Undergraduate · Oxford Computer Science
Oxford's Computer Science requirements are built around mathematics. Mathematics is required, Further Mathematics is expected where a school offers it, the TMUA is compulsory and also helps decide who is interviewed, and no previous formal qualification in computer science is needed. This guide is written for families planning 2028 entry. Everything cycle-specific in it was last verified for 2027 entry, because Oxford has not yet published requirements or dates for 2028 entry.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
Taken from Oxford's official Computer Science course page and Admissions Guide and last verified on 19 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement and date below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; Oxford's 2028-entry figures, fees and dates are awaiting publication.
The entry qualifications are A*AA including A* and A in Mathematics and Further Mathematics, in any order, where Further Mathematics is available. At Advanced Higher the requirement is AA or AAB with an A in Mathematics. At IB it is 39 points including core points with 766 at Higher Level, with the 7 in Higher Level Mathematics.
Mathematics is required: A* or A at A Level, A at Advanced Higher, or 7 at IB Higher Level or an equivalent. Further Mathematics at A Level is highly recommended, and expected where the school offers it. No previous formal qualification in computer science is required.
Every applicant takes the TMUA: Paper 1 (Applications of Mathematical Knowledge) and Paper 2 (Mathematical Reasoning). In the 2027-entry cycle the sitting was 12–16 October 2026, and it has passed.
In the 2027-entry cycle, shortlisted candidates are interviewed, expected in December. Tutors use the selection criteria alongside TMUA results to decide whom to interview. At interview they explore how applicants tackle unfamiliar problems and respond to new ideas, and they are more interested in the approach than in the solution. No written work is submitted for this course.
In the 2027-entry cycle the UCAS deadline was 15 October 2026 and has passed. Oxford's decisions for 2027 entry are due on 12 January 2027 via UCAS.
The course is UCAS G400, a BA over three years or an MCompSci over four. Cambridge's Computer Science uses the same UCAS code, so always name the university with the code. Oxford's Mathematics and Computer Science and Computer Science and Philosophy courses are separate programmes with their own requirements. Course fees for 2027 entry are £10,050 a year for Home students and £66,580 a year for Overseas students.
Official sources
Checked on 19 October 2026 against Oxford's Computer Science course page and Guide for applicants. Oxford can update its pages during the interview period, so confirm the details in your own invitation.
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 the 2028 value is not yet published.
The entry qualifications, the Mathematics and Further Mathematics expectations, the two TMUA papers and the interview approach in the official information above are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Registration opened on 1 June 2026, the booking window ran from 20 July to 28 September 2026 (6pm UK time) and the sittings were 12–16 October 2026. Treat this as the shape of the calendar, not as dates: do not move it forward by a year.
Oxford has not yet published these. Check Oxford's Computer Science page and the UAT-UK key dates for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
The figures and fees in this guide are Oxford's 2027-entry figures. Oxford's 2028 figures and fees are unpublished.
Further Mathematics
Further Mathematics is the subject choice that changes the offer, so it is worth separating what Oxford requires from what it describes.
Oxford expects A Level Further Mathematics, and the offer is A*AA including A* and A in Mathematics and Further Mathematics, in any order.
Oxford sets a different offer: A*AAa, with A* in Mathematics and a in AS-level Further Mathematics, or A*AA with A* in Mathematics.
From 2022 to 2025, 96% of A Level students offered places for Computer Science courses, including the joint courses, took Further Mathematics to A Level. These are Oxford's figures about those students, not requirements.
TMUA
Every applicant takes both TMUA papers. Oxford says tutors use the selection criteria alongside TMUA results to decide whom to interview, so the test is a shortlisting input as well as a hurdle.
Paper 1 tests Applications of Mathematical Knowledge and Paper 2 tests Mathematical Reasoning.
In the three years from 2023 to 2025, an average of 21% of applicants were interviewed and 7% were successful, for an intake of 55. These are Oxford's figures about past cohorts, not a prediction and not a requirement.
Interview
For Computer Science, Oxford says shortlisted candidates are interviewed and that the approach matters more than the solution. The points below come from Oxford's guidance on interviews for all of its courses.
Invitations usually go out between mid-November and early December, sometimes with a week's notice. Interviews are online on Microsoft Teams, cannot be rearranged, and are typically with two tutors; you are quite likely to have more than one.
Oxford's top tip is to practise thinking out loud. It also publishes subject-specific sample questions, written by the tutors who conduct the interviews, and demonstration interviews with their commentary.
Oxford's code of conduct for interviewees rules out sharing interview content, researching pre-interview material online unless permitted, using assistive technology (including AI and automatic transcription) beyond what the subject requires or a disability adjustment, recording, impersonation and observers. A breach puts an offer at serious risk of being withdrawn.
If you are in the 2027 cycle
For 2027 entry, the UCAS deadline and the TMUA sitting have passed. Interviews are expected in December 2026 and decisions are due on 12 January 2027.
The application is in and the TMUA has been sat. The next steps are the invitation, if you are shortlisted, and the interview.
How Avandy supports Computer Science applicants
Avandy is a specialist academic and university admissions advisory organisation. Computer Science candidates are supported through the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model. A Strategic Admissions Consultant keeps the strategy consistent with the whole application, a PhD-level Academic Mentor oversees academic quality, and a Subject-specific Tutor takes the candidate through the discipline. Experienced advisers and doctoral-level specialists tailor the plan to the candidate's course and profile.
Subject choices, the offer that follows from them and the intended year of entry are weighed together within one advisory plan.
Preparation for the TMUA sits inside the same plan and is rehearsed, reviewed and calibrated to the candidate's mathematics.
Candidates practise reasoning aloud on unfamiliar problems from their own subjects, the habit Oxford describes, and take part in mock academic interviews that end with subject-specific feedback.
Questions
Not yet. Everything cycle-specific in this guide was last verified for 2027 entry. The 2028-entry deadline, TMUA dates and booking window, interview period and decision date are awaiting publication.
Oxford expects it where your school offers it, and sets a different offer where it is not available: A*AAa with A* in Mathematics and a in AS-level Further Mathematics, or A*AA with A* in Mathematics. Oxford's 96% figure describes students offered places from 2022 to 2025, not a requirement.
No previous formal qualification in computer science is required.
Both: Paper 1, Applications of Mathematical Knowledge, and Paper 2, Mathematical Reasoning. The sitting for 2027 entry was 12–16 October 2026 and has passed; dates for 2028 entry are awaiting publication.
No. G400 is the UCAS code for Computer Science at both universities, but they are separate courses with their own requirements. Always name the university with the code.
No. No written work is submitted for this course.
Students and families
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their Mathematics and Further Mathematics, the intended year of entry and whether the TMUA has been taken or booked. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare. Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Oxford or any College, and no outcome is promised.
