance to attend Oxford or Cambridge, you have already proven yourself worthy of attending the university, no matter how nervous you may feel about it.
No one earns their place completely by luck (although some say it plays a small role in the admissions process). Instead, it comes down to the hard work you’re willing to put in to make your application as competitive as possible. If you’ve done that, you have all the evidence you need to prove that you deserve to attend the university.
Preparing for Success
Success doesn’t come without preparation, but effective preparation can’t be achieved without a plan. With so many things to worry about during those few months between the summer and the end of the Oxbridge admissions process, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and burn out, ruining your chances of succeeding. However, with a bit of planning and scheduling, you’ll improve your chances significantly.
Planning and scheduling are two different things, but both are vital. Planning relates to the “what” and “how”: what do you need to prepare for and how are you going to do it? Scheduling relates to the “when”: when does it need to be done and how will you ensure you give yourself enough time for everything?
When creating a plan, you need to understand what needs to be done for every part of the process and how you would be able to do it most effectively. Once you have all of the steps in place, you need to look at all of the deadlines coming up, as well as other commitments such as school work and personal events. The key is to make a plan for the next few months that provides enough time for everything to be prepared for and completed in line with said deadlines.
This will often involve working on multiple things in the same period, which is why scheduling is so important. Dedicate specific days or time slots for each activity to ensure everything gets enough attention and you don’t get distracted with other tasks. Of course, it’s also important to factor in breaks, so you need to ensure you’ve given yourself enough time to work through everything without rushing or cramming (starting during the summer holidays is generally a good option).
When your plan is complete, all you need to do is stick with it. It may be hard, especially when you get to more intimidating parts of your application, but you must keep your motivations and goals at the front of your mind to ensure you follow through. While it may not be fun, it’s all in service of your ultimate goal of getting into Oxbridge, which should be more than enough to keep you motivated through these difficult months.
Remember Your Worth
As we’ve already learnt, getting your offer, or even your final place, isn’t the end of the pressure. Although the stress of the academic challenge ahead of you may feel greater than the application process, it’s important to remember that the hardest part is actually over.
By successfully navigating the admissions process, you’ve proven that you have what it takes to be an Oxbridge student. Your application was assessed by admissions tutors who have likely seen thousands of others throughout their careers, but the amount of those that they have accepted is far smaller than the total amount they’ve seen. That fact that you’re one of the few they deemed good enough for Oxbridge shows that you have what it takes to take on any challenge that comes ahead.
Supporting An Oxbridge Applicant Through Stress
You may be reading this guide not because you’re applying to Oxbridge yourself, but because you want to support someone else who is. It can be hard seeing someone go through a difficult process like this without being certain that they will even be successful, so here are some ways you can help them remain calm:
Provide Reassurance
This is an obvious one, but just be there for them to provide some reassuring words when they hit a low point in their process. If they feel unsure that they have what it takes, remind them of everything they’ve accomplished up until now that proves they have the potential to succeed.
That’s not to say you should give them false hope or tell them that their place is guaranteed, as this isn’t going to help them push forward with the work that is required. Instead, you should keep them grounded but encourage them to continue with the hard work they’ve been going through. The chances of success at Oxbridge are small, but the ones who do succeed are the ones who put the time and effort in to remain competitive.
Support Their Application
Whether you’re their parent, friend or mentor, there are plenty of ways that you can support them through their application process. This can include providing feedback on their Personal Statement or mock admissions tests, conducting mock interviews with them or helping them access resources that will boost their progress.
You shouldn’t force your help on them, however, so always let them take the lead when it comes to how you can support them. They will know what they want; you just need to let them know that you’re there for them to help them prepare effectively.
Celebrate Their Successes
Throughout the process, there are a lot of milestones that applicants reach, from submitting their UCAS form to completing their admissions test and finishing their last interview. It’s important to take the time to celebrate each of these victories with them by doing something they enjoy, especially if they’re worried they didn’t do well enough.
Of course, the biggest celebrations will come once they’ve achieved the ultimate goals of earning their offer and achieving the required grades to get in. These are moments that are worthy of something special, whether it be a surprise or something planned by them. Either way, it’s important to be there for them during the ups just as much as the downs.
That concludes our guide to dealing with the pressure that Oxbridge applications bring. It’s never an easy process, but we hope these tips will help you get through the process or support someone who is going through it.
As well as everything we’ve discussed in this guide, there are so many other things to learn that can help you be better prepared for the process, so be sure to explore our other application guides. If you’re looking for the most comprehensive support available for Oxbridge applicants, discover our Full-Blue Programmes today.
We support students through the application process of every major Oxbridge course, utilising over ten years’ worth of experience and resources, combined with unlimited one-to-one tutoring and our state-of-the-art preparation portal to ensure our students have the best chance of getting their offer. If you would like to learn how to enrol on a programme, book a free consultation to speak with our admissions team.
Reduce the pressure of the Oxbridge application with support from UniAdmissions
UniAdmissions specialises in getting applicants into Oxford and Cambridge, using our dedicated formula to success and limitless resources and support options. 59% of our Full-Blue students got their place in 2024, so enrol on one of our programmes to boost your chances of success!
Discover our Full-Blue Programmes by clicking the button below to learn how your child can enrol and triple their chances of success.
