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 History
Oxford History: historical argument and what the application asks for
Oxford's History degree has no admissions test. What it asks for is one argument-driven essay from your ordinary school work, a strong record, and an interview in which you may be asked about that essay and about a short passage. It lists no required subject and strongly recommends History. The useful question is whether you can sustain historical argument, rather than whether you can recall history. 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 History
Taken from Oxford's History 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 required subject; History is highly recommended
No subject is listed as required. Oxford highly recommends History at A level, Advanced Higher or Higher Level in the IB, or an equivalent.
No test; one argument-driven essay
You do not need to take a written test. All candidates submit one argument-driven essay on a historical topic, of up to 2,000 words, written in normal school or college work, with a signed certificate about how it was written.
An online interview that may start from your essay
Shortlisted candidates are invited to at least one online interview. They may be asked to discuss the essay and personal statement, and to read and talk about a short passage.
Large-scale and small-scale history together
The course combines large regions over long periods with more focused work on smaller groups, shorter periods and themes, with an optional subject in year one and a further subject in later years.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's History course page, which describes 2027 entry. The UCAS deadline, the written-work submission deadline, interview dates, admissions statistics, fees and the Faculty of History's own selection criteria and written-work guidance pages were not read and are not stated.
The course
A wide and a narrow lens, used together
Oxford describes its History course as combining the examination of large regions over extended periods with more focused work on smaller social groups, shorter periods and particular themes. In the first year there are four courses: History of the British Isles, European and World History, Historical Methods and an optional subject chosen from around 25. The Preliminary Examination at the end of the first year must be passed for progression. In later years students keep the British Isles and European and World History strands and add a further subject chosen from about 40. Oxford says the Faculty is strong on intellectual and cultural history options and encourages interdisciplinary approaches.
Choosing between courses
Single honours History, or a joint degree?
Oxford offers other degrees in which History is half the subject. They are separate programmes with their own rules, and this guide covers only the single-subject degree.
Choose History if
you want to spend your degree on historical study across periods and regions, and are happy to read sources and secondary argument in volume.
Look at History and Politics if
you want to pair historical study with political science. That is a separate joint degree, and this series has a guide to it.
Look at History and English if
you want to hold literary and historical analysis in balance. Again, a separate joint degree with its own guide.
Cambridge History is different
Cambridge sets its own requirements, written work and interview. Do not carry one university's rules to the other.
Reading the offer
AAA, with History strongly recommended rather than required
The grades are not unusually high for Oxford: AAA, or 38 IB points with 666 at Higher Level. No subject is required, but Oxford highly recommends History. In practice that means a candidate without History needs to be able to show historical engagement some other way, through the essay and reading, and should be honest with themselves about whether that is realistic. The recommendation is not a rule, but it is Oxford's own emphasis.
Written work
One essay, chosen for argument and for conversation
The written work is the part of the application you control most. Oxford asks for one argument-driven essay on a historical topic, written as part of normal school or college work and no longer than 2,000 words. Extracts from longer pieces are allowed if they can stand alone and show the ability to make an argument, and you should include the question the essay answers. Oxford asks you not to send source analyses or commentaries that require the assessor to read the source. It also advises choosing a piece that has enthused you and that you are willing to talk about, and says tutors are impressed by applicants who remain intellectually engaged with their work even if they have changed their mind. A signed certificate from your school or college states the circumstances in which it was written.
The interview
Your own work and an unfamiliar passage
Oxford says tutors look for intellectual curiosity, a flexible approach to unfamiliar concepts or arguments, and enthusiasm for history. If you are shortlisted you may be asked to discuss your essay and personal statement, and you may also be asked to read and talk about a short passage. That makes your essay a live document: be ready to defend and to qualify its argument. It also means practice with short passages is worth more than learning periods you have not studied.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit to History
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Can you state your essay's argument in two sentences?
If you cannot, it may be a summary rather than an argument, and Oxford asks for an argument.
Can you disagree with yourself?
Take a historical claim you believe and write the strongest objection. Interviews reward the ability to move.
Does breadth attract you?
The course combines large-scale and small-scale history. A candidate who loves one period and nothing else should think carefully about the first-year structure.
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 History recommendation, the single argument-driven essay 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, written-work submission deadline, interview dates and any change to selection arrangements: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Check Oxford's History course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Keep your best argument-driven History essays, read beyond the syllabus, and practise explaining a short passage and its argument aloud.
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 argument, reading and interview practice does not extend to writing, editing or rewriting any submitted essay, which must be the applicant's own work. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the Oxford History entry requirements?
AAA at A level, or 38 IB points including core points with 666 at Higher Level. No subject is required, and History is highly recommended. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Is there an admissions test?
No. Oxford's page says no written test is part of the application. You do submit one essay.
What should my essay be?
One argument-driven essay on a historical topic, written as part of normal school or college work, up to 2,000 words, with the question it answers and a signed certificate about how it was written.
Can I send a source analysis?
Oxford asks you not to send work that requires the assessor to read source material, such as source analyses or commentaries.
Will the interview involve my essay?
Oxford says shortlisted applicants may be asked to discuss their written work and personal statement, and to read and talk about a short passage.
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 History
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their History work and their choice of written submission, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.