A*AA or AAAA, with Mathematics plus Physics or Chemistry
The A-level requirement is A*AA, or AAAA, in each case to include Mathematics plus Chemistry or Physics. Chemistry or Physics is highly recommended as a third subject.
Undergraduate · Oxford Earth Sciences
Oxford Earth Sciences: geology built on mathematics and physics or chemistry
Oxford's Earth Sciences (Geology) degree is a quantitative physical-science course that happens to be about the planet. It does not ask for Geology, or for Geography; it asks for Mathematics plus Physics or Chemistry, and its first year teaches the geology from scratch. The question for an applicant is whether they want that mathematical, field-based science. 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 Earth Sciences
Taken from Oxford's Earth Sciences (Geology) 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 IB: 39 points, 766 at Higher Level
The IB requirement is 39 points including core points with 766 at Higher Level, to include Higher Level Mathematics plus Higher Level Chemistry or Physics.
Geology is helpful but not required
Biology, Geology or Further Mathematics can also be helpful to candidates in completing the course. None of them is listed as required.
No test and no written work
You do not need to take a written test or submit written work. Shortlisted candidates are invited to at least one online interview.
Field courses and a mapping project
The course includes several field courses, many out of term time, and culminates in an independent project to study and map an area chosen by the student.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's Earth Sciences (Geology) course page, which describes 2027 entry. The UCAS deadline, interview dates, admissions statistics, fees and additional charges, and the Department of Earth Sciences' own selection criteria page were not read and are not stated.
The course
A physical science taught partly in the field
Oxford says the Department of Earth Sciences has an international reputation and that the course includes several field courses linked closely to the lectures. The first year runs five parallel streams, including Planet Earth, two Fundamentals of Geology courses, a physics, chemistry and biology stream and a Mathematics stream. Later years add field courses in places such as Dorset, Somerset and Assynt, and third-year papers include quantitative subjects such as vector calculus and continuum mechanics and quantitative palaeobiology. The independent mapping project closes the field programme.
Choosing between courses
Earth Sciences, or another physical or environmental science?
Because the subject rule asks for Mathematics and a physical science rather than Geology, the course sits closer to the physical sciences than to a descriptive study of landscapes. That is the first point of comparison.
Choose Earth Sciences if
you are drawn to how the planet works as a physical, chemical and mathematical system, you are comfortable with continuum mechanics and calculus, and you want field mapping to be part of the degree.
Look at Geography if
your interest is in human and physical environments and in how societies interact with them. Oxford Geography is a separate course with its own subject rules, so check its course page.
Look at Materials Science, Physics or Chemistry if
your interest is in the properties of matter or in a single laboratory science rather than in Earth systems. The published Oxford Materials Science guide on this site sets out that course.
Reading the offer
Mathematics is required, and so is a physical science
The subject rule is the filter. You must be studying Mathematics plus at least one of Physics or Chemistry. A candidate who offers Mathematics and Biology, or Mathematics and Geography, does not meet it. The grade pattern is also unusual: A*AA, or AAAA, so the offer can be met either with one A* or with four A grades, provided the required subjects are among them.
A levels
A*AA, or AAAA, to include Mathematics plus Chemistry or Physics. Pass the practical component of any science A level used for the offer.
The IB
39 points including core points, 766 at Higher Level, to include Higher Level Mathematics plus Higher Level Chemistry or Physics.
Helpful but not required
Oxford names Biology, Geology and Further Mathematics as helpful. Do not drop a required subject to fit one in.
The application
No test, no written work, and an interview that may involve specimens
Oxford's page says no written test and no written work are part of the application, so the UCAS form and the interview decide who is shortlisted. Shortlisted candidates are invited to at least one online interview. Oxford says applicants may be asked to comment on geological specimens or carry out simple calculations, always with due consideration of their previous knowledge of the subject. That wording is an invitation to reason from evidence you have not met before, not to recite geology.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Do you like quantitative reasoning applied to a messy natural system?
Look at a geological map or a climate record and ask what physical processes could have produced it. If that is absorbing, the degree will be too.
Is the maths a strength you want to keep using?
The degree includes mathematical and geophysical tools and later papers in continuum mechanics. A candidate who wants to leave mathematics behind should consider another subject.
Do you want fieldwork as part of the assessment of ability?
Field courses and the mapping project are central. Think about whether outdoor, extended, practical work suits you.
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 Mathematics and physical-science rule, and the absence of a test and written work: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Application deadline, interview dates and any change to selection arrangements: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check Oxford's Earth Sciences course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Confirm Mathematics plus Physics or Chemistry for the whole of sixth form, and practise reading unfamiliar data, maps and specimens.
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. Interview preparation helps a candidate practise reasoning aloud from unfamiliar evidence; it does not supply answers or predict questions. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the Oxford Earth Sciences entry requirements?
A*AA or AAAA at A level to include Mathematics plus Chemistry or Physics, or 39 IB points including core points with 766 at Higher Level including Higher Level Mathematics plus Higher Level Chemistry or Physics. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Do I need A level Geology?
No. Oxford lists Geology as helpful but not required. The required subjects are Mathematics plus Physics or Chemistry.
Is there an admissions test?
No. Oxford's page says no written test is part of the application, and no written work is required either.
What might the interview involve?
Oxford says applicants may be asked to comment on geological specimens or carry out simple calculations, with due consideration of their previous knowledge.
Is fieldwork compulsory?
The course includes several field courses and an independent mapping project. Oxford describes them as part of the course, and the page read does not describe an opt-out.
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 Earth Sciences
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.