The University has launched an innovative new access programme to help able students from disadvantaged backgrounds raise their academic standards and apply successfully to Oxford.
Wholly funded by an anonymous donor, the Astrophoria Foundation Year gives motivated students the chance to reach their academic potential through a supportive and challenging one-year academic course, aimed at developing their academic skills, self-belief and confidence. For now, the scheme is open to UK state school pupils with significant academic potential who have also experienced severe personal disadvantage or a disrupted education, which has damaged their ability to apply for an Oxford undergraduate place.
The Astrophoria Foundation Year will offer places for up to 50 students each year and is fully funded, covering tuition fees and the cost of accommodation and living expenses for all participating students. The funding is supported by a major gift from a longstanding University donor.
The Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Louise Richardson, said: ‘We are delighted to announce the launch of the Astrophoria Foundation Year, which will have a transformative impact on the lives of the smartest students who have experienced grave disadvantage. The programme will enable us to accelerate the progress we have made, as demonstrated in our annual admissions report, in broadening the socio-economic backgrounds of our undergraduate students. I am deeply grateful to the generous donor who shares our belief in the power of education and our commitment to identifying and nurturing talent.’
Students will study one of four foundation courses: Humanities (Classics, History, English and Theology); Chemistry, Engineering and Materials Science; Philosophy, Politics and Economics; or Law. Ten Oxford colleges are taking part in the first year of the new initiative: Exeter, Jesus, Keble, Lady Margaret Hall (LMH), Mansfield, Somerville, St Anne’s, St Hugh’s, Trinity and Wadham. The Astrophoria Foundation Year builds on the model of a pilot foundation year programme pioneered by LMH since 2016.
By the end of the year, students are expected to have developed the academic skills and confidence to meet the challenges of a demanding undergraduate degree. On condition that they complete the year to the required level, students will progress onto an undergraduate degree at Oxford without the need to re-apply. Alternatively, they will be awarded a nationally recognised Certificate in Higher Education (CertHE) and will be supported in making applications to other undergraduate degrees elsewhere.
The first cohort of successful students will be admitted in October 2023.