Your chances of getting into Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics, and the TARA score you need
For 2025 entry, 282 people applied for Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics at Oxford, 100 were interviewed and 45 received offers: 16%. Built from the test scores and outcomes of 110 past applicants, released by Oxford.
Your chances
Answer the questions, then see your chances
- Your estimate from the scores and outcomes of 110 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
- 282
- Interviewed
- 100
- Offers
- 4516%
PPL selection in 2025
How many reached each stage in 2025. Your own chances appear here once you have answered.
| Stage | Students | AVG | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | 282 | ||
| Interview | 100 | 35% | ? |
| Offer | 45 | 16% | ? |
How the offer rate rises with TARA score
Show as a table
| TARA | Offer rate | 80% confidence range |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 8% | 2% to 27% |
| 4.5 | 19% | 11% to 45% |
| 5.0 | 30% | 17% to 52% |
| 5.5 | 41% | 22% to 61% |
| 6.0 | 49% | 27% to 67% |
| 6.5 | 55% | 33% to 72% |
| 7.0 | 61% | 39% to 76% |
| 7.5 | 68% | 43% to 79% |
| 8.0 | 72% | 56% to 79% |
| 8.5 | 75% | 58% to 79% |
| 9.0 | 77% | 59% to 80% |
Why you can trust this
110past applicants
1 yearof scores linked to offers (2017 entry)
1.5xwider ranges, with no other year to test on
Method and sources
This calculator gives one estimate for all three PPL combinations. Its score curves come from the only year in which Oxford released PPL test scores and outcomes for the same applicants: Psychology and Philosophy, 2017 entry (110 applicants with a score, 20 offers). Applicants are ranked by score within that year, and the level is set to PPL's overall 2025 offer and interview rates.
With one year of linked data there is no other year to test the curve on, so every range has been widened by a factor of 1.5. TARA scores are converted with our published TSA-to-TARA estimate until Oxford releases TARA results.
PPL has no banded interview data of its own, so the interview step uses Experimental Psychology's results from 2017, 2018 and 2020 entry. The same department selects both courses, with the same interviews at two colleges marked 1 to 5.
PPL also has no fit of its own for grades or school type, so the GCSE, A-level and school effects are the ones fitted for Oxford PPE, added on top of the score and allowing for the overlap between them. Where you apply from uses PPL's own UK and overseas offer rates.
- University of Oxford, PPL 2017 Entry Statistics (FOI reply, July 2017). Psychology and Philosophy TSA scores, interview marks and outcome for each applicant, 2017.
- University of Oxford, FOI/2016/Mar, FOI/20180302/2 and FOI/20200427/1. Experimental Psychology interview marks by outcome, 2017, 2018 and 2020, used for the interview step.
- University of Oxford, Undergraduate Admissions Statistics 2025, including offers by school type and domicile.
- Department of Experimental Psychology, undergraduate admissions summaries 2019/20 to 2025/26. Applicants, interviews and offers by PPL combination, and TSA averages for Experimental Psychology and PPL together.
- University of Oxford, F193 and FOI/20200313/5. PPL TSA scores by combination, 2013 to 2017, and applicants, interviews, offers and TSA scores by combination, 2019 and 2020.
- University of Oxford, FOI/20190528/3 and FOI/202204/531. Philosophy and Linguistics interview marks by outcome, 2015 to 2021.
- University of Oxford, FOI/202609/1095. PPL applicants and offers by predicted A-levels and GCSE grade 9s, 2023 to 2025.
- University of Oxford, FOI/202412/1123. EP/PPL Admissions Information Handbook 2024/25.
- GCSE, A-level and school effects: as fitted for our Oxford PPE calculator, which 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, Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics entrance requirements.
- GhostPrep, TSA to TARA score conversion, published guide.
This estimate cannot see your personal statement, reference, college choice or which combination you apply for: all three get the same estimate, although their offer rates differ. The interview step is borrowed from Experimental Psychology and the GCSE, A-level and school effects from PPE, because PPL has no data of its own for them. Predicted and achieved grades are treated the same, and the GCSE, A-level and school effects come from separate tables, so they may overlap slightly.
Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics admissions statistics
What the numbers Oxford has released say about getting into PPL: how many people apply to each of its three combinations, how the test and the interview sort them, and how the odds differ by where you apply from, your school and your grades.
1 in 6
applicants got an offer
More detail
45 offers from 282 applicants for 2025 entry, all three combinations together. Oxford has made 35 to 48 PPL offers a year since 2018.
25% vs 14%
offer rate for Philosophy and Linguistics vs Psychology and Philosophy
More detail
2019 to 2026 entry pooled: 62 of 244 against 155 of 1,132. Psychology and Linguistics sat in between at 15.5%.
2 of 48
applicants below the middle test score were interviewed
More detail
Psychology and Philosophy, 2017 entry, the one PPL year with scores and outcomes released together. Of the 62 at or above it, 52 were.
10 of 10
got an offer after interviews averaging 4+ out of 5
More detail
Philosophy and Linguistics, 2018 to 2021 entry. None of the 9 averaging below 3 got one.
Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics acceptance rate
PPL is one course with three combinations, each with its own UCAS code: Psychology and Philosophy (CV85), Psychology and Linguistics (CQ81) and Philosophy and Linguistics (VQ51). Oxford's official figures count all three together.
For 2025 entry, 282 people applied for Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics at Oxford, 100 were interviewed and 45 received offers.
That is an offer rate of 16.0%, or about 1 in 6.
Oxford's own published acceptance rate counts only those who took up a place: 38 of 282, or 13%, for 2025 entry.
- Applied
- Interviewed
- Offered a place
Applications reached 282 for 2025 entry, up from 103 for 2012. Offers have stayed between 35 and 48 a year since 2018 while applications rose, so the offer rate has been 12.5% to 17.6% every year since, against 20% or more in most earlier years.
About 1 in 3 applicants is interviewed: 35.5% for 2025 entry. If you are interviewed, your chance of an offer is just under 1 in 2 (45 of 100).
The department's report for 2026 entry shows 252 applicants across the three combinations, 87 interviewed and 38 offer holders; an FOI reply counts 37.
Show the data as a table
| Entry | Applicants | Interviewed | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 282 | 100 (35%) | 45 | 16.0% |
| 2024 | 245 | 98 (40%) | 43 | 17.6% |
| 2023 | 275 | 99 (36%) | 48 | 17.5% |
| 2022 | 274 | 106 (39%) | 44 | 16.1% |
| 2021 | 281 | 85 (30%) | 35 | 12.5% |
| 2020 | 263 | 82 (31%) | 40 | 15.2% |
| 2019 | 265 | 93 (35%) | 39 | 14.7% |
| 2018 | 233 | 96 (41%) | 35 | 15.0% |
| 2017 | 189 | 98 (52%) | 48 | 25.4% |
| 2016 | 186 | 103 (55%) | 39 | 21.0% |
| 2015 | 195 | 105 (54%) | 39 | 20.0% |
| 2014 | 161 | 83 (52%) | 29 | 18.0% |
| 2013 | 161 | 93 (58%) | 36 | 22.4% |
| 2012 | 103 | 59 (57%) | 20 | 19.4% |
| 2011 | 139 | 73 (53%) | 29 | 20.9% |
| 2010 | 176 | 98 (56%) | 25 | 14.2% |
| 2009 | 178 | 130 (73%) | 36 | 20.2% |
| 2008 | 168 | 127 (76%) | 45 | 26.8% |
| 2007 | 194 | 130 (67%) | 45 | 23.2% |
Which PPL combination is hardest to get into?
The three combinations share one standard offer and one selection process, but their odds differ. Pooling 2019 to 2026 entry, 25.4% of Philosophy and Linguistics applicants got an offer (62 of 244), against 15.5% for Psychology and Linguistics (117 of 755) and 13.7% for Psychology and Philosophy (155 of 1,132).
Philosophy and Linguistics is also by far the smallest, with 23 to 41 applicants a year, so one or two offers move its yearly rate by several points.
- Interviewed
- Offered a place
The gap appears at both stages. Over those years 43% of Philosophy and Linguistics applicants were interviewed, against 33 to 35% for the other two, and 58% of its interviewees got offers, against 41 to 44%.
Its applicants also tend to score highest on the test. Their TSA Section 1 average was the highest of the three in 6 of the 7 years with figures for all three: for 2020 entry, 68.2 against 63.2 for Psychology and Linguistics and 63.4 for Psychology and Philosophy.
Psychology and Philosophy and Psychology and Linguistics lead to a 4-year MSci; Philosophy and Linguistics is a 3-year BA.
Show the data as a table
| Entry | Psychology and Philosophy | Psychology and Linguistics | Philosophy and Linguistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13% (17 of 135) | 16% (15 of 94) | 26% (6 of 23) |
| 2025 | 15% (22 of 144) | 16% (17 of 104) | 23% (6 of 26) |
| 2024 | 13% (15 of 119) | 18% (16 of 90) | 33% (12 of 36) |
| 2023 | 18% (24 of 132) | 16% (17 of 108) | 22% (9 of 41) |
| 2022 | 15% (22 of 145) | 16% (16 of 99) | 21% (6 of 28) |
| 2021 | 13% (22 of 166) | 10% (8 of 84) | 17% (5 of 29) |
| 2020 | 10% (15 of 151) | 21% (18 of 86) | 27% (7 of 26) |
| 2019 | 13% (18 of 140) | 11% (10 of 90) | 31% (11 of 35) |
What TARA score do you need for Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics?
A TARA score of about 5.2 gave a 1 in 3 chance of an offer, and past offer holders averaged an estimated TARA 6.0.
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, converted to TARA with our published TSA-to-TARA estimate.
They are one estimate for all three combinations. The score curve comes from the only year in which Oxford released PPL test scores and outcomes together, Psychology and Philosophy for 2017 entry (110 applicants with a score, 20 offers), set to PPL's overall offer rate.
Past offer holders averaged an estimated TARA 6.0, converted from their TSA scores. The department's own figure for 2025 entry, for Experimental Psychology and PPL together: offer holders averaged 67 on TSA Section 1, against 57 for all applicants.
On that basis, a TARA score of about 5.2 gave a 1 in 3 chance of an offer, about double the 16% average. It converts from a TSA Section 1 score of about 62 to 67 on our conversion's scale, and the 80% confidence range around the estimate runs from 19% to 55%.
Which Oxford courses require TARA for 2027 entry is in our guide to TARA for Oxford.
- Interviewed
- Offered a place
The 2017 data show how much the test sorted. Of the 48 Psychology and Philosophy applicants below that year's middle score, 2 were interviewed and 1 got an offer; of the 62 at or above it, 52 were interviewed.
A top score is still no guarantee. For 2017 entry, 15 of the 26 applicants scoring 65 or more (on that year's TSA scale) got an offer; 11 did not.
Once you are interviewed, the score counts for less. PPL offer holders usually averaged about 5 to 11 TSA points above that year's applicants, but only 0 to 3 points above interviewees.
Show the data as a table
| TARA score | From TSA | Applicants scoring below | Interviewed | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 55 to 60 | 55% | 23% | 8% |
| 5.0 | 62 to 66 | 80% | 88% | 30% |
| 6.0 | 65 to 69 | 88% | 96% | 49% |
| 7.0 | 68 to 73 | 93% | 97% | 61% |
| 8.0 | 72 to 78 | 97% | 97% | 72% |
| 9.0 | 75 to 83 | 99% | 97% | 77% |
How much does the interview matter?
Every shortlisted candidate is interviewed online at two colleges in December. Under the department's 2024-25 handbook, tutors mark each interview from 1 to 5 (1 weak, 2 reasonable, 3 good, 4 very good, 5 exceptional, with in-between marks allowed), and PPL candidates can get a separate mark for each of their two subjects.
Philosophy and Linguistics is the one combination for which Oxford released interview marks and outcomes together over several years. Every interviewee whose marks averaged 4 or more got an offer (10 of 10, 2018 to 2021 entry), and none of the 9 averaging below 3 did.
- 2015 to 2019 entry
- 2018 to 2021 entry
The older release tells the same story: for 2015 to 2019 entry, 19 of 19 interviewees averaging 4 or more got offers, against 2 of 13 below 3. The two releases share 2018 and 2019 entry, so they are shown side by side and never added.
A strong interview can outweigh a stronger test. In Psychology and Philosophy for 2017 entry, candidates with a TSA below 70 but an interview mark of 4 or more got 7 offers from 9, while those with a TSA of 70 or more and a lower interview mark got 4 from 7 (on that year's TSA scale).
Marks spread widely: for 2026 entry the middle first-college mark was 3.5, about a quarter of marks were below 3 and about a third were 4 or more. These figures describe past outcomes; there is no mark to aim for.
Show the data as a table
| Average interview mark | 2015 to 2019 entry | 2018 to 2021 entry |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or more | 100% (19 of 19) | 100% (10 of 10) |
| 3.5 to 3.99 | 80% (16 of 20) | 87% (13 of 15) |
| 3 to 3.49 | 30% (6 of 20) | 43% (6 of 14) |
| Below 3 | 15% (2 of 13) | 0% (0 of 9) |
UK and international applicants
UK applicants are more likely to get an offer: 20.8% over 2023 to 2025 entry, against 13.3% for non-EU and 9.1% for EU applicants.
For 2025 entry alone the rates were 20.8% for UK, 11.7% for non-EU and 4.5% for EU applicants (1 offer from 22).
- Interviewed
- Offered a place
The gap opens at both stages: 42.5% of UK applicants were interviewed, against 33.4% of non-EU applicants, and once interviewed 48.9% of UK and 39.8% of non-EU candidates got offers.
UK applicants were just over half of all applicants over 2023 to 2025 (53%) but received about two thirds of the offers (65%).
Show the data as a table
| Applying from | Applicants | Interviewed | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 428 | 182 (43%) | 89 | 20.8% |
| Non-EU | 308 | 103 (33%) | 41 | 13.3% |
| EU | 66 | 12 (18%) | 6 | 9.1% |
State and independent schools
Among UK applicants, school type makes little consistent difference. Over 2023 to 2025 entry, 20.5% of state-school applicants got an offer (61 of 297), against 24.3% from independent schools (25 of 103).
In 2020 to 2022 it ran the other way: 21.6% for state and 19.1% for independent schools.
- State
- Independent
Across all applicants, UK and overseas, state and independent school applicants were interviewed at similar rates (42.1% and 46.8%, 2023 to 2025) and did about equally well once interviewed (48.4% and 50.0%). Oxford does not publish these figures for UK applicants alone.
State-school students now make up about 7 in 10 UK applicants: 69% over 2023 to 2025, up from 52% over 2017 to 2019.
Show the data as a table
| Entry | State | Independent |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 to 2025 | 20.5% (61 of 297) | 24.3% (25 of 103) |
| 2020 to 2022 | 21.6% (50 of 231) | 19.1% (22 of 115) |
| 2017 to 2019 | 25.2% (38 of 151) | 24.8% (30 of 121) |
Do GCSEs and A-levels matter?
Oxford's standard offer is the same for all three combinations: A*AA at A-level, or 39 IB points (including core) with 7, 6, 6 at Higher Level. No subject is required.
The advice differs by combination. For Psychology, a science (Psychology counts) or Maths is highly recommended; for Linguistics, English Language, Maths, a science or another language is helpful; and for all three, an A or 7 in GCSE Maths is recommended.
In practice, offer holders are predicted well above A*AA. Over 2023 to 2025 entry, about two thirds of offer holders taking A-levels (50 to 54 of 78) were predicted at least A*A*A*.
A fourth A* made no visible difference: 33% for A*A*A*A* (10 of 30), against 32% for exactly A*A*A* (36 of 113).
GCSE grade 9s track outcomes steeply. Over 2023 to 2025, applicants with 9 or more grade 9s got offers 58% of the time (32 of 55), against about 5% for those with 0 to 2.
Maths and Biology are the A-levels whose share rises from applicants to offer holders in every year from 2023 to 2026 entry, Maths by the most: for 2025 entry, 22% of applicants took Maths, against 40% of offer holders.
These are raw rates: applicants with stronger grades also tend to score higher on the test, so the calculator counts only what your grades add beyond your score.
Show the data as a table
| Predicted A-levels | Applicants | Interviewed | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A*A*A*A* | 30 | 19 | 10 | 33% |
| A*A*A* | 113 | 57 | 36 | 32% |
| A*A*A | 105 | 37 | 13 | 12% |
| A*AA | 58 | 16 | 4 | 7% |
Questions about Oxford PPL admissions
What is the acceptance rate for Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics?
About 16.0% of applicants got an offer for 2025 entry: 45 offers from 282 applicants, across all three combinations. Oxford's own published acceptance rate, which counts only those who took up a place, was 13% (38). About 35% of applicants are interviewed, and 45 of the 100 interviewed got an offer.
What TARA score do I need for Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics?
Oxford sets no pass mark. Based on past applicants' scores converted to TARA, a score of about 5.2 gave a 1 in 3 chance of an offer, and offer holders averaged an estimated 6.0. The estimate is the same for all three combinations and rests on one year of Psychology and Philosophy data, and Oxford has released no TARA results yet, so treat it as a guide.
Which PPL combination has the highest offer rate?
Philosophy and Linguistics. Pooling 2019 to 2026 entry, 25.4% of its applicants got an offer (62 of 244), against 15.5% for Psychology and Linguistics and 13.7% for Psychology and Philosophy. It is also the smallest, with 23 to 41 applicants a year, and its applicants have tended to score higher on the test, so the gap reflects who applies as much as the combination itself.
Do I need A-level Psychology or Maths for PPL?
Neither is required. For the Psychology half, Oxford highly recommends a science (Psychology counts) or Maths. A-level Psychology gives no consistent edge: it was the most common subject among applicants for 2024 to 2026 entry, but its share among offer holders was lower in 2024 and 2026. Maths and Biology are the subjects whose share rises from applicants to offer holders in every year from 2023 to 2026 entry, Maths by the most: for example 22% to 40% for 2025 entry.
Is A*AA enough for Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics?
It meets the standard offer, but most successful applicants are predicted higher: about two thirds of offer holders taking A-levels were predicted at least A*A*A* over 2023 to 2025 entry. Applicants predicted exactly A*AA got 4 offers from 58, though applicants with lower predictions also tend to score lower on the test.
How are PPL interviews marked?
You are interviewed at two colleges. Tutors mark each interview from 1 to 5, and PPL candidates can get a separate mark for each of their two subjects. In Philosophy and Linguistics, every interviewee averaging 4 or more got an offer (10 of 10, 2018 to 2021 entry), and none averaging below 3 did.
Is it harder to get into Oxford Psychology, Philosophy and Linguistics from outside the UK?
Yes. Over 2023 to 2025 entry the offer rate was 20.8% for UK applicants, 13.3% for non-EU and 9.1% for EU applicants. UK applicants did better at both stages: 42.5% were interviewed against 33.4% of non-EU applicants, and once interviewed 48.9% got offers against 39.8%.
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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.