Undergraduate · Oxford Biology
Oxford Biology is a broad, cross-disciplinary degree in the study of life, with no admissions test and no written work, and Oxford says plainly that it is not a human biology or medical course. The decision for an applicant is therefore less about whether they like biology and more about which Oxford life-science course matches the questions they enjoy. Oxford's wording below describes 2027 entry; nothing here is a confirmed 2028 requirement.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
Taken from Oxford's official Biology 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.
The A-level requirement is A*AA with Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics, and the A* must be in a science or Mathematics. If a practical component forms part of a science A level used for the offer, Oxford expects you to pass it.
The IB requirement is 39 points including core points. Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics are required, with 7 in Higher Level Mathematics or a science.
Applicants are required to have Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics. No subject is listed as recommended or relevant.
You do not need to take a written test or submit written work. Shortlisted candidates are invited to at least one online interview, expected in December.
Students can leave after three years or stay for a fourth year and an extended research project, subject to satisfactory performance in years two and three. The degree awarded is MBiol or BA.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's Biology course page, which describes 2027 entry. The UCAS deadline, interview dates, admissions statistics, fees and the Department of Biology's own page on selection criteria were not read and are not stated.
The course
Oxford says the course, first introduced in 2019, encourages a cross-disciplinary approach. The first year introduces fundamental biological principles, and the second and third years let students choose options and specialise in them with increasing depth. The options named on the page run from animal behaviour and physiology, ecology, evolutionary biology and conservation to cell biology, genomics, developmental biology and plant physiology and molecular biology. The scale of that list is the point: Biology at Oxford is not a whole-organism course that avoids the molecular end, and it is not a molecular course either. It is broad by design.
Choosing between courses
Oxford is unusually direct on this. Its Biology page says the course is not a human biology or medical themed course, and lists the alternatives for an applicant whose interest lies there. Treat that sentence as the first filter, and then check what you actually enjoy.
your curiosity runs to how living systems work and evolve across scales, from genes to ecosystems, and you want to choose a specialism after a shared first year.
the questions that draw you are about how cells, organs and systems work in the human body and in disease. It has its own entry rules and a different assessment, so do not assume the Biology page applies.
your interest is molecular mechanism or a human-centred, interdisciplinary view across the biological and social sciences.
the goal is clinical practice. That is a separate course with separate selection.
Reading the offer
The subject rule is the filter. Biology is required, and so is one of Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics. The A* is a separate rule: it must be in a science or Mathematics, and Oxford lists the subjects that count, which include Geography, Geology, Psychology and Statistics as well as the core sciences. A candidate whose strongest grade is in Biology therefore has a straightforward route, but one whose A* would be in a subject outside the list does not.
A*AA with Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics; the A* in a science or Mathematics. Pass the practical component of any science A level used for the offer.
39 points including core points, Biology and one of Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics required, and 7 in Higher Level Mathematics or a science.
Oxford's page links to its lists of other UK and international qualifications. This guide does not summarise them, so read them if you are not on A levels or the IB.
The application
Oxford says no written test and no written work are part of the application. That leaves the UCAS form and the interview. Oxford is explicit that an applicant is unlikely to be shortlisted if the personal statement does not make clear that Biology is the preferred course, which is why the choice between Biology and Biomedical Sciences has to be made before the statement is written, not after. Shortlisted candidates are invited to at least one online interview, which Oxford says is expected in December.
The interview
Oxford says interviews are not primarily designed to test factual knowledge. They assess critical and independent thinking, curiosity and passion for Biology, and applicants should be ready to discuss Biology beyond what they know. The page adds that applicants may be asked to comment on biological diagrams or images or to interpret a graph, a passage or a simple set of data provided in the interview. The useful preparation follows from that: practise reasoning aloud from unfamiliar material, rather than memorising answers.
A decision framework
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Take a figure from a journal article or a textbook you have not studied and say what it shows, what it does not show and what you would measure next.
If you are most absorbed by one scale, such as the molecule or the human patient, another Oxford course may fit better than a deliberately broad degree.
Check Biology plus a second science or Mathematics now, and check where your A* will come from, because the A* rule is stricter than the subject rule.
Planning for 2028 entry
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.
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Check Oxford's Biology course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
Decide between Biology and the medical-themed courses, secure the subject combination, and start reading beyond the syllabus.
Support
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. Interview preparation helps a candidate practise reasoning aloud; it does not supply answers or predict questions. No outcome is promised.
Questions
A*AA at A level with Biology and either Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics, the A* being in a science or Mathematics, or 39 IB points including core points with 7 in Higher Level Mathematics or a science. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Oxford's page says no written test is part of the application, and no written work is required either. Candidates who are shortlisted are invited to at least one online interview.
No. Oxford says it is not a human biology or medical themed course, and points to Biochemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Human Sciences and Medicine for applicants with that interest.
The course offers an optional fourth year with an extended research project. Progression depends on satisfactory academic performance in the second and third years.
Oxford says it is not primarily a test of factual knowledge. You may be asked to comment on diagrams or images or to interpret a graph, passage or simple data set.
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
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their Biology and second science, the Oxford and other courses on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.
