If you’re applying to study at Oxford or Cambridge, you need to be prepared for the final stage of the admissions process - the interviews. After working through your UCAS application, Personal Statement and admissions test, the interviews are your chance to meet the admissions tutors directly and demonstrate why you deserve a spot on your desired course.
If you’re invited to attend interviews, you need to be prepared for an intensive set of sessions with faculty from the university, including advanced questions about your chosen subject and in-depth questions about your experience and motivations. The standard of applicants at Oxbridge is high, so you need to ensure you stand out amongst the others and leave an impression on the interviewers.
On this page, you’ll find essential information about Oxbridge interviews and a full suite of guides to help you prepare, including plenty of example questions for the top courses taught at the universities.
For most universities, interviews aren’t typically necessary because their courses have plenty of available spaces and do not have too large a pool of highly competitive applicants. However, at Oxford and Cambridge, the average quality of each applicant is much higher, and the courses sometimes have greatly reduced capacity. Therefore, an interview is essential for finding the applicants who would be best suited for each course.Â
Bear in mind that you are not being interviewed by the university as a whole but by the college you applied for within the university. Each college will typically have 1 – 5 spaces available for most courses, which is another reason why interviews are important.Â
Studying at Oxbridge requires a great degree of interest and motivation to succeed in your chosen field, so admission tutors find that speaking with the applicants directly is the best way to determine who has the traits required to be admitted.Â
Even if you’re confident in your academic ability and your understanding of your chosen subject, it’s still essential to prepare for your Oxbridge interviews. Having the passion and knowledge of your field is one thing, but it’s also essential that you’re able to discuss these things concisely and effectively while being ready to take on any difficult questions the panel may ask.Â
The first step of interview preparation is to do your research. This shouldn’t just encompass potential questions that may be asked by that college; it should also include details about the college and the subject department itself, as you need to be prepared to explain why you specifically chose to apply there.Â
Realistic mock interviews are the best way to practice your interview skills, especially when doing them with someone you don’t have a close personal connection to. These should be conducted regularly, and in-depth feedback should be provided after each session with points to improve.Â
When will you have to attend your interview? Here are the key time periods you need to be aware of:
All Interview invitations from Oxford and Cambridge are sent after admissions tests have been sat and all applications have been received.Â
The date that these invitations are set varies by subject, but applicants should expect to receive an invitation in mid to late November, just one to three weeks before the interview dates.
Interviews at both Oxford and Cambridge are held in the first three weeks of December for all courses.Â
As Oxbridge applicants are expected to attend multiple interviews, your interviews will usually be held across multiple days. A full timetable of the interview dates for each course is released in advance of the interviewing period, so be sure to check this before attending.Â
Once interviews have been completed, the admissions tutors will make their final decisions before sending out offers. Offers are released on set days at both universities each year.Â
In 2026, Oxford will release offers on January 13th, while Cambridge has not confirmed a date, but usually releases offers at the end of the month.Â
Learn more about the Oxbridge application process within our expert guides below.Â
Oxbridge Interview Questions are designed to be incredibly challenging. In this article, we help you answer one of the hardest Oxbridge Interview questions that will be asked: ‘Why are you applying to Oxbridge?’
Preparing for Cambridge Interview questions is not an easy task, so we’ve put together some common Cambridge Interview questions to look out for and how to answer them.
What are the main differences between Oxford and Cambridge Interviews? In this guide, we highlight the main differences to provide you with some clarity to help you focus on the university you are applying to.
Should you get Oxbridge Interview coaching? This article explores the value of receiving support for your upcoming Oxbridge Interviews. We’ll look at what coaching involves and how it can increase your chances of gaining an Oxbridge offer.
First impressions are important, so choosing what to wear for an Oxbridge Interview can cause unnecessary stress for students. We answer your attire related questions to reduce your stress levels.
Curious about what questions you could be asked during your interview? The following guides feature real questions that were asked to current Oxbridge students during their interviews. While you may not be asked the exact same questions, these should give you an understanding of what to expect during your interview.Â
Interviews at the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge are the final stage of the application process for all undergraduate courses. After being shortlisted based on their UCAS application, grades, Personal Statement and admissions test results (where applicable), applicants will be invited to attend a series of interviews at the college they applied for.Â
These are traditional panel interviews in which each applicant will have a direct conversation with two to three members of faculty from the college. During the interviews, they will be asked various questions about their motivations and experiences, as well as subject-specific questions that are designed to test their understanding and academic ability.Â
While these interviews can be intense, they aren’t designed to catch you out or set you up for failure – they are put in place to give applicants a chance to properly express themselves and allow the admissions tutors to get a true sense of each applicant. While the questions in these interviews may be challenging, they are designed this way to allow those who will excel at Oxbridge to stand out and leave an impression.Â
While the exact number of interviews you will need to attend depends on the course, most applicants will need to complete two or three separate 20 – 30-minute interviews.Â
For example, a shortlisted PPE applicant will need to attend three interviews, one covering each of the three subjects taught in the course.Â
Prior to 2020, most Oxbridge interviews were held in person at the colleges. However, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the Oxbridge interview process, making in-person interviews much less common.Â
Oxford has fully committed to online interviews for all courses for the foreseeable future, while only a limited number of Cambridge Colleges have reintroduced in-person interviews. You can learn more about which Cambridge Colleges require in-person interviews here.Â
If you’re attending an in-person interview, you will be provided with food and accommodation by the college if the interviews take place across multiple days.Â
Once you’ve attended all of your interviews, you will need to wait until the new year to get more information from your college. Offers are sent out at set dates in January at both universities, but what happens if you don’t get an offer?Â
At Cambridge, you may be placed into the Winter Pool before offers are released. This means that the college you applied to didn’t admit you, but felt you had enough potential to study at the university. When entered into the winter pool, other colleges will be able to view your application and decide if they want to admit you. This decision is often made based on the work you’ve already done, but some candidates will be asked to attend more interviews with the new college.Â
If you are successful in the pool, you will receive your offer as normal. If you’re not accepted, you may still have a chance to be admitted via the August Reconsideration Pool. Oxford does not have a formal pooling process, but some applicants may be admitted to a different college than they applied for.Â
