A language plus linguistics, over four years
Oxford says the course combines one modern language in depth with linguistics, the study of language itself. Students spend a compulsory year abroad, usually in the third year.
Undergraduate · Oxford Modern Languages and Linguistics
Oxford Modern Languages and Linguistics: a language and the science of language
Oxford's Modern Languages and Linguistics course pairs one modern language with the systematic study of language itself. It is a four-year course with a compulsory year abroad, and it is aimed at a student who wants to ask how language works as well as to speak and read it well. That makes it different from Oxford's standalone Modern Languages degree, where literature and culture take the larger share. Most applicants have never studied linguistics, so the decision turns on whether the idea of analysing sounds, structures and meaning is exciting and whether the language prerequisite can be met.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What Oxford asks for in Modern Languages and Linguistics
Taken from Oxford's Modern Languages and Linguistics 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.
AAA, or 38 IB points with 666 at Higher Level
The A-level requirement is AAA and the IB requirement is 38 points including core points with 666 at Higher Level.
The language, usually to A level or equivalent
Applicants would usually be expected to have the language to A level, Higher Level in the IB or another academic equivalent. Others may be considered at B1 on the Common European Framework. Beginners' routes exist for some languages.
No pre-interview test, no written work
Oxford says there is no pre-interview language test in the cycle described, and no written work is submitted. Linguistic ability is assessed in the interview.
A three-part interview
Interviews normally comprise discussion of a text, a grammar exercise and personal statement-related discussion, and are expected in December.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's Modern Languages and Linguistics course page, which describes 2027 entry. Oxford's Modern Languages faculty pages, the language-specific options, fees, the contextual-offer details and the 2028-entry values were not read and are not stated.
The course
Two halves that are meant to reinforce each other
Oxford describes a package in which the theoretical study of what human language is and how it works is set beside detailed work on structure and change in the language you study. The first year pairs practical language work and literature with general linguistics, phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics and pragmatics, ending in six or seven written papers. In later years the linguistics side turns to the history of your language, its structure and use in modern form, and specialist options such as syntax, psycholinguistics or a linguistic project. Final examinations are eight or nine papers and an oral examination. Oxford notes that the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics has particular strength in phonetics, phonology, syntax and semantics and the history of European languages.
Choosing between degrees
Modern Languages and Linguistics, or standalone Modern Languages?
Avandy's Modern Languages guide covers the standalone course. Use this page when the linguistics half is the point.
Choose this course if
you are curious about how sounds, words and sentences are formed and how languages change and vary, and you want that analysis applied to the language you study.
Choose standalone Modern Languages if
literature, culture and film are what draw you; the joint course gives literature a smaller share because linguistics takes the other half.
Check the language list
The language options and codes differ from the standalone course, and some languages are offered only as beginners' routes. Look at Oxford's code list before you plan.
Entry rules
The prerequisite is the language, and the test is the interview
The A-level standard is AAA and the IB standard is 38 points with 666 at Higher Level, a point lower than Oxford's PPL course. Oxford expects a post-A-level language to be studied to A level, Higher Level or an equivalent, though B1 proficiency can be enough where the language is not being taken in a qualification. There is no pre-interview test: the interview normally has three parts, with a text, a grammar exercise and discussion of your personal statement, and may include a short conversation in the target language. Oxford says knowledge of the literature is not assessed, but interviewers look for aptitude for literary study. Oxford's page reports an interview rate of 95%, a success rate of 39% and an intake of 38 for the three-year average to 2025; these are historical figures, not a prediction.
A decision framework
Three questions before you commit
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Does the analysis of language itself appeal to you?
Read about phonetics, syntax and meaning before you apply, since most students meet linguistics for the first time at university.
Is your level in the language secure?
Oxford expects the language to A level or equivalent for post-A-level routes, and the interview tests grammar and reading.
Are you ready for a year abroad?
The third year is spent abroad. Think about the country, the work or study options and the costs now.
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 language prerequisite, the absence of a pre-interview test and written work, and the three-part interview: last verified for 2027 entry
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
The UCAS deadline, interview dates and the language options for 2028 entry: awaiting publication
Check Oxford's course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
What to do now
Confirm the language and level, read about linguistics, and prepare for a text-and-grammar interview.
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 here means course-fit advice, language and linguistics mentoring and ethical interview practice; Avandy gives no scores or probabilities and does not supply interview questions. No outcome is promised.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
What are the entry requirements for Oxford Modern Languages and Linguistics?
AAA at A level, or 38 IB points including core points with 666 at Higher Level. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Do I need the language at A level?
Oxford says applicants would usually be expected to have the language to A level, Higher Level in the IB or another academic equivalent, though B1 proficiency may be considered otherwise.
Is there an admissions test?
Oxford says there is no pre-interview language test for this course in the cycle described. Ability is assessed in the interview.
Do I need to have studied linguistics?
No. Oxford says most students start Linguistics from scratch, and that beginners' routes require no experience of it.
Is there a year abroad?
Yes. Oxford says Modern Languages students spend a compulsory year abroad, usually in the third year.
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 Modern Languages and Linguistics
Tell us about the student's curriculum, which language they would study, their current level in it and how much linguistics appeals to them, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.