Foundation Year in Humanities

Foundation Year in Humanities

Are you a student from the UK interested in studying Classics, English, History or Theology & Religion but your personal or educational circumstances have meant you are unlikely to achieve the grades typically required for Oxford courses? If so, then choosing to apply for your course with a Foundation Year might be the right option for you.

Typical A-level entry requirements are BBB. We do accept other types of qualifications and further information about academic entry requirements is available on the University of Oxford website.

Hear from Humanities students

Zoe and Rahiya took part in the pilot foundation year programme at Lady Margaret Hall and are now English undergraduates at Oxford. Hear what they have to say about studying a foundation year at the University of Oxford.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sIMRLEUEqfE

Subject pathways

This subject pathway is not accepting applications for entry in 2026. 

This course is for candidates with an A-level or equivalent in either Latin or Greek. 

This course is for those who have not had the opportunity to study either Latin or Greek at school or college and includes a preliminary year at undergraduate level, in which students learn Latin or Greek, alongside some study of classical literature. It is a five-year course, including the foundation year.

What will my week look like?

You will attend around five hours of classes per week, participate in regular meetings with tutors to discuss work, carry out independent research and you are likely to write at least one essay every two weeks. In your final term you will complete an extended project on a subject related topic of your choice, deepening your subject interest and building your skills in independent study.

Find out more about the course structure.

Oxford's iconic Bodleian Library is the largest university library system in the UK, holding over 13 million printed items on 400 km of shelving. This means that it is possible to complete your studies here without having to buy a book. The Bodleian also house treasures such as a copy of Jane Austen's unfinished novel and the largest collection of Tolkien materials in the world.

Oxford is home to the Ashmolean Museum (art and archaeology) and the Pitt Rivers Museum (anthropology and archaeology).

Oxford's alumni include many famous authors, poets, historians, theologians and philosophers. See a list of some of the most famous Oxonians.

There are also a number of student humanities societies you can join including: Ancient Languages Society; Anthropology Society; Archaeology Society; C.S. Lewis Society; Historical Re-enactment Society; Speculative Fiction Society; Tolkien Society.

 
 

 

Go beyond what is covered in the classroom with Oxplore. Look at big questions that tackle complex ideas across a wide range of subjects, and engage in the kind of critical thinking students undertake at university.

Should you believe the history books?  Is it ok to ban certain books?  Do humans need religion?