A family of regional degrees
Oxford lists Arabic, Persian and Turkish; Chinese; Japanese; Hebrew; Jewish Studies; Sanskrit; Egyptology; and Assyriology. All combine linguistic, literary, historical and cultural studies.
Undergraduate · Oxford Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Oxford Asian and Middle Eastern Studies: a region, not just a language
Oxford's Asian and Middle Eastern Studies is a family of language-and-civilisation degrees, from Arabic, Persian and Turkish to Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Sanskrit and the ancient Near East. You are not expected to have studied the language before, there is no admissions test, and the application rests on two pieces of English writing and an interview. That makes it an unusual route for an academically strong student with no prior exposure to the region. The decision is whether you want a degree in which the language is the key to a civilisation, rather than a language course with some culture attached.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What Oxford asks for in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Taken from Oxford's Asian and Middle Eastern Studies 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.
AAA, or 39 IB points with 666 at Higher Level
The A-level requirement is AAA and the IB requirement is 39 points including core points with 666 at Higher Level.
No language is expected in advance
Students are not expected to have studied an Asian or Middle Eastern language before. A language qualification can help but is not required.
No test, two essays in English
No written test is required. Candidates submit two pieces of writing in English to show how they construct an argument; the topic and subject are not important.
Handwriting is a competence standard
For Japanese, Chinese and Korean, handwriting is a mandatory core element, so assessment includes handwritten work in the script.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's Asian and Middle Eastern Studies course page, which describes 2027 entry. The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies pages, the page for each language option, fees, the contextual-offer details and the 2028-entry values were not read and are not stated.
The course
Learn the language from the first term, and read a civilisation through it
Oxford says the Faculty is distinctive for introducing students to civilisations different from the Western ones that most British schools teach. Each degree pairs intensive language classes with literature, history and culture. Arabic, Persian and Turkish combine elementary language with Islamic history and culture, a year abroad on an approved language course, and final examinations with an oral and eight or nine written papers, one of them a dissertation. Chinese includes elementary modern and classical Chinese, a year in China or Taiwan, and a dissertation. Japanese has intensive language classes, a year at Kobe University and options across literature, linguistics, history, politics and society. Hebrew, Sanskrit and the ancient Near East courses add languages such as Akkadian, Egyptian and Sanskrit literature.
Regional degree or language degree
How this differs from learning a language, or from Cambridge's course
Avandy's Cambridge Asian and Middle Eastern Studies guide describes a different course, with a different list of languages and different entry rules. Compare by course, not by name.
Choose a regional degree if
you want literature, history, religion and thought in a region as well as the language, and you accept that the language is hard and the workload sustained.
Choose a modern languages degree if
your interest is a European language and its literature. Avandy's Oxford Modern Languages guide covers that route.
Compare with Cambridge
Cambridge offers Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew and Persian with restrictions on combinations. Oxford's list includes Sanskrit, Egyptology and Assyriology as separate degrees.
Entry rules
AAA, no prior language and two essays
The A-level standard is AAA and the IB standard is 39 points including core points with 666 at Higher Level. No subject is required, and applicants are not expected to have studied an Asian or Middle Eastern language, though a language can help. Every candidate submits two pieces of writing in English; Oxford says the topic and subject do not matter because the purpose is to show how you construct an argument. Oxford says tutors look for strong motivation and capacity for sustained hard work, plus analysis, argument and essay-writing skills across literature, history and religious thought. Oxford's page reports an interview rate of 85%, a success rate of 32% and an intake of 36 for the three-year average to 2025; these are historical figures, not a prediction.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Why this region and this language?
Be ready to explain what draws you, with reading you have done. Motivation is explicitly what tutors look for.
Can you sustain intensive language learning?
The language starts from scratch in most routes and the first-year workload is heavy.
Are you comfortable with the script and handwriting?
For Chinese, Japanese and Korean, handwriting is assessed.
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 prior-language requirement, the two essays and the interview: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
The UCAS deadline, the written-work deadline and interview dates: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check Oxford's course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Pick the region and language, choose two argumentative essays in English and read about the civilisation.
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 here means course-fit advice, area-studies mentoring and ethical interview practice; Avandy gives no scores or probabilities and does not write submitted work. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the entry requirements for Oxford Asian and Middle Eastern Studies?
AAA at A level, or 39 IB points including core points with 666 at Higher Level. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Do I need to know the language?
No. Oxford says students are not expected to have studied an Asian or Middle Eastern language before.
Is there an admissions test?
No. Oxford says you do not need to take a written test as part of an application.
What written work is required?
Two pieces of writing in English, intended to show how you construct an argument and express your ideas.
Is there a year abroad?
Some routes include one, for example Chinese in China or Taiwan and Japanese at Kobe University.
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 Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
Tell us about the student's curriculum, which language and region interest them, their essay writing and their readiness to learn a difficult language from scratch, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.