The UK’s two oldest and most famous universities, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have a historic rivalry dating back more than 800 years. These two halves of “Oxbridge” share manyelements in common; both are made up of residential colleges, both use tutorial (or supervision) teaching systems, and of course both are steeped in centuries of traditions, stories and stereotypes.
While choosing whether to apply to Oxford or Cambridge is likely to be tricky, applicants do have to choose just one; the UK’s Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) only allows students to apply to one of the two.
I’ll admit I could be biased here (I studied at one; can you guess which?) – but I’ll do my utmost to present a balanced overview of how Oxford and Cambridge compare, looking at their performance in the international university rankings, as well as additional considerations such as location and funding. Oxford or Cambridge, which will you choose?
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| University of Cambridge
| University of Oxford
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| QS World University Rankings® 2014/15 |
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| Subject strengths* |
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| Location |
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| Tuition fees |
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| Financial support |
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QS World University Rankings® 2014/15 *Based on the QS World University Rankings by Faculty 2014.
The University of Cambridge outranks Oxford in the QS World University Rankings® 2014/15, but only marginally. It’s important to remember that at this level, the differences between institutions are generally very minor – and at joint second and joint fifth in the world, both Oxford and Cambridge are firmly established among the world’s higher education elite.
The Oxbridge brand is extremely strong, with both halves of Oxbridge getting high ratings in QS’s global surveys of academics and employers. In the latest results, Cambridge comes out first in the world according to academics and second according to employers. Oxford, meanwhile, has the world’s highest rating from graduate employers, and is ranked third by academics. In short: if you want to study at a university with a solid international reputation, whichever pathway you plan to pursue in future, a degree from either Oxford or Cambridge will stand you in good stead.
Cambridge has a slightly stronger score for citations per faculty member – an indicator which aims to give an idea of how influential a university’s research is, but both Oxford and Cambridge are within the world’s top 50 on this measure. Meanwhile Oxford takes the lead when it comes to faculty-student ratio (number of academic staff per student), but again both are within the global top 20 here, and are renowned for their commitment to small group teaching and individual supervision.
In terms of international diversity, both Oxford and Cambridge again get high scores; unsurprisingly, both are popular destinations for academics and students from around the world. Oxford has a slightly stronger score for its percentage of international faculty members, while Cambridge fares marginally better for percentage of international students.
Fees & living costs
Both Oxford and Cambridge charge different tuition fees depending on whether students are from within the EU or not. The following table gives a rough overview of how much you can expect to pay per year, depending on your study level and nationality. Check the university websites for exact rates; there is significant variation in the amount charged for graduate courses, and for non-EU students on undergraduate courses, depending on the subject.
| Annual tuition fees at Oxford and Cambridge (2015-16) | ||
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| Oxford | Cambridge |
| Undergraduate (UK/EU students) | £9,000 (about US$14,400) | £9,000 (about US$14,400) |
| Undergraduate (non-EU students) | £14,845-21,855 (US$23,700-35,000) | £15,063-22,923 (US$24,000-36,600) for most courses; £36,459 (US$58,280) for medicine and veterinary medicine |
| Graduate (UK/EU students) | £4,100-15,805 (US$6,500-25,000) for most master’s and doctoral programs; there are some exceptions. | £7,362-14,832 (US$11,600-23,500) for most master’s and doctoral programs; there are some exceptions. |
| Graduate (non-EU students) | £7,425-18,220 (11,800-28,900) for most master’s and doctoral programs; there are some exceptions. | £19,017-23,889 (US$30,000-38,000) for most master’s and doctoral programs; some exceptions. |
In addition to course fees, Oxford advises students to allow between £11,343 and £15,981 per year for living costs, including accommodation, food, study resources, socializing and other items. Cambridge recommends a minimum of £9,200 per year for living expenses. Overseas students will also be charged an additional “college fee”, which also applies to UK/EU students who are not enrolling on their first publicly funded degree. For 2015-16, this fee is £5,500 to £6,500 (depending on the college) per year for undergraduates at Cambridge and £6,925 per year for undergraduates at Oxford.
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