Oxford and Cambridge interviews, December 2026: what to expect

Where things stand after 15 October

You can’t apply to both Oxford and Cambridge in the same year, apart from narrow exceptions such as graduate-entry medicine, so most applicants follow one of the two processes below. So far:

• The UCAS deadline for both was 6pm UK time on Thursday 15 October 2026, and the October admissions tests have been taken.
• Cambridge’s deadline to submit My Cambridge Application was 6pm UK time on Thursday 22 October 2026. For 2027 entry, Cambridge won’t download or review any extra documents uploaded to UCAS.
• If your Oxford course asks for written work, Oxford’s timeline says to send it to your college, with its cover sheet, by Tuesday 10 November 2026.

Oxford: shortlisting

Oxford will send you a letter or an email saying whether or not you’ve been invited to interview, usually between the middle of November and early December.

You may get only a week’s notice that you’ve been shortlisted, and interviews can’t be rearranged. Oxford expects all of them to take place in early to mid-December, so keep that time free. Some courses start in the week of Monday 30 November: check the timetable below.

Once you’re invited, talk to your school or college about where you’ll take your interviews. Oxford hopes it will be at school or college, or at home or somewhere similar: wherever you feel able to perform at your best.

Oxford: what you need for an online interview

Shortlisted applicants are interviewed online using Microsoft Teams, with a separate calendar invitation and link for each interview. Oxford divides its technology requirements into three tiers, by course:

• Teams works in a browser, so you don’t have to install it. Oxford recommends Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge and doesn’t recommend Safari. You don’t need a Microsoft account.
• For tier 3, the stylus doesn’t need to be a ‘smart’ or ‘active’ one like an Apple Pencil, and a phone won’t be big enough. Oxford says no candidate or school is expected to buy a touchscreen device.
• Have plain paper and pens, and a copy of your personal statement and any written work you sent: you may be asked about them.
• Interviewers need to see you. Oxford recommends not blurring your background, because paper workings you hold up to the webcam would blur too. Turn off any automatic transcription tools in Teams.
• Test your technology beforehand, with your school if you’ll be there.

Oxford says some applicants may benefit from extra support from their school or college, including those with a disability and those who find it hard to get the right technology or a stable internet connection. If the technology fails during an interview, tell your interviewers; if it can’t go ahead, the college will rearrange it as soon as it can.

What Oxford says interviews are like

Oxford describes its interviews as academic conversations about your subject, more like a short tutorial with someone who knows it well. They’re designed to assess your academic potential, and they help tutors see how you think, respond to new ideas and engage with material beyond your syllabus.

• Tutors are looking for self-motivation and enthusiasm for your subject. Decisions aren’t based on your manners, appearance or background.
• There may well be more than one right way to answer a question. Oxford suggests practising explaining what you’re thinking, almost as if you’re thinking out loud.
• Wear clothes you feel comfortable in: you won’t be judged on what you wear. Asked how to present yourself well, Oxford says the main thing is to try to be yourself.
• Re-read your personal statement and any written work. Oxford publishes sample questions from the tutors who interview, and subject-specific demonstration interview videos.

How many? You’re quite likely to have more than one interview, and you might be interviewed by more than one college, normally by two tutors, occasionally more. Oxford aims to give at least 24 hours’ notice of any extra interview. Its code of conduct asks you not to share the content of your interviews, and not to ask or allow anyone else to watch.

Oxford’s 2026 interview timetables

Oxford publishes subject-by-subject interview timetables. Here is a selection for December 2026; check your own course on Oxford’s page.

Adjustments and illness

If you need reasonable adjustments because of a disability, make sure the college that invited you knows as soon as possible, before your interview. Oxford’s examples include extra time to read written work before an interview and adjustments to interview timings. Its page for disabled applicants adds that it’s fine to ask an interviewer to repeat a question, and to take a few moments to think before you answer.

If you’re ill or something else affects you on the day, contact the Tutor for Admissions at the college that invited you as soon as possible.

Cambridge: assessments and interviews

Cambridge’s pre-registration tests for 2027 entry, such as the ESAT, TMUA, LNAT and UCAT, had to be taken by mid-October. Several other courses set a College assessment instead: if you’re shortlisted, the College that interviews you arranges it, and you don’t register in advance.

• When: the main interview period is Monday 7 to Friday 18 December 2026. Cambridge says most College interviews take place in the first three weeks of December.
• Invitations: most are sent in November, but some might come in early December.
• Online or in person: it depends on which College is assessing your application and the course you’ve applied for.
• How many: most applicants have 1 or 2 interviews, lasting a total of 35 minutes to an hour.

When decisions arrive

• Oxford: decisions for 2027 entry come on Tuesday 12 January 2027. Shortlisted candidates are told the outcome through UCAS, and colleges follow up directly later that day.
• Cambridge: if you were interviewed in the main interview period in December 2026, you’ll find out on Wednesday 27 January 2027. Colleges send decisions by email in the morning, and you’ll see the outcome in the UCAS Hub by mid-afternoon.

At Cambridge, the College you applied to may be impressed by your application but not have a place for you. It may then share your application with other Colleges to consider.