Expert perspectives on academic research, university admissions, and intellectual life — written by the OCAR team for ambitious high school students worldwide.
Both universities let you request feedback, and both set hard deadlines on it. What Oxford and Cambridge publish about feedback, appeals, reapplying and what comes next.
Read ArticleOxford’s 16.7% headline splits into 21.0% for UK applicants and 9.8% for international ones. The 2025 breakdown by domicile and country, with country-by-country and course-by-course tables, from Oxford’s own report.
Read Article →Cambridge’s 16.3% headline splits into 19.6% for Home applicants and 10.7% for international ones. The 2025 cycle by domicile and country, with country-by-country and Oxford-comparison tables, from Cambridge’s own report.
Read Article →The UCAS reference is capped at 4,000 characters with no formatting. What Oxford and Cambridge ask teachers to include, and what you can put in their hands first.
Read Article →Every date for 2027 entry, from the 28 April course listing to August 2027 results, with a full at-a-glance table. UCAS, admissions tests, written work, My Cambridge Application, interviews and decisions, and every point where the two universities diverge.
Read Article →What happens in an Oxbridge interview, what tutors assess, the binding code of conduct you agree to when you accept, and why both universities tell you not to pay for coaching. With real tutor questions and the December 2026 dates.
Read Article →Oxford doesn’t ask for a GPA. Cambridge does, and won’t publish a number. What both universities actually require from US applicants, with the real AP, SAT and ACT thresholds course by course.
Read Article →Neither gives you an admissions edge. How A-Levels and the IB actually differ in structure, how UK universities convert grades between them (the DfE pegs 45 IB points to five A*), and which suits whom.
Read Article →How UK and US applications actually differ: course choice, five UCAS slots versus many, the three-question personal statement, super-curriculars, conditional offers, and which UK universities want SAT or ACT scores.
Read Article →How UCAS works, step by step: five course choices, the new three-question personal statement, references, the £34.50 fee, and every 2027 entry deadline — with the earlier 15 October date for Oxford, Cambridge and medicine.
Read Article →You can only apply to one. The real differences between Oxford and Cambridge — deadlines, decision dates, admissions tests (including Oxford-only TARA), written work, and how PPE splits into two Cambridge degrees.
Read Article →How to apply to Cambridge — the 29-college system, the UCAS and My Cambridge Application deadlines, admissions tests (TMUA, ESAT, UCAT, LNAT), exact 2027 dates, what happens at interview, and how the winter pool works.
Read Article →What international students need for Oxford — UCAS deadlines, the new UAT-UK tests (ESAT, TMUA, TARA), the three-question personal statement, English requirements, grade evaluation, visas, and what tutors look for in interviews.
Read Article →Six research programs for high school students applying to Oxford and Cambridge, ranked on merit — RSI, MITES, Pioneer, OCAR, Simons, and SIMR — with real costs, deadlines, selectivity, and eligibility.
Read Article →OCAR pairs high school students one-on-one with an Oxbridge or Ivy League PhD mentor to write an original research paper — the two tracks (£2,000 and £3,400), the milestone structure, and how to apply.
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