Entry into Oxford and Cambridge, the top dogs of UK unis, is super competitive – and that’s putting things lightly. To put it into perspective, more than 23,000 people applied for undergrad courses at Oxford last year and out of those, around 3,300 were successful. And while it’s mostly about your personal achievements, what school you go to could affect whether or not you make the cut.
Traditionally, private schools have been known to send the largest number of pupils to the institutions, but that no longer seems to be the case. In 2023, 72 percent of all Oxbridge offers went to state school students, compared to 52 percent in 2000. Now, Which School Advisor has revealed the schools that saw the most Oxbridge offers in 2023.
RECOMMENDED: The UK’s best private school is in London.
Westminster School, an independent school in London, had the largest number of successful Oxford and Cambridge hopefuls, with 65 out of 169 applicants securing a place. Following closely behind was Hill Road Sixth Form College, a state school in Cambridge. It actually received the most offers last year, but had significantly more applicants than Westminster School.
The third most successful school was also a state school – Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College with 56 offers. Schools in London dominate the rest of the top ten.
The top 10 schools in the UK for Oxbridge offers, according to 2023 results
- Westminster School, London
- Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
- Brighton Hove and Sussex Sixth Form College, Brighton
- St Paul’s School, London
- The Perse School, Cambridge
- Brampton Manor Academy, London
- Harris Westminster Sixth Form, London
- Eton College, London
- Queen Elizabeth School, London
- St Paul’s Girls’ School
Get schooled with Time Out
While you’re check out the UK’s 10 best state secondary schools, England’s best primary schools and this list of England’s 10 best private schools. If you’re interested in university rankings, we’ve covered those too. Take your pick from Times Higher Education, the Sunday Times 2025 ranking, the Daily Mail, the Guardian or the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
ICYMI: Three UK Christmas markets are the best in the world
Plus: The UK’s 25 best garden centres have been named by the Daily Mail
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.