Undergraduate · Oxford PPL
Oxford's PPL course is not one subject but a choice of two from three: Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics. You apply to specialise in a pair, the pair decides whether the course is a three-year BA or a four-year MSci, and every applicant sits the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions. Oxford's Experimental Psychology course asks for the same A-level grades and the same test, so the real decision is not about entry rules: it is whether you want psychology as an experimental science alone, or placed beside the questions philosophers and linguists ask about mind and language.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
Taken from Oxford's Psychology, Philosophy 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.
Oxford says you must apply to specialise in two of the three subjects, although papers from all three can be studied subject to college approval. The UCAS codes are CV85 (Psychology and Philosophy), CQ81 (Psychology and Linguistics) and VQ51 (Philosophy and Linguistics).
Psychology and Philosophy and Psychology and Linguistics are four-year MSci routes; Philosophy and Linguistics is a three-year BA. Oxford says Year 4 is only available for Psychology.
The A-level requirement is A*AA, and the IB requirement is 39 points including core points with 766 at Higher Level. There is no required subject; a science or Mathematics is highly recommended for Psychology.
All applicants must take the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, and all three modules: Critical Thinking, Problem Solving and the Writing Task.
You do not submit written work. Shortlisted candidates are invited to at least one online interview, expected in December.
Official sources
Read on 31 October 2026 on Oxford's Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics course page, which describes 2027 entry. Oxford's separate Experimental Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics department pages, the TARA test pages, fees, the contextual-offer details and the 2028-entry values were not read and are not stated.
What the course is
Oxford describes Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics as closely interrelated disciplines, so a combination lets you explore different aspects of each. Psychology asks how we perceive the world and how children acquire language; Philosophy covers ethics, knowledge and the nature of mind; Linguistics studies the structure of languages, meaning, pronunciation and how people understand and generate language. Oxford adds that Psychology here is a scientific discipline that works through experiments and systematic observation rather than introspection, with data science and coding important in training. The Faculty of Linguistics, Philology and Phonetics runs three scientific laboratories, which makes Linguistics here more scientific than many humanities students expect.
PPL or Experimental Psychology
Avandy's Experimental Psychology guide records the same A*AA, the same IB pattern and the same TARA requirement, so grades will not separate the two. Use the structure of the degree instead.
you want to ask what mind and language are, not only how to measure them, and you are comfortable with two disciplines rather than one. A pair that includes Philosophy and Linguistics suits a student drawn to formal analysis of meaning and structure.
you want the full depth of the psychology curriculum, with the larger share of methods, statistics and practical work. In PPL the Psychology share is one of two subjects, and Oxford says Psychology students must take the Probability theory and statistics paper in Year 1.
Philosophy and Linguistics (VQ51) is a three-year BA with no Year 4, while both Psychology pairs are four-year MSci routes. The pair you apply for changes the length of the degree, so choose it deliberately.
Structure
In the first year, Oxford says, introductory courses are taken for three of five subjects: Psychology, Philosophy, Linguistics, Neurophysiology, and Probability theory and statistics. The first University examinations are four to six written papers. After the third term, students can continue a bipartite degree or, subject to college approval, a tripartite one. Psychology students take core subjects, a course in experimental design and methods and practical training; Philosophy students take up to five courses, including Philosophy of mind and Philosophy of cognitive science; Linguistics students take three to five courses. Final examinations are eight papers, with two practical portfolios for Psychology and possibly a research project or thesis.
Entry rules
The A-level standard is A*AA and the IB standard is 39 points including core points with 766 at Higher Level. Oxford requires no particular subject, but highly recommends one or more sciences or Mathematics for Psychology and finds English Language, Mathematics, a science or any other language helpful for Linguistics. Every applicant takes all three TARA modules, and no written work is submitted. Oxford says tutors want to see whether you appreciate the scope of your two chosen subjects, can evaluate evidence and can consider issues from different perspectives. Oxford's page reports an interview rate of 37%, a success rate of 14% and an intake of 37 for the three-year average to 2025; these are historical figures, not a prediction.
A decision framework
This is Avandy's own framework, not Oxford's.
Be able to say what each pair lets you study that the other pairs do not. The pair also decides whether you apply for a BA or an MSci.
If Psychology is one of your pair, Oxford's first-year statistics paper is required. A student who dislikes quantitative work should read the course structure first.
The TARA tests critical thinking, problem solving and writing, and the interview follows. Plan preparation for both.
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 Oxford has not yet published it.
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Oxford has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Check Oxford's PPL course page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
Decide which pair of subjects fits, read the first-year structure, and plan TARA preparation alongside your exams.
Support
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, subject mentoring and TARA preparation; Avandy gives no scores, thresholds or probabilities and does not supply interview questions. No outcome is promised.
Questions
A*AA at A level, or 39 IB points including core points with 766 at Higher Level. This is Oxford's wording for 2027 entry.
Yes. Oxford says all applicants must take the Test of Academic Reasoning for Admissions, including all three modules.
No. Oxford says you must apply to specialise in two of the three, although papers from all three can be studied subject to college approval.
It depends on the pair: Psychology and Philosophy and Psychology and Linguistics are four-year MSci routes, and Philosophy and Linguistics is a three-year BA.
No. Oxford says you do not need to submit any written work for this course.
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
Tell us about the student's curriculum, which two of the three subjects they would specialise in, their A levels or IB subjects and their TARA preparation, the universities on the list, and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.
