Stats for kids attending Oxford UK from the US
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Anonymous
I can't find language that talks about the 2 year requirement. My sophomore wants engineering. He likes the idea of studying abroad, but hasn't made any decisions about where to apply, so the goal is just to keep that door open. He wants engineering which is a A*A*A course, and requires exams in math and physics. If he takes the exams in the years he takes the courses he'll have 8th grade CSA Freshmen year Physics 1 and 2 2 other exams Sophomore year BC Calc Chemistry some other exams Junior year Biology some other exams Senior Year Physics C -- both parts some other exams He's gotten a 5 on every thing so far, but of course who knows. If he continues to get 5's, is the fact that BC was in 10th really going to mean that Oxbridge isn't an option? That seems nuts to me. |
Anonymous
Are the “some other exams” APs? If so you’re fine. He has 3 STEM APs in 11/12 - bio and two physics. Toss in AP Lit, Lang, Euro, or whatever non-stem ones he also has happening. |
Anonymous
Yes, he'll take a language exam or two, and probably AP Lit and Lang, APUSH etc . . . |
Anonymous
When was this? They have updated their US requirements recently. So if it was in the past couple years, its moot. |
Anonymous
Was in the past couple of years. There might be variation by course, though. Some courses may require specific AP exams. My kid's did not. |
Anonymous
Those courses where the subjects are not specified for exams, are the more unusual majors. Good for him though, that's a great result. Did he go? |
Anonymous
DP: where do you find that courses have specified AP exams? I see Admissions Requirements for 2026 by course ( https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/courses/admission-requirements/admission-requirements-table ), which specifies essential, recommended, and helpful fields of study, along with required subject tests. I also find Qualification Requirements for international students by country, which lays out that for some courses with required math, students must take Calc BC if available: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/for-international-students/international-qualifications My DS is applying for PPE, which is one of the largest courses, I believe. They recommend "Maths" and say History is "helpful", but they do not mention anything about required AP exams. DS can't take AP Micro until senior year, so he won't have a score for it. |
Anonymous
| My kid graduated from Oxford three years ago so this is all dated but they had a conditional offer, needed two more APs of 5s and end of senior year. (He had more than 5 but some were freshman year. Or maybe freshman and sophomore?). Anyway. He took 3 AP classes and tests and retook an AP test he took freshman year just to make sure had two. |
Anonymous
It's the interviews that go deep, not necessarily the UK curriculum |
Anonymous
Oxford mainly only cares about APs related to the course you're applying for |
Anonymous
UCAS essays are very different from common app essays, make sure he reads a few online to get a feel for what is expected |
Anonymous
Sorry to confuse. The subject majors usually ask for A level subjects as a) required b) suggested or none specifically required. The key in this information is to mirror those subject requirements with the AP choices. Given they are looking for a minimum of 5 APs now, it means you can target ALL the required and / or suggested for certain STEM courses, covering Physics, Bio, Chem, Math, and 1 other. |
Anonymous
I would rephrase that slightly to Oxford cares about the AP courses you're taking and how these can apply to your major. So if you're applying for Experimental Psychology and you've got Chem, Bio, Stats, Calc and English Lang you have an advantage because most A level students applying for this course who are taking only 3 A levels (the standard) will unlikely be taking English Language. But if you have that as an AP they know you'll be able to handle the essay content of the course, of which there is quite a lot at different stages of the 3 yr program. |
Anonymous
They will require a "predicted" score for that AP Micro, officially from the school counselor, as part of the application. Without it they won't progress the student towards the interview stage. |
Anonymous
I'm the PP above who listed classes. I had my kid email Cambridge. I chose it over Oxford, because I heard it's stronger in engineering. Cambridge emailed back quickly and said that as long as he has Calculus and Physics C somewhere, and he's planning 5 AP's his senior year, he's good (assuming 5's). So, I think they are looking for two things. One is do they have the required content -- which for Engineering is Calc and Physics C. The other is can they handle the work load of multiple AP level classes in a single year. That makes sense to me, that handling workload would be a high priority. |