Under-represented students get opportunity to study PPE at Oxford through new access programme

Students from under-represented backgrounds are being given the opportunity to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Oxford in a new Foundation Year Scheme aimed at widening access to an Oxford education.

Oxford’s Astrophoria Foundation Year Programme is aimed at UK state school students with significant academic potential. Successful students will not have to pay course fees and will receive a non-repayable bursary to cover their living costs in their Foundation Year.

Beneficiaries of the programme will have experienced severe personal disadvantage and/or disrupted education which has resulted in them being unable to apply directly for an Oxford PPE undergraduate degree.

Under the scheme, students who would like to apply for an undergraduate degree in PPE would first complete a Foundation Year in PPE, by the end of which they will have developed their skills and confidence to meet the challenges of a demanding undergraduate degree. On condition they have completed the Foundation Year at the required level, they will progress onto the undergraduate degree course if they wish, without the need to re-apply.

The Foundation Year PPE course is designed to give students an introduction to PPE and then become more subject specific. The course will build fundamental writing, reasoning, critical thinking, critical discussion, and communication skills. With a carefully curated syllabus, students will be guided through problems and arguments and given the opportunity to deploy the concepts and skills they have learned.

PPE is one of four Foundation Year subject options that prospective students can chose from and up to 50 students will be given this opportunity across all subjects per year.

The Astrophoria Foundation Year builds on the model of a pilot foundation year programme pioneered by Lady Margaret Hall since 2016. It also complements Opportunity Oxford, which is now in its third year, a scheme which supports selected Oxford offer-holders from underrepresented backgrounds by providing them with an academic bridging programme before beginning their studies here. 

All applicants for 2023 entry to the Astrophoria Foundation Year courses must apply via UCAS by Wednesday 25 January 2023 6pm UK time.

Please email: foundationyear@admin.ox.ac.uk for any queries on the foundation year.