WHERE SHOULD YOU APPLY?

Oxford’s announcement that it will continue to ask only for AAA grades from its applicants contrasts with the Cambridge decision to retain its A*AA entry requirement (and perhaps raise it to A*A*A). This suggests that there is now a real difference in the two universities’ admissions policy.
Applications to both have continued to rise, but they are now rising more steeply at Oxford. Students nervous about their ability to achieve the higher A-level grade stipulated by Cambridge may be tempted to follow this trend, but they should be cautious. The picture is not as simple as the news stories suggest.

For a start, the mere existence of A* grades may lead many schools to raise learning standards. So, hard-working, able students should be able to obtain the grade, especially if taught how to answer the new, open-ended questions. They might also want to note that the proportion of state school students admitted to Cambridge in 2009 was still some 5 per cent above that of Oxford. And while Cambridge seeks higher grades, it is not totally inflexible. Almost 100 disadvantaged candidates each year get in with (very) slightly lower grades, a policy which the university says will continue.

Oxford, on the other hand, continues to put greater trust in the interview. This can mean that an articulate, well-read student from a comprehensive that does not focus on guiding its students towards A* grades may be better off applying there. Assuming the course you like is offered by both universities, you have a couple of months to decide which approach may work best for you. Reading OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES will help you decide.

15 July 2010
WHAT IF THE FEES GO UP?
Government plans to change the universities‘ fee structure are worrying many future students. What if university fees rise steeply? Will a degree course in medicine cost twice as much as a degree course in geography? Or will students starting their course now have to pay a “graduate tax” for twenty years?
While any of these things might yet happen, it won't do so right away. Lord Browne, who has been commissioned to look into university funding, will report back to the government in October 2010. Only then will MPs start to debate the issue. Even if they rapidly agree, this is too late to change tuition fees for 2011. Higher education will almost certainly cost more from 2012, but only for students starting out then. Others will be paying the old fees.
Both Oxford and Cambridge have repeatedly made clear that they will continue to offer financial support to poorer students, whatever the changes, so as to ensure that an Oxbridge education is not beyond their reach. For more information, read OXBRIDGE ENTRANCE: THE REAL RULES.