How do you choose a College?
First, make sure the University teaches the course you want. View the courses offered by the University of Oxford. If the University does not offer a course which suits you, you are best advised to find an appropriate course at another university.
If you find the right course for you, check that any college you apply to offers the course. View the courses offered by Pembroke. Then find out what you can about one or more colleges, through visits, direct inquiries, talking to people about it, and websites. For information about the organisation of teaching at Pembroke and about student life at Pembroke College, see the College Handbook and other pages on this website. Visit Pembroke on one of its Open Days. If you cannot come on an Open Day, it is usually possible to meet a subject tutor, or the Tutor for Admissions, or some students personally, or come on a specially arranged school visit. Contact the Admissions & Access Officer for further information. Applicants with special needs should contact admissions@pmb.ox.ac.uk and the University's Equal Opportunities Office for further information.
It is possible to apply without choosing a College. You can submit an Open Application and you will be allocated a College. It is also important to understand that, even if you apply to a College, you may receive an offer from a different college. This is because colleges are the route through which applications are considered not only by the college to which the application is made, but by other colleges. This gives applicants a better chance of a place in Oxford and colleges a wider field from which to select the best applicants. So, while applicants often find places in their chosen college, many receive offers from other colleges. Whilst it is good to want to go to the college you apply to, an important element in that choice should be how helpful the college is in answering your queries and handling your application.
Check the University website to see which colleges offer the course you are interested in.
Watch a short video giving advice on how to choose a college.