Admissions facts and figures
Applications Success Rate - 2021
|
No. of Applicants |
Shortlisted |
Offered Places |
Success Rate |
History (Single Honours) |
861 | 647 | 242 | 28.1% |
Ancient and Modern History |
114 | 74 | 29 | 25.4% |
History and Economics |
152 | 62 | 18 | 11.8% |
History and English |
130 | 65 | 18 | 14.6% |
History and Modern Languages |
92 | 74 | 19 | 20.7% |
History and Politics |
432 | 163 | 49 | 11.3% |
TOTAL |
1781 | 1085 | 375 | 21.1% |
The figure for History (Single Honours) Offered Place includes 18 candidates who applied for one of the joint schools, but were offered a place on the single honours course.
2021 History Aptitude Test (HAT) Scores

Contextualised GCSE 9/8/A* score (cGCSE)
The contextualised GCSE (cGCSE) score provides information about how well an applicant has performed at GCSE compared to other applicants to Oxford, given the performance of the school at which they took their GCSEs. It can be useful for identifying applicants from low performing schools who have achieved fewer top grades than other applicants, but more than would be expected for an average applicant from that school, and vice versa.
If candidates do not have a contextualised GCSE score, they will be included in the ranking using the information available.
Weighting of Test scores in 2021-22
Candidates were given scores and ranks at three different stages in the application process: at the shortlisting stage, immediately before the interviews, and after the interviews at the first college. There were no contextualised GCSE scores in 2021. Although the scores, individually and combined, provide a helpful framework for assessing candidates, tutors also take into account the individual circumstances and potential abilities of each candidate.
The weightings of the different components used in Admissions 2021 to score the applicants at each stage are outlined below:
History (Single Honours)
Application Stage |
Contextualised GCSE score |
History Aptitude Test (HAT) |
History Written Work |
History Interview |
Shortlisting |
N/A |
100% |
|
|
Pre-Interview |
N/A |
70% |
30% |
|
Post-Interview |
N/A |
40% |
20% |
40% |
Ancient and Modern History
Application Stage |
Contextualised GCSE score |
HAT |
History Written Work |
History Interview |
Classics Interview |
Shortlisting |
N/A |
100% |
|
|
|
Pre-Interview |
N/A |
70% |
30% |
|
|
Post-Interview |
N/A |
40% |
20% |
20% |
20% |
History and Economics
Application Stage |
Contextualised GCSE score |
HAT |
TSA |
History Written Work |
History Interview |
Economics Interview |
Shortlisting |
N/A |
50% |
50% |
|
|
|
Pre-Interview |
N/A |
40% |
40%
|
20% |
|
|
Post-Interview |
N/A |
25% |
25% |
10% |
20% |
20% |
History and English
Application Stage |
Contextualised GCSE score |
HAT |
English Written Work |
History Written Work |
History Interview |
English Interview |
Shortlisting |
N/A |
60% |
40% |
|
|
|
Pre-Interview |
N/A |
40% |
40% |
20%
|
|
|
Post-Interview |
N/A |
25% |
25% |
10% |
20% |
20% |
History and Modern Languages
HML candidates were considered at each stage of the process through consultation between College tutors from both History and ML. All information about these candidates, for both subjects, - GCSE score, pre-interview test scores (HAT and MLAT), written work scores, interview times and scores - was entered into the Modern Languages Admissions Database (MLAD) by the College's ML Primary User (who is one of the ML tutors). This resulted in each candidate carrying a 'guide score' (school written work scores were not included in this calculation). Final admissions decisions could be informed by this score, but it was not used mechanistically as a ranking tool.
History and Politics
Application Stage |
Contextualised GCSE score |
HAT |
History Written Work |
History Interview |
Politics Interview |
Shortlisting |
N/A |
100% |
|
|
|
Pre-Interview |
N/A |
70% |
30% |
|
|
Post-Interview |
N/A |
40% |
20% |
20% |
20% |