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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

Scholarship for Oxford

39 replies

debbs77 · 29/12/2023 19:53

My ex husband keeps telling my son he should get a scholarship for Oxford university.

How does someone even go about applying for this?

He has 12 GCSE'S, doing 4 A levels and wants to do an integrated Masters degree after college.

My concern is that I am not wealthy and in a position to financially support our son.

My ex husband doesn't even pay his £7 a week maintenance so won't be able to help support our son financially either (despite his promises).

I fully support our son moving to university etc if he wishes to

OP posts:

goodbyestranger · 30/12/2023 10:16

Sorry I see JulesJules has taken more time with her response....

user1469447079 · 30/12/2023 11:25

I don't think anyone's mentioned open days - look out for those in 2024, there are usually two at the end of June/start of July at both Oxford and Cambridge.

Strongly suggest applying for UNIQ (as others have said) and the deadline is soonish, January 23.

Finally the admissions test PAT is a large part of the application process in physics at Oxford and it would be a good idea to start looking at some papers, certainly by the summer vac in 2024.

Also ignore the idea that an applicant needs to be 4A* *star material. Many applicants aren't taking 4 A-levels, let alone getting an A star in each.

Finally, physics at Oxford and Cambridge are very differently organized. One does physics at Cambridge via Natural Sciences. So, for the first year at least, a student has to have a somewhat broader range of courses, though some students would appreciate that. At Oxford you can be on a Physics degree from the off.

ofteninaspin · 30/12/2023 11:32

DD graduated with an Oxford integrated Master’s degree. Many of her cohort have secured positions that require a Master’s degree both in the workplace and academia so it’s not necessarily viewed as less than a free standing Master’s degree. It’s a very cost effective way to study at Master’s level too.

anothernamechangeagainsndagain · 30/12/2023 11:45

You get loans from the government to pay for most of it, scholarships are very specific bursaries are more common eg my dd got a women in engineering but it wasn't Oxford. Also for anyone interested in engineering, you can get a hefty bursary by signing up for the military (you need to do at least 7 years typically but don't have to pay any of it back) - definitely a good option for some

Cattymonster · 30/12/2023 12:10

He could do his UG degree and then apply for a scholarship for Master's. Other than that it's a matter of checking which universities offer bursaries to students (for instance for being first in family to attend university, for excellent A levels and making the uni their first choice, for being from a family with low income and other such things).

Other than that your son can borrow money from student finance, as others have explained, and pay it back when working.

MistletoeRegrets · 30/12/2023 12:35

Lots of good advice here, @debbs77.

The basic point is - your son does not need a scholarship to enable studying for a degree at Oxford.

He should certainly apply if he thinks he’d enjoy a particular course and the way it’s taught. If he gets in there are plenty of ways and means to make everything possible.

MistletoeRegrets · 30/12/2023 12:39

(I speak as someone who had a scholarship from my Cambridge college, many centuries ago. Not because I was in any way a superstar, just because I needed the money so the college advised me to apply for it - probably having already decided they would award it to me.)

girlgonenorth · 30/12/2023 13:19

Yes, go for it and reading around the subject is good for interview. But for physics at Oxford it’s critical to first get a good score on the PAT test https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/study/undergraduates/how-apply/physics-aptitude-test-pat

I know more than one 4 A* at alevel student who didn’t do well enough at this to get an offer. Your son should find out what support he can get from his school to prepare. It’s a lot of work over and above alevel physics.

Otherwise, as pp have said, your son doesnt need a scholorship, he will get a student loan based on your income and could get a college bursary on top, these are commonly available in many universities if people are in hardship or meet specific conditions

Physics Aptitude Test (PAT)

Everyone who applies to study Physics or Physics and Philosophy at Oxford, without exception, must take the Physics Aptitude Test (PAT), a two-hour test that evaluates a student’s ability in both physics and maths.

https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/study/undergraduates/how-apply/physics-aptitude-test-pat

Turmerictolly · 30/12/2023 13:24

This is a yearly thread fhat pops up to support Oxbridge applications. This would be your ds year of entry.

Oxbridge 2025 www.mumsnet.com/Talk/higher_education/4965872-oxbridge-2025

JennyForeigner · 30/12/2023 13:33

MistletoeRegrets · 30/12/2023 09:04

I’m sorry - but this is just not for the likes of you dressed up as care and support.

Incredibly depressing post.

a stronger, better foundation for what? A lifetime of refusal to step outside one’s comfort zones or attempt to communicate with a broader range of people? Fantastic …

Show quote history

Nope, it's the experience of someone from a low income single parent family who went to Oxford and whose sibling went to Cambridge and Oxford. I now volunteer and on average successfully support 8-10 kids from low income backgrounds into Oxbridge every year.

And I support 20-30 more each year who don't really want it for themselves or whose parents push for it or who are absolutely brilliant, but want to go to Bath for what they see as a genuinely modern languages course rather than one based on literature.

It's not saying anything about the kids to think that Oxbridge application isn't something to push at every smart kid. That's just lack of ambition and watching too much Harry Potter.

Notquitegrownup2 · 30/12/2023 16:20

Just seconding the comments above about Oxford being cheaper IME than other universities. Ds 1 was at Oxford, ds2 went elsewhere to ini. The shorter terms and subsidized college accommodation helped enormously. Some collages are better value than others - we only found the online table comparing each of the colleges accommodation fees at the very last minute. It is there on the website tucked away.

Latewinter · 30/12/2023 16:36

titchy · 29/12/2023 20:09

Two things: scholarships aren't really a thing in the UK (where they do exist they're usually for say music or choral scholars who may need to stay over Christmas for services etc) - students get maintenance loans - the amount depends on household income, so if you earn a low amount of money he should get pretty much the full loan (around £10k a year to live on).

Local uni vs Oxford. Unless your local uni is Cambridge there won't be any comparison. Oxford will be streets ahead of your local uni and if he is capable and wants to he absolutely should give it a go - is he 4 x A star material? Would he cope with the very very intense style of teaching? Most applicants won't get an offer though so be prepared for disappointment if he does apply. And perhaps managing his df's expectations. He should though aim for the best uni his likely grades will get him for his subject. Which may be your local uni, but probably isn't.

Oh nonsense. It's not "streets ahead" unless it's the right fit for him and it's absolutely not the right fit for everybody.

You don't know where she lives. I know this comes as a shock to Oxbridge people but Oxford and Cambridge are not actually the best universities in every subject.

titchy · 30/12/2023 17:10

I know this comes as a shock to Oxbridge people but Oxford and Cambridge are not actually the best universities in every subject

Perfectly aware of that, but let's not pretend that local could be a poorly performing uni, and that it would be sensible to look at all UK unis, not assume the local one will offer the same as anywhere else.

TizerorFizz · 30/12/2023 19:28

Decent physics grads are all employable. A local uni might be perfectly good for Physics and won’t hold him back. Lower league table unis probably don’t offer physics! I would start looking at the courses on offer though and definitely aim high.

@debbs77 I really would enrol for the UnIQ course and register for an open day. Both need pretty urgent attention and are vital so he can see if Oxford excites him, or not. Then you know what to aim for. At the very least, go and have a look round. Many colleges open for visitors and they might waive the entry fee if he says he’s a prospective student. Can his dad take him?

Plus why isn’t his school helping?

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