AAA, or 38 IB points with 666 at Higher Level
The A-level requirement is AAA. The IB requirement is 38 points including core points with 666 at Higher Level.
Undergraduate · Oxford Archaeology and Anthropology
Oxford Archaeology and Anthropology: studying past and present societies together
Oxford's Archaeology and Anthropology degree sets two disciplines side by side: the study of past societies through what they left behind, and of present societies through how people live. It has no required subject and no admissions test, but it asks for three pieces of writing, one of them a short essay on the connections between the two fields. The decision is whether you want both lenses on human societies. Oxford's wording below describes 2027 entry; nothing here is a confirmed 2028 requirement.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What Oxford asks for in Archaeology and Anthropology
Taken from Oxford's Archaeology and Anthropology course page and read on 31 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; Oxford's 2028-entry requirements and dates are awaiting publication.
No specific subject requirements
There are no specific subject requirements for admission. A background of studying both arts and science subjects can be helpful.
No test; three pieces of writing
You do not need to take a written test. All candidates submit two recently marked essays and a short essay of no more than 800 words.
An online interview
Shortlisted candidates are invited to at least one online interview. Tutors look for independent thinking, potential and motivation, and enthusiasm for the combined disciplines.
Five Oxford institutions teach the degree
Oxford says five institutions specialise in these subjects and all five play a key role in teaching the degree, which includes fieldwork and a dissertation.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's Archaeology and Anthropology course page, which describes 2027 entry. The UCAS deadline, the written-work submission deadline, interview dates, admissions statistics, fees, the full list of options and the School of Archaeology's own selection criteria page were not read and are not stated.
The course
An unusually broad perspective on human societies
Oxford says its combination of archaeology and anthropology, studied over three years, offers an unusually broad perspective on human societies from early prehistory to the present. Students can explore how humans evolved, major transformations such as the development of farming and the emergence of towns and trading systems, why societies structure their families, economies and political systems as they do, and how material culture represents beliefs and ideologies. Five institutions teach the degree: the School of Archaeology, the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, the Ashmolean Museum, the Pitt Rivers Museum and the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. The first year has four core courses and practical classes and fieldwork; years two and three add five core courses, three options, a fieldwork and methods component and a dissertation.
Is it for you?
A combined degree, and how it differs from nearby courses
The idea of the degree is that each discipline sharpens the other. Think about whether that is how you want to study human societies.
Choose Archaeology and Anthropology if
you want to move between evidence from the past and evidence from living societies, and are interested in material culture and how people make sense of the world.
Look at Human Sciences if
your interest is humans across the biological and social sciences. Oxford Human Sciences is a separate course with its own rules and its own guide in this series.
Cambridge Archaeology is different
Cambridge sets its own routes and requirements. Do not assume the two are interchangeable.
Reading the offer
AAA, and no required subject
The grades are AAA, or 38 IB points with 666 at Higher Level. Oxford specifies no required subjects, and says a background in both arts and science subjects can be helpful. That balance makes sense for a degree that uses scientific methods and humanistic interpretation. A candidate with only sciences or only humanities should not read the absence of a requirement as a lack of expectation: it is the written work and interview that show how you think about evidence.
Written work
Three pieces, and an unusual short essay
Every candidate submits three pieces of writing. Two are recently marked essays, each written as part of a school or college course within a two-week period or less, and preferably in different subjects. If you do not have essays of that kind, for example because you are taking only science or mathematics A levels, Oxford says to contact your College of first choice for advice. The third is a short essay of no more than 800 words. In the cycle described on the page, it asked how you understand the connections between archaeology and anthropology, with reference to what material culture can tell us about people. The prompt belongs to that cycle, so do not assume it is the 2028 question. The submission deadline is also cycle-specific.
The interview
Evidence, independence and commitment
Oxford says tutors are primarily looking for an interest in the study of humans and their material culture, together with the ability to digest large amounts of data and construct evidence-based arguments. You do not need prior experience of either subject, but Oxford says fieldwork experience and supplementary reading would be one possible demonstration of interest and commitment. At interview, tutors look for independent thinking, potential and motivation, enthusiasm for the combined disciplines and commitment to the requirements of the course.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Can you say what an object can and cannot tell you?
Choose an everyday object and list what it tells you about the people who made and used it, and what it does not. That is a small version of the central skill.
Do both halves interest you?
If you would happily drop one, a single-discipline degree may suit better.
Can you work from a lot of material?
The course involves substantial amounts of evidence and a dissertation. Think about whether that appeals.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules Oxford has not yet published for that cycle. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means Oxford published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means Oxford has not yet published it.
Grades, the absence of a required subject, the three pieces of writing and the absence of a test: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Application deadline, the short-essay question, written-work submission deadline, interview dates and any change to selection arrangements: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check Oxford's Archaeology and Anthropology course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Keep two marked essays from different subjects, read widely about both fields, and look for museum or fieldwork opportunities that suit you.
Support
Independent support with course choice and preparation
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with the University of Oxford or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor, working to the actual requirements of each course. Support with reading, argument and interview practice does not extend to writing, editing or rewriting any submitted essay, which must be the applicant's own. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the Oxford Archaeology and Anthropology entry requirements?
AAA at A level, or 38 IB points including core points with 666 at Higher Level, with no specific subject requirements. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Do I need a particular A level subject?
No. Oxford says there are no specific subject requirements for admission, though a background in both arts and science subjects can be helpful.
Is there an admissions test?
No. Oxford's page says no written test is part of the application. You do submit three pieces of writing.
What written work do I submit?
Two recently marked essays, preferably in different subjects, and a short essay of no more than 800 words. The short-essay question described on the page belongs to the 2027 cycle.
Do I need fieldwork or museum experience?
Oxford says you do not need prior experience of either subject, but fieldwork experience and supplementary reading would be seen as one possible demonstration of interest.
Are these the rules for 2028 entry?
No. They are Oxford's wording for the 2027 application cycle. Check the course page again when Oxford publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Talk to us about Oxford Archaeology and Anthropology
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their essay subjects and any fieldwork or museum experience, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.