Your chances of getting into Oxford Human Sciences, and the TARA score you need
For 2025 entry, 167 people applied for Human Sciences at Oxford, 104 were interviewed and 36 received offers: 22%. Built from the test scores and outcomes of 543 past applicants, released by Oxford.
Your chances
Answer the questions, then see your chances
- Your estimate from the scores and outcomes of 543 past applicants
- Adjusted for your grades, school and where you apply from
- A likely range, with each step that moved it
- What would change your odds, and a card to share
- Applied, 2025
- 167
- Interviewed
- 104
- Offers
- 3622%
Human Sciences selection in 2025
How many reached each stage in 2025. Your own chances appear here once you have answered.
| Stage | Students | AVG | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | 167 | ||
| Interview | 104 | 62% | ? |
| Offer | 36 | 22% | ? |
How the offer rate rises with TARA score
Show as a table
| TARA | Offer rate | 80% confidence range |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 21% | 12% to 31% |
| 4.5 | 30% | 23% to 41% |
| 5.0 | 35% | 26% to 44% |
| 5.5 | 39% | 27% to 47% |
| 6.0 | 41% | 25% to 50% |
| 6.5 | 43% | 36% to 49% |
| 7.0 | 45% | 38% to 50% |
| 7.5 | 47% | 40% to 51% |
| 8.0 | 48% | 41% to 52% |
| 8.5 | 49% | 41% to 52% |
| 9.0 | 50% | 42% to 52% |
Why you can trust this
543past applicants
3 yearsof scores linked to offers (2016, 2017 and 2022 entry)
1.5xwider ranges, with no other year to test on
Method and sources
Applicants are ranked by test score within each year, and offer and shortlisting rates are fitted from 2016, 2017 and 2022 entry, the only years for which Oxford's releases give the TSA scores of all Human Sciences applicants alongside who was shortlisted and who got an offer (for 2016 and 2017 by combining two releases). The level is set to Oxford's 2025 figures, and TARA scores are converted with our published TSA-to-TARA estimate until Oxford releases TARA results.
No other year was left to test the curve on, so every range is widened by half to allow for that.
Human Sciences has no grade or school fit of its own, so the GCSE, A-level and school effects are the ones fitted for Oxford PPE. The interview positions are Human Sciences' own, from the marks of 633 interviewees for 2018 to 2023 entry. The department weights the TSA and a contextualised GCSE score equally at shortlisting.
- University of Oxford, F193 and FOI/202509/944. Human Sciences applicants' TSA scores, and shortlisted candidates' TSA scores by outcome, 2016 and 2017.
- University of Oxford, FOI/202204/510. Every Human Sciences applicant's TSA score with shortlisting and offer, 2022.
- University of Oxford, FOI/202509/944. Shortlisted candidates' TSA scores by outcome, 2016 to 2023, and predicted A-levels, 2016 to 2024.
- University of Oxford, FOI/202312/1141. Interview marks from both colleges by outcome, 2017 to 2023, and GCSE results by outcome, 2013 to 2023.
- University of Oxford, FOI/202507/695. A-level subjects of offer holders, 2020 to 2025.
- University of Oxford, FOI/20190824/1 (Human Sciences admissions guide, 2018 round) and FOI/20181102/1 (no minimum TSA mark).
- Human Sciences Admissions Summary Reports, 2022-23, 2024-25 and 2025-26; Economics and Management admissions reports, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
- University of Oxford, Undergraduate Admissions Statistics 2025, including offers by school type and domicile.
- GCSE, A-level and school effects: taken from the Oxford PPE calculator, whose method lists their sources.
- Grade equivalence: Ofqual, grade standards for new GCSEs (2017); Cambridge International, A guide to A*-G and 9-1 grades (2025); Ecctis for the IB, MYP grade comparisons with the GCSE (2021); University of Oxford, Human Sciences entrance requirements.
- GhostPrep, TSA to TARA score conversion, published guide.
This estimate cannot see your personal statement, reference or college choice. The score curve rests on three years of data. The GCSE, A-level and school effects are borrowed from PPE, so they may not match Human Sciences, where GCSEs count equally with the test at shortlisting. Predicted and achieved grades are treated the same.
Oxford Human Sciences admissions statistics
What the numbers Oxford has released say about getting into Human Sciences: how many people apply, what the test and the interview count for, and how the odds differ by where you apply from, your school and your grades.
1 in 5
applicants got an offer
More detail
36 offers from 167 applicants for 2025 entry. More than half of applicants are interviewed, and about 1 in 3 interviewees gets an offer.
94%
got an offer after interviews averaging 18+ out of 20
More detail
2018 to 2023 entry, 65 of 69. Interviewees averaging below 15 got 6 offers from 221.
98% vs 18%
interviewed, top vs bottom quarter on the TSA
More detail
2022 entry. Once interviewed, the test counts for much less than the interview: in each year, offer holders scored only 0.5 to 3 points above the average interviewee.
87%
of A-level offer holders had Biology
More detail
125 of 143, 2020 to 2025 entry. Oxford requires no subject; 52% of these offer holders had Maths.
Oxford Human Sciences acceptance rate
For 2025 entry, 167 people applied for Human Sciences at Oxford, 104 were interviewed and 36 received offers.
That is an offer rate of 21.6%, or about 1 in 5. Over 2023 to 2025 entry it was 19.6% (102 offers from 521 applicants).
Oxford's own published acceptance rate counts only those who took up a place: 29 of 167, or 17%, for 2025 entry. The "Successful: 16%" on Oxford's course page is the same measure over 2023 to 2025.
Human Sciences is a small course: Oxford has made between 27 and 40 offers in every year from 2007 to 2025.
- Applied
- Interviewed
- Offered a place
The offer rate is above Oxford's overall rate, and the highest of the TARA courses, because the field is small: about 160 to 195 people have applied each year since 2023 entry, for about 35 offers. For 2025 entry the rate across all Oxford courses was 16.7%, and for Economics and Management (E&M) 6.0%.
The field is about as strong on the test as E&M's: on the same TSA sitting for 2025 entry, Human Sciences applicants averaged 58.0 and E&M applicants 60.1.
More than half of applicants are interviewed (62.3% for 2025 entry), and the department still turns away about two in three interviewees. Since 2016 entry, between 28% and 39% of interviewees have got an offer each year.
Applications peaked at 254 for 2015 entry, when the offer rate fell to its low of 13.8%.
The department's report for 2026 entry shows 164 applicants, 100 interviewed and 37 offers, including 5 open offers and 2 deferred offers.
Show the data as a table
| Entry | Applicants | Interviewed | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 167 | 104 (62%) | 36 | 21.6% |
| 2024 | 161 | 95 (59%) | 34 | 21.1% |
| 2023 | 193 | 92 (48%) | 32 | 16.6% |
| 2022 | 218 | 108 (50%) | 34 | 15.6% |
| 2021 | 233 | 106 (45%) | 34 | 14.6% |
| 2020 | 220 | 115 (52%) | 40 | 18.2% |
| 2019 | 186 | 113 (61%) | 39 | 21.0% |
| 2018 | 159 | 101 (64%) | 36 | 22.6% |
| 2017 | 185 | 88 (48%) | 34 | 18.4% |
| 2016 | 177 | 123 (69%) | 35 | 19.8% |
| 2015 | 254 | 132 (52%) | 35 | 13.8% |
| 2014 | 178 | 144 (81%) | 32 | 18.0% |
| 2013 | 155 | 140 (90%) | 35 | 22.6% |
| 2012 | 135 | 116 (86%) | 33 | 24.4% |
| 2011 | 167 | 155 (93%) | 33 | 19.8% |
| 2010 | 106 | 94 (89%) | 27 | 25.5% |
| 2009 | 111 | 104 (94%) | 35 | 31.5% |
| 2008 | 83 | 73 (88%) | 32 | 38.6% |
| 2007 | 101 | 96 (95%) | 33 | 32.7% |
What TARA score do you need for Oxford Human Sciences?
A TARA score of about 4.9 gave a 1 in 3 chance of an offer, and past offer holders averaged an estimated TARA 5.4.
Oxford publishes no pass mark, and it has released no TARA results yet: TARA replaces the TSA for 2027 entry.
So the figures below are estimates. They come from past applicants' TSA scores and outcomes for 2016, 2017 and 2022 entry, converted to TARA with our published TSA-to-TARA estimate.
Past offer holders averaged an estimated TARA 5.4, converted from their TSA scores. Oxford's own figures for 2025 entry: Human Sciences offer holders averaged 63.5 on TSA Section 1, against 63.0 for those interviewed and 58.0 for all applicants.
On that basis, a TARA score of about 4.9 gave a 1 in 3 chance of an offer, against the 22% average. That TARA score converts from a TSA Section 1 score of about 61 to 66 on our conversion's scale; each year's TSA ran differently.
The 80% confidence range around that estimate runs from 25% to 43%. It is wide because the curve rests on only three years of data.
Which Oxford courses require TARA for 2027 entry is in our guide to TARA for Oxford.
- Interviewed
- Offered a place
The test, weighted equally with a contextualised GCSE score, largely decides who is interviewed. For 2022 entry, 46 of the 47 applicants in the top quarter of TSA scores were interviewed, against 9 of the 51 in the bottom quarter.
After that it counts for much less than the interview. In each year, offer holders averaged only 0.5 to 3 points more than all interviewees: for 2025 entry, 63.5 against 63.0.
A top score is still no guarantee: for 2022 entry, 15 of the 39 applicants scoring 70 or more (the top fifth that year) got an offer.
Below-average scores do get offers: 10 of 35 offer holders for 2016 entry and 4 of 31 for 2022 scored below that year's applicant average.
On the same TSA sitting for 2025 entry, Human Sciences offer holders averaged 63.5 and E&M offer holders 74.7, though the two courses' applicants scored about the same.
Show the data as a table
| TARA score | From TSA | Applicants scoring below | Interviewed | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | 45 to 53 | 21% | 34% | 7% |
| 4.0 | 55 to 60 | 51% | 71% | 21% |
| 5.0 | 62 to 66 | 77% | 89% | 35% |
| 6.0 | 65 to 69 | 86% | 94% | 41% |
| 7.0 | 68 to 73 | 91% | 96% | 45% |
| 8.0 | 72 to 78 | 96% | 97% | 48% |
| 9.0 | 75 to 83 | 98% | 98% | 50% |
How much does the interview matter?
Every shortlisted candidate is interviewed online in December by two colleges: their first or allocated college, and a second college picked at random. Each college marks from 1 to 20 against written descriptors: 17 to 18 is "Excellent", 14 to 16 "Very good" and 10 to 11 "Borderline acceptance".
The figures below use the average of the two marks, which decides most outcomes. Over 2018 to 2023 entry, candidates averaging 18 or more got an offer 94% of the time (65 of 69); below 15, 6 of 221 did.
The steepest step is between 15 and 17: an average of 16 to 16.9 gave an offer 46% of the time, close to a coin toss.
Oxford's admissions guide for the 2018 round told tutors that candidates marked 17 and above "should be found a place if at all possible". These figures describe past outcomes; there is no mark to aim for.
The two colleges often disagree: 37% of interviewees had marks 3 or more points apart. Candidates given 18 or more by one college and below 14 by the other still got offers 18 times in 33.
Among interviewees, the interview counts for far more than the test. Ranked within each year over 2018 to 2023, the top quarter by interview average got offers 84% of the time and the bottom quarter 1%; by TSA score it was 50% against 27%.
Show the data as a table
| Average interview mark | Interviewed | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 or more | 69 | 65 | 94.2% |
| 17 to 17.9 | 94 | 72 | 76.6% |
| 16 to 16.9 | 117 | 54 | 46.2% |
| 15 to 15.9 | 132 | 18 | 13.6% |
| 14 to 14.9 | 75 | 3 | 4.0% |
| 12 to 13.9 | 105 | 3 | 2.9% |
| Below 12 | 41 | 0 | 0.0% |
UK and international applicants
UK applicants are about twice as likely to get an offer. Over 2023 to 2025 entry, 23.9% of UK applicants got one, against 12.3% of non-EU applicants and 4 of the 37 EU applicants.
- Interviewed
- Offered a place
The gap appears at both stages: 63% of UK applicants were interviewed against 44% of non-EU applicants, and 38% of UK interviewees got offers against 28% of non-EU interviewees.
For 2025 entry alone, 31 of 106 UK applicants got offers, against 5 of 51 non-EU applicants and none of the 10 EU applicants.
UK applicants made up 63% of applicants and 77% of offers over 2023 to 2025. The UK offer rate has been above the non-EU rate in every year since 2007.
Show the data as a table
| Applying from | Applicants | Interviewed | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 330 | 208 (63%) | 79 | 23.9% |
| Non-EU | 154 | 68 (44%) | 19 | 12.3% |
| EU | 37 | 15 (41%) | 4 | 10.8% |
State and independent schools
Among UK applicants, state-school students have done at least as well as independent-school students. Over 2023 to 2025 entry, 27.1% of state-school applicants got an offer (55 of 203), against 20.2% from independent schools (20 of 99).
The pattern holds in earlier years: 21.5% against 18.0% over 2020 to 2022, and 31.9% against 23.3% over 2017 to 2019.
- State
- Independent
Single years swing widely, because each group has only about 30 to 90 applicants a year.
Across all applicants, UK and overseas, state-school applicants were interviewed more often: 66.5% against 53.8% over 2023 to 2025. Oxford publishes this split for all applicants only, not for UK applicants alone.
UK applicants from the more deprived areas (Oxford's IMD flag, the two most deprived fifths) got offers at 32.2% over 2023 to 2025 (19 of 59), against 22.2% for others. Context counts at shortlisting through the contextualised GCSE score.
Show the data as a table
| Entry | State | Independent |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34.4% (22 of 64) | 21.2% (7 of 33) |
| 2024 | 27.8% (20 of 72) | 16.1% (5 of 31) |
| 2023 | 19.4% (13 of 67) | 22.9% (8 of 35) |
| 2022 | 20.9% (18 of 86) | 18.2% (8 of 44) |
| 2021 | 25.4% (18 of 71) | 17.5% (10 of 57) |
| 2020 | 19.1% (17 of 89) | 18.4% (7 of 38) |
| 2019 | 27.6% (16 of 58) | 22.6% (12 of 53) |
| 2018 | 43.5% (20 of 46) | 27.8% (10 of 36) |
| 2017 | 27.1% (16 of 59) | 20.0% (8 of 40) |
| 2016 | 22.6% (14 of 62) | 28.3% (13 of 46) |
| 2015 | 24.3% (18 of 74) | 20.4% (11 of 54) |
| 2014 | 26.0% (13 of 50) | 24.5% (12 of 49) |
| 2013 | 44.4% (16 of 36) | 30.2% (13 of 43) |
| 2012 | 43.3% (13 of 30) | 31.8% (14 of 44) |
| 2011 | 30.8% (16 of 52) | 15.4% (6 of 39) |
| 2010 | 28.6% (10 of 35) | 23.1% (6 of 26) |
| 2009 | 34.8% (16 of 46) | 40.0% (14 of 35) |
| 2008 | 44.4% (12 of 27) | 42.3% (11 of 26) |
| 2007 | 48.6% (17 of 35) | 37.0% (10 of 27) |
Do GCSEs and A-levels matter?
Oxford's standard offer for Human Sciences is AAA (IB: 38 points with 6, 6, 6 at Higher Level). No subject is required; Oxford says Biology or Maths can be helpful.
GCSEs count directly at shortlisting: the department ranks candidates on a score that gives the TSA and a contextualised GCSE score equal weight. Where there is no contextualised GCSE score, as for most international applicants, the test counts double.
More top grades go with better odds: applicants with 11 or more 9, 8 or A* grades got offers 31% of the time, against 17% for 7 or 8 and 13% for 4 or fewer. These are raw rates, before allowing for test scores or school.
Plenty of offer holders had modest GCSEs: 40 of the 147 with GCSE data had fewer than 8 top grades.
Shortlisted candidates are usually predicted well above the offer. Of 493 shortlisted over 2016 to 2024 entry with three or more predicted A-levels, 41% were predicted A*A*A* in their best three and 9% AAA.
In practice, nearly 9 in 10 offer holders with A-level subjects recorded had Biology: 125 of 143 over 2020 to 2025 entry, with 74 taking Maths. Only 5 had neither.
Show the data as a table
| Top GCSE grades | Applicants | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 or more | 67 | 21 | 31.3% |
| 9 to 10 | 277 | 71 | 25.6% |
| 7 to 8 | 141 | 24 | 17.0% |
| 5 to 6 | 105 | 15 | 14.3% |
| 0 to 4 | 120 | 16 | 13.3% |
Questions about Oxford Human Sciences admissions
What is the acceptance rate for Oxford Human Sciences?
About 21.6% of applicants got an offer for 2025 entry: 36 offers from 167 applicants. Oxford's own published acceptance rate, which counts only those who took up a place, was 17% (29). About 62% of applicants were interviewed, and about 1 in 3 of those interviewed got an offer.
Why is the Human Sciences offer rate higher than for other TARA courses?
It was the highest of Oxford's TARA courses for 2025 entry (21.6%, against 6.0% for E&M), and above Oxford's overall 16.7%, because the field is small: about 160 to 195 people have applied each year since 2023 entry, for about 35 offers. More than half are interviewed, and about two in three interviewees are still turned away. On the same TSA sitting for 2025 entry, its applicants averaged 58.0, close to E&M's 60.1.
What TARA score do I need for Oxford Human Sciences?
Oxford sets no pass mark. Our estimate is that a TARA score of about 4.9 gave a 1 in 3 chance of an offer, and past offer holders averaged an estimated 5.4. The test and your GCSEs, weighted equally, decide who is interviewed; after that, the interview decides most offers. Oxford has released no TARA results yet, so treat these as estimates.
Do I need A-level Biology for Human Sciences?
No. Oxford requires no subject, and says Biology or Maths can be helpful. In practice, 87% of A-level offer holders over 2020 to 2025 entry had Biology (125 of 143) and 52% had Maths. Oxford released these for offer holders only, so they cannot show whether Biology raises your chances.
Is AAA enough for Oxford Human Sciences?
AAA meets the standard offer, and shortlisted candidates must meet it. Most are predicted higher: of 493 shortlisted over 2016 to 2024 entry with three or more predicted A-levels, 41% were predicted A*A*A* and 9% AAA. Oxford released these grades separately from outcomes, so they cannot show how much a higher prediction helps.
How are Human Sciences interviews marked?
Two colleges interview each candidate and each marks from 1 to 20. Over 2018 to 2023 entry, candidates averaging 18 or more got an offer 94% of the time, those averaging 16 to 16.9 46%, and those below 15 got 6 offers from 221. The colleges often disagree: candidates marked 18 or more by one college and below 14 by the other still got offers 18 times in 33, though nobody with both marks below 15 did (0 of 99).
Is it harder to get into Oxford Human Sciences from outside the UK?
Yes. Over 2023 to 2025 entry the offer rate was 23.9% for UK applicants and 12.3% for non-EU applicants, with 4 offers from 37 EU applicants. International applicants were less likely both to be interviewed and to get an offer once interviewed.
Keep going
- Related subjectOxford Experimental PsychologyAlso TARA, with a larger intake and a lower offer rate.Your Experimental Psychology chances →
- CompareEvery Oxford course we coverApplicants, interviews and offer rates side by side.Compare Oxford courses →
- PrepareTARA study planA week-by-week plan from now to your test date.Build your plan →
Updated 25 October 2026 · GhostPrep is independent of the University of Oxford. Figures describe past applicants and are an estimate for planning, with no guarantee of any outcome.