At Brasenose College we pride ourselves in not only being a happy place but also welcoming a diverse set of new undergraduate students from across the UK and beyond every year. In the 2024/25 admissions cycle we very impressed by all our applicants, especially those we made offers to, and it was wonderful to meet so many of them at our Offer Holder event in March.
Once again around 80% of our UK offer holders are from state schools. They hail from locations such as Bradford, Leicester, Leeds, Blackpool, Birmingham, Glossop, Newcastle, Slough, Liverpool, Bristol, Wrexham, Glasgow, Devon, Sheffield and Cheshire, as well as the London region.
Looking internationally, we have offer holders from the USA, Switzerland, Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Spain and Ireland.
Amber, a Second year Chemistry student, is our current JCR Access and Admissions Rep. She commented: “When applying, like many others, I was full of preconceptions about studying and living in Oxford and I was very concerned that I wasn’t the typical student that Oxford was looking for, especially coming from a state school and wanting to study a STEM subject as a woman. My experiences and the amazing people I have met here over the course of visiting Brasenose on the Open Day, attending the Offer Holder Day, and my time here so far, have completely changed my views on what Oxford is like. As soon as I was met with the friendly, kind and encouraging Brasenose students on the Open Day, I was sold. Now, in my second year, it is baffling to think that at some point I was apprehensive about applying, as I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else!
One of the ways Oxford that is unique is the college system, which I have found to be so beneficial when making friends (and as Oxford’s friendliest college it’s hard not to!); I like how this doesn’t feel limited to my own year but extends above and below as our community is so close. This sense of community at Brasenose is really what has made my time here so special – it really is the people who make the college. Participating in traditions and going to formals, which before seemed pretentious and that I was determined to not lean into, have surprisingly (to me) become some of my favourite memories as they get us all together and have allowed me to meet new people of all backgrounds. Our student body’s (JCR) Diversity & Equality rep organises an ethnic minorities college family scheme (amongst many other things) which helped me feel super welcome before I came, and as a person of mixed heritage. Other student representatives include our Women*s, Welfare and Arts Reps who all organise loads of fun events throughout term, providing a great way to meet people who have similar interests to you. The Entz reps also organise BOPS (big, organised parties) which are essentially club nights with the rest of the college and makes a work-life balance easier to obtain because everything is organised for us!
As Access Rep, one of my favourite things to see is how Brasenose students are dedicated to easing prospective applicants’ worries, debunking Oxford myths when leading tours or on social media so that everyone feels welcome and emboldened to apply here – so get applying!!!”
Despite having a history that traces all the way back to the 1200s, Brasenose is an incredibly progressive and modern college. Brasenose was among the first of the Oxford colleges to become mixed gender (we have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of admitting women recently), and the student council (the JCR) has a representative (or representatives) for Women*, welfare, charities, and Diversities & Equality. Everyone is welcome at Brasenose, regardless of gender, religion, identity, school-type or background.
Each year, we run events to celebrate the diverse range of brilliant individuals that make up the college. Examples include LGBTQ+ events, Ethnic Minority pot luck dinner, a Chinese New Year dinner, a Burns Night dinner and Ceilidh. Of course, there are lots of events put on by the students just for fun as well, such as music festivals, film nights, pub quizzes, Halloween parties, garden parties, music recitals, a massive selection of sports, and one of the university’s biggest arts festival taking place across a week in May.
We understand that some students think that choosing Oxford will be more expensive than other universities and they worry that they cannot afford it, or that they would not fit in. This is certainly not the case. Tuition fees at Oxford are no more expensive than most other UK universities, and although the southeast of England does have higher than average living costs, there are comprehensive bursary schemes to support those from low-income backgrounds. Typically, these are much more generous than those available at other Russell Group universities. For 2025 entry, UK students with a household income below £50,000/year will be entitled to some form of bursary (see here for more information).
You can also learn more about our students by reading their blogs (Dhairya, Olivia, Diana, Hattie, Alex, Lucy, Jui), the Brasenosejcr page on Instagram (especially the student take-overs) and @BrasenoseNews on Twitter.
Of course, the best way to get a feel for the college and our wonderful staff and students is to visit us on one of the university open days. All colleges and departments will be open for you to visit and there’ll be talks, sample lectures, “meet the tutors” session and much more. We look forward to welcoming you!
So, if you are thinking of applying to Oxford, why not put down Brasenose as your college preference? We are always looking for the very best students, and we would love you to be one of them. If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected]
A detailed breakdown of our admissions statistics for this year can be found here.