Oxford requirement to study Classics; www.ox.ac.uk
Table of Contents
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UCAS code | Q800 (Course I) Q810 (Course II) |
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Duration | 4 years (BA) |
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Entrance requirements | AAA (in Latin and Greek if taken) |  |
Subject requirements | Latin and/or Greek (for Course I only) |
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Admissions test(s) | ox.ac.uk/cat | |
Written work | Two pieces |
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Admissions statistics* | Interviewed: 94% Successful: 40% Intake: 116 *3-year average 2019-21 |
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Contact | +44 (0) 1865 288391 Email Classics |
Subject requirements: Essential Recommended Helpful – may be useful on course
Unistats information for this course can be found at the bottom of the page
Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small.
The wide-ranging degree known as Classics (Literae Humaniores) focuses on the literature, history, philosophy, languages, and archaeology of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. It is one of the most interdisciplinary of all degrees, and offers the chance to concentrate on these two fundamental old civilisations and their gathering in present day times. The degree’s flexibility sets Oxford’s Literae Humaniores apart from the majority of other Classics courses by allowing students to take numerous modern philosophy options.
Check
- OXFORD Admission requirements for entry
- oxford requirement to study Archaeology and Anthropology
- Oxford requirement to study Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular)
- Oxford requirement to study Biology
- Oxford requirement to study Biomedical Sciences
- Oxford requirement to study Chemistry
- Oxford requirement to study Classical Archaeology and Ancient History
Oxford has the largest Classics Faculty and programme of courses in the world, with outstanding teaching, library and museum resources, including the Sackler and Bodleian Libraries, the Ashmolean Museum and a designated Classics Centre. The course involves extensive study of ancient languages, with a view to studying texts in the original. Applications are welcomed from candidates with and without prior knowledge of Greek and/or Latin. The breadth of courses available means you can study papers ranging from Homeric archaeology to Byzantine literature, while the length of the course allows students to explore the various disciplines within this vast subject and to engage with their particular interests within the classical world in real depth.
The Philosophy Faculty is the largest in the UK, and one of the largest in the world, with more than 70 full-time members and a worldwide reputation. Each year the faculty admits around 450 undergraduates to read the various degrees involving Philosophy.
Fieldwork/international opportunities
Fieldwork is not a requirement in any part of the course, but some undergraduates may participate in archaeological excavations.
Please note: For the first time, for entry in October
we will be offering a different route to access Classics at Oxford. So if you’re interested in studying Classics but your personal or educational circumstances have meant you are unlikely to achieve the grades typically required for Oxford courses, then choosing to apply for Classics with a Foundation Year might be the course for you. Please see our course pages for more details.
A typical week
Your time is divided between lectures, tutorials and private study. The working week is typically structured around two tutorials in different subjects. Most of your independent work will be in preparation of essays for your tutorials, although systematic language-learning and reading of texts will also require considerable time and effort. Much of the teaching will take place in your college, but lectures are given in the Classics Faculty and the Examination Schools, and for particular subjects you may also work with tutors from other colleges. For more information, visit the Classics website.
Tutorials in colleges usually involve up to three students and a tutor. Class sizes will vary depending on the options you choose, and there are usually 5-20 students in a class. Some classes are jointly taught by two tutors at the same time. For centrally organised language classes in Classics, there are usually 8-10 students in a group. Most tutorials, classes, and lectures are delivered by senior staff who are active researchers in their subject. Many are world-leading experts with years of experience in teaching and research. Some teaching may be delivered by postgraduate students at doctorate level.
To find out more about how our teaching year is structured, visit our Academic Year page.
Course structure
| COURSE NAME | TERMS 1-5 COURSES |
TERMS 1-5 ASSESSMENTS |
| Course IA (Latin and Greek, for those who have studied Latin and Greek to A-level or equivalent)Course IB (Latin and Greek, for those who have studied only Latin to A-level or equivalent) Course IC |
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First University examinations IA: ten papers, including four language papers (Latin and Greek)First University examinations IB: ten papers, including four language papers (Greek language work at a less advanced level than IA, Latin at the same level as IA)
First University examinations IC: ten papers, including four language papers (Latin language work at a less advanced level than IA, Greek at the same level as IA) |
| Course IIA (Latin only, for those who have not studied Greek or Latin to A-level or equivalent) |
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First University examinations IIA: seven papers, including two language papers |
| Course IIB (Greek only, for those who have not studied Latin or Greek to A-level or equivalent) |
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First University examinations IIB: seven papers, including two language papers |
| COURSE NAME | TERMS 6–12 COURSES |
TERMS 6-12 ASSESSMENTS |
| Course IA (Latin and Greek, for those who have studied Latin and Greek to A-level or equivalent)Course IB (Latin and Greek, for those who have studied only Latin to A-level or equivalent) Course IC |
Choose eight options from more than 80 in the following subjects (no area is compulsory; it is usually possible to offer an undergraduate thesis in place of one paper:
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Eight exam subjects taken, with the possibility of offering one paper as a thesis. For some literature options: instead of a three-hour paper, assessment involves the composition of one long essay over a three-week periodThe options listed here are illustrative and may change. A full list of current options is available on the Classics website. |
| Course IIA (Latin only, for those who have not studied Greek or Latin to A-level or equivalent) |
Final University examinations: as Course I, but Latin only, unless you take optional second classical language | |
| Course IIB (Greek only, for those who have not studied Latin or Greek to A-level or equivalent) |
Final University examinations: as Course I, but Greek only, unless you take optional second classical language |
The content and format of this course may change in some circumstances. Read further information about potential course changes.
Academic requirements
| A-levels: | AAA (with As in Latin and Greek, if taken) |
| Advanced Highers: | AA/AAB (with A in Latin, if taken) |
| IB: | 39 (including core points) with 666 at HL, including 6s at HL in Latin and Greek if taken |
| Or any other equivalent (see other UK qualifications, and international qualifications) | |
Wherever possible, your grades are considered in the context in which they have been achieved. (See further information on how we use contextual data.)
Subject requirements
| Course I only | |
| Essential: | Candidates should normally have Latin and/or Greek to A-level, Advanced Higher, Higher Level in the IB or equivalent. |
If a practical component forms part of any of your science A‐levels used to meet your offer, we expect you to pass it.
If English is not your first language you may also need to meet our English language requirements.
If your personal or educational circumstances have meant you are unlikely to achieve the grades listed above for undergraduate study, but you still have a strong interest in the subject, then applying for Classics with a Foundation Year might be right for you. Please see the course pages for more details of academic requirements and eligibility.
Applying
All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown in applying to Oxford. The information below gives specific details for students applying for this course.
Admissions tests
| Test: | CAT |
| Test date: | 2 November |
| Registration deadline: |
30 September |
All candidates must take the relevant section(s) of the Classics Admissions Test (CAT) as part of their application. Separate registration for this test is required and it is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure that they are registered. We strongly recommend making the arrangements in plenty of time before the deadline. Everything you need to know, including guidance on how to prepare, can be found on the CAT page.
Written work
| Description: | Two pieces (either essays or commentaries). Normally these will be in areas relevant to Classics. They should preferably not be short, timed essays or exercises answering questions on a short passage of text. |
| Submission deadline: | 10 November |
What are tutors looking for?
Successful candidates will be expected to display competence in Latin or Greek (or general language aptitude if applying for Course II). Tutors are also looking for potential and an enquiring mind, and a real commitment to this wide-ranging subject. For more detail on the selection criteria for this course, please see the Classics website.
Careers
The breadth of subjects studied and variety of skills learned to a high level leave Classics graduates in high demand among employers. Careers for recent Classics graduates include teaching, the Civil Service, the media, film production, the law, publishing, and further classical study.
James works for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He says: ‘Following four years of excellent teaching in an astoundingly varied field, the intellectual rigour developed at Oxford has taken me from negotiating for the UK at the United Nations to learning Mandarin and representing the UK in China. Classics provided me with the perfect platform, and more importantly gave me four wonderful years steeped in the fascinating classical world.’
Menai is a project manager for Kent County Council. She says: ‘I joined Kingfisher Retail and subsequently WHSmith. I then worked for a charity and finally moved to local government. The training in logical thinking and a questioning approach I developed while studying for my degree have been invaluable.’
We don’t want anyone who has the academic ability to get a place to study here to be held back by their financial circumstances. To meet that aim, Oxford offers one of the most generous financial support packages available for UK students and this may be supplemented by support from your college.
Fees
These annual fees are for full-time students who begin this undergraduate course here.
Fee status |
Annual Course fees |
| Home | £9,250 |
| Overseas | £35,080 |
Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.
For more information please refer to our course fees page. Fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on likely increases to fees and charges.
Living costs
Living costs at Oxford might be less than you’d expect, as our world-class resources and college provision can help keep costs down.
Living costs for the academic year starting
are estimated to be between £1,290 and £1,840 for each month you are in Oxford. Our academic year is made up of three eight-week terms, so you would not usually need to be in Oxford for much more than six months of the year but may wish to budget over a nine-month period to ensure you also have sufficient funds during the holidays to meet essential costs. For further details please visit our living costs webpage.
Financial support
| Home | A tuition fee loan is available from the UK government to cover course fees in full for Home (UK, Irish nationals and other eligible students with UK citizens’ rights – see below*) students undertaking their first undergraduate degree**, so you don’t need to pay your course fees up front.Oxford is offering one of the most generous bursary packages of any UK university to Home students with a family income of around £42,875 or less, with additional opportunities available to UK students from households with incomes of £27,500 or less. The UK government also provides living costs support to Home students from the UK and those with settled status who meet the residence requirements.
*For courses starting on or after 1 August the UK government has confirmed that EU, other EEA, and Swiss Nationals will be eligible for student finance from the UK government if they have UK citizens’ rights (i.e. if they have pre-settled or settled status, or if they are an Irish citizen covered by the Common Travel Area arrangement). The support you can access from the government will depend on your residency status. See further details. |
| Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) |
Islands students are entitled to different support to that of students from the rest of the UK.Please refer the links below for information on the support to you available from your funding agency:
States of Jersey |
| Overseas | Please refer to the “Other Scholarships” section of our Oxford Bursaries and Scholarships page. |
**If you have studied at undergraduate level before and completed your course, you will be classed as an Equivalent or Lower Qualification student (ELQ) and won’t be eligible to receive government or Oxford funding
Additional Fees and Charges Information for Classics
There are no compulsory costs for this course beyond the fees shown above and your living costs.
Contextual information
Course data from Discover Uni provides applicants with statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford. But there is so much more to an Oxford degree that the numbers can’t convey.
The Oxford tutorial
College tutorials are central to teaching at Oxford. Typically, they take place in your college and are led by your academic tutor(s) who teach as well as do their own research. Students will also receive teaching in a variety of other ways, depending on the course. This will include lectures and classes, and may include laboratory work and fieldwork. However, tutorials offer a level of personalised attention from academic experts unavailable at most universities.
During tutorials (normally lasting an hour), college subject tutors will give you and one or two tutorial partners feedback on prepared work and cover a topic in depth. The other student(s) in your college tutorials will be from your year group, doing the same course as you and will normally be at your college. Such regular and rigorous academic discussion develops and facilitates learning in a way that isn’t possible through lectures alone. Tutorials also allow for close progress monitoring so tutors can quickly provide additional support if necessary.
Read more about tutorials and an Oxford education
College life
Our colleges are at the heart of Oxford’s reputation as one of the best universities in the world.
- At Oxford, everyone is a member of a college as well as their subject department(s) and the University. Students therefore have both the benefits of belonging to a large, renowned institution and to a small and friendly academic community. Each college or hall is made up of academic and support staff, and students. Colleges provide a safe, supportive environment leaving you free to focus on your studies, enjoy time with friends and make the most of the huge variety of opportunities.
- Each college has a unique character, but generally their facilities are similar. Each one, large or small, will have the following essential facilities:
- Porters’ lodge (a staffed entrance and reception)
- Dining hall
- Lending library (often open 24/7 in term time)
- Student accommodation
- Tutors’ teaching rooms
- Chapel and/or music rooms
- Laundry
- Green spaces
- Common room (known as the JCR).
- All first year students are offered college accommodation either on the main site of their college or in a nearby college annexe. This means that your neighbours will also be ‘freshers’ and new to life at Oxford. This accommodation is guaranteed, so you don’t need to worry about finding somewhere to live after accepting a place here, all of this is organised for you before you arrive.
- All colleges offer at least one further year of accommodation and some offer it for the entire duration of your degree. You may choose to take up the option to live in your college for the whole of your time at Oxford, or you might decide to arrange your own accommodation after your first year – perhaps because you want to live with friends from other colleges.
- While college academic tutors primarily support your academic development, you can also ask their advice on other things. Lots of other college staff including welfare officers help students settle in and are available to offer guidance on practical or health matters. Current students also actively support students in earlier years, sometimes as part of a college ‘family’ or as peer supporters trained by the University’s Counselling Service.
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