The University of Oxford has announced that in 2026, for entry in 2027, candidates do NOT need to take a written test as part of an application for any of the following courses: Classics, Classics and English, Classics and Modern Languages and Classics and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Candidates’ linguistic ability and potential will be assessed at interview. Further information will be provided in due course.
This is further indication that the universities of Oxford and Cambridge are concerned about applicant numbers for humanities degrees. In early January, Trinity Hall, Cambridge, was in the news for their “targeted recruitment strategy” which involved encouraging pupils at a number of well-known public schools to apply for Classics, music and theology degrees.
As economic pressures and concerns about graduate job prospects have steered more and more school leavers to those degrees seen as maximising job prospects, more academic and literary degrees are struggling with a drop in demand. Abolishing the classics entrance exams is likely intended to remove an application hurdle for candidates who might consider classics degrees.