University of Oxford’s UNIQ Programme

UNIQ is a free programme for state-educated students from all over the UK who are in their first year of further education. Every year more students from diverse backgrounds apply to the University of Oxford and get offered places with help from UNIQ.

Here are the top things you need to know about UNIQ:

• UNIQ offers both an in-person residential in Oxford and an online support programme.
• UNIQ starts online in April, with academic courses in the summer, followed by further online admissions support until December.
• UNIQ is a free programme and applications close in January.
• Applying to UNIQ via our website is very simple and takes about 15 minutes.
• UNIQ gives students the opportunity to find out if Oxford is right for them.
• Many UNIQ students get the opportunity to stay in an Oxford college and explore Oxford for themselves.
• UNIQ helps students prepare for University and explore subjects that interest them.
• UNIQ students get to know our Oxford undergraduates and work with our academics in face to face lectures, labs and tutorials.
• UNIQ enables students with similar interests in local regions and across the UK to connect with each other through social and academic activities.
• There are over 1000 places on the UNIQ academic summer residential.
• Information about the admissions process is available throughout the programme, and, for those who decide to apply to Oxford, there is more intensive support available in the autumn to help with preparation for our admissions tests and interviews.
• UNIQ is open to students attending UK state schools and selection considers students’ school grades and their socio-economic and educational background.
• UNIQ students who apply to Oxford have a higher rate of success than other students.

Selection Criteria

UNIQ is an access programme, which means that we prioritise UK state school students with good grades from backgrounds that are under-represented at Oxford and other highly selective universities.

We welcome applications from:

• Year 13 students from Northern Ireland, in the first year of A level studies or equivalent

The criteria we use to select students relate to academic potential and information on students’ educational and socio-economic background.

Your educational journey must be one with no large gaps. For example completing your GCSEs and then moving towards A-levels within a year is considered typical progress.

We use qualifications as an indicator of applicants’ academic potential and use information about schools to put these grades into context.

We don’t want to miss out on students with the potential to do really well at Oxford, so we try to be as flexible as we can regarding the grades we require for UNIQ. As a general guide:

We prefer applications with 8 x GCSE grades, including some at 7/ 8/ 9/ A/ A* grades (or equivalent).

Educational and socio-economic background

Admission to UNIQ is based on the merits of each candidate and takes into account their individual context. Places are prioritised for students with academic potential who:

• have ever been in care.
• have been eligible for Free School Meals.
• live in areas where relatively few people progress to higher education, using POLAR postcode classification.
• live in areas associated with lower socio-economic backgrounds, using ACORN postcode classification.

UNIQ welcomes applications from students with disabilities and makes reasonable adjustments to facilitate access to their course.

We recognise that some students face additional difficulties in accessing their education, and as a result their academic results may not provide an accurate reflection of their academic potential. If there are any special circumstances that you would like us to consider in your application, please record these in your application in the ‘Extenuating Circumstances’ section provided on the application form.

Please note that information in applications will be checked and that offers of places on UNIQ may be withdrawn if claims within applications are not verified.

For further information click here