There are over 20,000 students at Oxford, including 11,917 undergraduates and 7,350 postgraduates.
Oxford has one of the lowest drop-out rates in the UK: latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that only 1.2 per cent of students discontinued their course, compared with the national rate of 8.6 per cent. 53 per cent of undergraduates are studying for degrees in the humanities and social sciences, and 43 per cent in medical, mathematical, physical and life sciences.
The rest are studying for undergraduate level diplomas and certificates offered by the Department for Continuing Education.
The tutorial is at the core of undergraduate teaching and learning at Oxford. It offers students a unique learning experience in which they meet regularly with their tutor, either on a one-to-one basis or with one or two other students. Undergraduates attend, on average, one hour-long tutorial every week and undertake a considerable number of hours’ preparatory work for each tutorial, including background reading, essay-writing and problem-solving.
At graduate level, 37 per cent of students are studying for higher degrees in the medical, mathematical physical and life sciences and 56 per cent in the humanities and social sciences. The rest are studying for postgraduate certificates and diplomas offered by the Deparment for Continuing Education.
Oxford University graduates are among the most employable in the UK: our employment rate is over 95 per cent, in contrast to the UK average of 93.8 per cent. Oxford undergraduates and postgraduates enter a wide range of occupations with nearly 80 per cent securing managerial, professional or associate professional posts.
Over 45 per cent of students completing an undergraduate degree go on to further study compared with a national average of just 23 per cent. Every year more than 15,000 people take part in courses offered by the Department for Continuing Education, making Oxford University the fourth largest provider of continuing education in the UK.
