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 of Art
Oxford History of Art: visual analysis, and studying art rather than making it
Oxford's History of Art degree asks you to look closely at things and write about what you see. It requires an essay-based subject rather than Art, expects two pieces of writing, one of which is a short response to an object you have examined in person, and uses unfamiliar photographs at interview. Oxford says prior knowledge of art history is absolutely not required. The decision is whether you want historical and critical study of art, not studio practice. 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 of Art
Taken from Oxford's History of Art 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.
An essay-based subject is required
Applicants are required to have taken an essay-based subject at A level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level in the IB or an equivalent. History of Art, Fine Art, History, English or a foreign language can help but are not required.
Two pieces of writing, no test
You do not need to take a written test. All candidates submit a marked essay of up to 2,000 words and a personal response of up to 750 words to a piece of art, architecture or design.
Usually two interviews
Shortlisted candidates will normally be invited to two interviews. One focuses on your submitted work and personal statement; in the other you discuss photographs of works of art, buildings or artefacts you are not expected to recognise.
A language for art historians and a first-year essay
The first year includes a supervised extended essay on a building, object or image in Oxford, and a French, German or Italian course for art historians that needs no previous experience and is not formally assessed.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's History of Art course page, which describes 2027 entry. The UCAS deadline, the written-work submission deadline, interview dates, admissions statistics, fees and the Department's own selection criteria and written-work guidance pages were not read and are not stated.
The course
Objects, buildings and images, analysed in their context
Oxford says anything designed by human beings has visual and material qualities specific to the place and period in which it originates, and that the degree draws on the University's collections, including the Ashmolean and Pitt Rivers museums, for first-hand study. There is a strong emphasis on analysing primary visual and written sources in relation to works of art and architecture, and students are encouraged to ask what it means to call something a work of art. The first year has three core courses, Introduction to the History of Art, Art, Design, Architecture: Meaning and Interpretation, and Challenging Antiquities, and a supervised extended essay on a building, object or image in Oxford. Later years add a core course on approaches to the history of art and further subjects.
Choosing between courses
Studying art, making art, or doing neither?
The three near neighbours differ in what you actually do all week.
Choose History of Art if
you want to analyse and write about art, architecture and design, and are content to learn how to look rather than how to make.
Look at Fine Art instead if
your priority is making work in a studio. Oxford's Fine Art is a BFA at the Ruskin School of Art, assessed through a portfolio, and this series has a guide to it.
Cambridge History of Art is different
Cambridge sets its own requirements, submitted work and interview. Do not carry one university's rules across.
Architecture is another route
A degree in architecture is a design degree. It is a separate decision and is not covered here.
Reading the offer
AAA, and an essay-based subject rather than Art
The grades are AAA, or 38 IB points with 666 at Higher Level. The subject rule is unusual: Oxford requires an essay-based subject at A level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level or equivalent, and refers you to the Department's advice on which subjects count. History of Art, Fine Art, History, English or a foreign language can be helpful, but none is required. A candidate who takes only practical subjects does not meet the rule. Oxford is clear that prior study of art history is not needed, and that many successful applicants have never studied it.
Written work
A marked essay, and a response to an object you have seen
Every candidate submits two pieces. The first is a marked essay of up to 2,000 words, written for an A level or equivalent course, which shows that you can build a sustained argument. The second is a personal response of up to 750 words to a piece of art, architecture or design. Oxford says you should have first-hand access to the chosen object so that you can examine it closely in person, and that you should include a photograph of it if possible. You choose which aspects matter most, such as medium, style, technique, subject matter or location. No special research is required and footnotes are not expected unless you quote directly. It must be new writing, not previously submitted elsewhere, and should show curiosity, sensitivity and clarity.
The interviews
Your work, then photographs you do not know
Oxford says shortlisted candidates will normally be invited to two interviews. One normally focuses on your submitted work and personal statement. In the other, you are asked to discuss photographs of works of art, buildings or other artefacts. You are not expected to recognise them, since they are generally not well known. What Oxford assesses is your ability to engage intelligently in visual analysis and to make connections, where relevant, between the objects and their historical and cultural context. Applicants are also asked to show willingness to engage in focused discussion and debate about visual issues.
A decision framework
Three questions before you choose History of Art
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Can you describe what you see before you interpret it?
Choose an object, spend fifteen minutes with it and write what is there, then what it might mean. The two steps are different skills.
Do you want to write more than make?
If the answer is no, a studio degree may suit better.
Which essay-based subject is carrying your application?
The subject rule is a requirement, not a preference. Know which of your subjects satisfies it.
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 essay-based subject rule, the two pieces of writing 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 of Art course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Confirm your essay-based subject, keep your best marked essay, and practise looking closely at a real object, building or image near you.
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 looking, analysis and interview practice does not extend to writing, editing or rewriting any submitted work, which must be the applicant's own. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the Oxford History of Art entry requirements?
AAA at A level, or 38 IB points including core points with 666 at Higher Level, with an essay-based subject required. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Do I need to have studied History of Art?
No. Oxford says prior knowledge of art history is absolutely not a requirement and many successful applicants have never studied it.
What written work do I submit?
A marked essay of up to 2,000 words written for an A level or equivalent course, and a personal response of up to 750 words to a piece of art, architecture or design.
Is there an admissions test?
No. Oxford's page says no written test is part of the application.
What happens at interview?
Shortlisted candidates will normally have two interviews: one on their submitted work and personal statement, and one in which they discuss photographs of unfamiliar works, buildings or artefacts.
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 of Art
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their essay-based subjects and their experience of looking closely at objects, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.