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Oxford has published its interview timetable for the 2026 admissions round. Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed online in December 2026, with most interviews between Monday 7 and Thursday 17 December and some in the week commencing 30 November. Invitation emails come from your college between mid-November and early December - sometimes with only a week's notice - and because Oxford arranges around 20,000 online interviews for roughly 10,000 shortlisted candidates, interviews cannot be rearranged. Keep December free, watch your inbox, and start preparing now.
The 2026 interview dates, subject by subject
Every course interviews in December, but the exact days differ by subject. A few examples from the official timetable: Biochemistry interviews run mainly Monday 7 to Thursday 10 December, with some in the week commencing 30 November; Biology interviews run Monday 7 to Friday 11 December; Biomedical Sciences interviews fall on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 December; Chemistry first-college interviews run Monday 7 to Thursday 10 December, with second-college interviews on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 December; Archaeology and Anthropology interviews take place on Monday 14 and Tuesday 15 December, with possible third-college interviews on Thursday 17 December. Some subjects add extra interviews after the first round - you will get at least 24 hours' notice of those. All times are UK time (GMT). Check the full official timetable for your course.
How and when invitations arrive
You will hear by letter or email, usually between the middle of November and early December, and different courses send invitations on different days depending on when their interviews are scheduled. The invitation normally comes from the college you applied to - or, if you made an open application, from the college you were allocated to. Sometimes a different college invites you instead: that is Oxford's reallocation process, designed so every interviewed candidate has a similar chance of an offer. Be aware that you may only get a week's notice, so check the email address on your UCAS application daily from mid-November.
The competition in numbers
Oxford typically receives over 23,000 applications for around 3,300 places each year, and shortlists approximately 10,000 candidates for interview. Only shortlisted candidates are interviewed, and if you are not shortlisted your application has not been successful - so an invitation is a genuine achievement. It also means Oxford interviews around three candidates for every place, which is why the interview itself carries so much weight.
What to do between now and December
First, read Oxford's official interview guidance and watch its video resources so the format is familiar - all interviews this round are online, so sort out a quiet space and reliable technology early, ideally at school or home. Second, practise thinking aloud on unfamiliar material: Oxford describes interviews as academic conversations, similar to a short tutorial, designed to explore how you think rather than what you have memorised. Third, rehearse under realistic conditions. Our own interview preparation starts with a diagnostic mock interview, turns the feedback into two or three targeted micro-drills, then repeats the simulation - with written feedback after every mock - so the habits that matter (clarity, pace, flexibility, recovery when stuck) actually change before December. If you are shortlisted this month, a free planning call can map the weeks you have left. For practice questions, see our guide to Oxford and Cambridge interview questions.
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