Oxford and Cambridge Colleges: How to Choose One or Make an Open Application

Choosing between Oxford and Cambridge colleges means either naming a preferred college in the UCAS application or making an open application, in which case the university allocates one. Both universities describe the colleges as the place where undergraduates live, receive pastoral support and are taught in small groups, whilst the university sets the exams and awards the degree. Cambridge states that, for equally well-qualified applicants, naming a college or applying openly makes no difference to the chance of an offer.

Each student applies to only one of the two universities in a year, and Oxford describes its tutors as having no preference between open and named applications. Both universities also move some applicants between colleges after the first look, which is why the decision tends to matter less than students expect.

What do Oxford and Cambridge colleges do for undergraduates?

Colleges are where undergraduates live, receive academic and pastoral support and are taught in small groups, whilst the university sets the course content, the exams and the degree. Oxford describes colleges as responsible for admitting undergraduates and for tutorial teaching, with tutorials normally involving two or three students and a tutor, and with accommodation provided in the first year and at least one other year. Cambridge describes the college as the place where students live, eat, socialise, receive support and often, though not always, have supervisions.

Oxford lists pastoral support from subject tutors, college parents, welfare representatives, chaplains, doctors, a college nurse, porters and peer supporters trained by the Counselling Service. At both universities students on the same course attend the same lectures and sit the same exams whichever college they join. Oxford adds that assessment is mostly by university exams, and that colleges may set their own collections, which do not count towards the final degree.

How do you apply to a named college or make an open application?

A student names a college by entering that college's campus code in the Choices section of the UCAS application, and makes an open application by selecting the open option for the course instead. UCAS lists Oxford courses against individual colleges alongside an Open Application location, and lists Cambridge courses against their college locations. Each university accepts one application from a student in a year, and UCAS describes the single application as being to either Oxford or Cambridge, with any exceptions set out on the two universities' websites.

Cambridge states that a student submits either a preference college or an open application, that the choice cannot be changed once the UCAS application is submitted, and that a student placed at a college cannot ask to transfer to another. Oxford says an application allocated to a college is final. Both universities say an applicant can receive an offer from a college other than the one named.

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What happens to an open application?

An open application is allocated by the university to a college, and Cambridge states that the aim is to even out the distribution of applicants for each course across the colleges. Oxford describes the allocation as going to a college with relatively fewer applications for that course. Cambridge adds that once allocated, the application is treated exactly the same as any other, and that interviewers are not told whether an applicant applied openly or named a college.

Cambridge notes that an open applicant cannot be placed at a college with a different interview format, so the interview is online or in person according to the allocated college. Applicants to Cambridge with unusual qualifications, a mobility or sensory impairment or other needs that call for particular support are also advised to seek advice and apply to a specific college. Oxford suggests naming a preference if there are colleges the student would not want to attend.

What can reasonably guide the choice, and what does not change the chance of admission?

Course availability, accommodation, size, facilities, location and the feel of a college are the points the universities treat as reasonable grounds for choosing. Cambridge advises checking first that a college takes students in the chosen subject, since some do not, and then looking at college size, the appearance and type of accommodation, particular facilities and personal preference. Oxford suggests size, look and feel and location, and asks students to confirm that the college offers their course.

Cambridge also says that entry requirements and policies can differ between colleges, so its page directs students to check each course page, the interview format and each college's position on gap years, resits and reapplication. On the question of chances, Cambridge lists what should not drive the decision, and Oxford describes an open application as neither stronger nor weaker than naming a college.

• Application statistics: Cambridge says choosing a college that attracts fewer applications, or applying openly, will not increase the chance of an offer.
• Travelling time: Cambridge describes the city as compact, so travel between a college and a department is short from any college.
• Age of the college: Cambridge says the student experience does not depend on how old a college is.
• Fellows' research interests: Cambridge says these do not dictate what a student can study or guarantee who supervises them.

How do college interviews and the Cambridge pool work?

Shortlisted applicants are interviewed by a college, and both universities describe interviews as academic conversations about the chosen subject with tutors who teach it. Oxford says interviews are designed to assess academic potential through discussion that resembles a short tutorial, that many applicants are interviewed by more than one college, and that a very oversubscribed college may reallocate shortlisted applicants to another. Cambridge says most applicants have at least one subject interview, with interviewers who use no trick questions, and that a college sets whether it interviews online or in person.

At Cambridge, moderation procedures let colleges compare their own applicants with those at other colleges before offers are decided, and the pool lets an applicant squeezed out at one college be considered by others. Pooled applicants need to do nothing, and the Cambridge winter pool guide asks them not to contact any college whilst the pool runs. A tutor can help the student practise talking about the subject and prepare for the interview.

How can open days and prospectuses help you choose?

Open days, virtual tours and college prospectuses help a student compare accommodation, facilities and atmosphere in a way the application form cannot. Cambridge suggests shortlisting around three to five colleges to start, reading the college profiles in its colleges publication, checking each college's website, contacting college admissions offices with questions, and either visiting a few colleges or using the virtual tour to meet current students and see what living and studying there is like.

Each Cambridge college profile in that publication lists the courses available, accommodation details and open day information, which makes it a quick way to remove colleges that do not offer the subject. Oxford publishes a listing page for each college on its undergraduate admissions site, and UCAS lists university open days, including Cambridge's, in its events search.

Why is the choice smaller than students fear?

The choice is smaller than students fear because the universities describe the colleges as offering similar support, running the same admissions process and sharing the same academic programme. Cambridge says most colleges offer similar facilities, support and accommodation, that the application process is the same at each, and that students on a course sit the same exams whichever college they join. Oxford says all colleges use a common framework for admissions and that students receive the same degree.

Both universities also describe movement between colleges during selection, through Oxford's reallocation of oversubscribed candidates and Cambridge's pool. A sensible order is to settle the course first, check which colleges offer it, shortlist a few that suit the student's practical needs and then either name one or apply openly.

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