Key Facts · Oxford
Classics and Modern Languages at Oxford is a 4- or 5-year BA combining Latin and/or Ancient Greek with a modern language. The typical A-level offer is AAA, with As in Latin and Greek if taken. There is no written admissions test, but applicants submit one Classics written-work piece by 10 November 2026.
Section 01
The official course name is Classics and Modern Languages, and Oxford describes it as a joint course combining Latin and/or Ancient Greek with a modern language. Oxford lists the page-level UCAS code as “See course combinations” because the current course page uses separate language and route combinations rather than one universal code. Guardian 2026 places Oxford #2 in the Classics and Ancient History subject table, used here as the closest verified UK-table proxy for this joint course.
That ranking should be read carefully. The verified audit deliberately does not substitute world rankings, overall university rankings or unverifiable subject-table rows for this page. For this course, the more useful comparison is the structure: Oxford combines Classics options, modern-language work, a compulsory year abroad and final papers linking ancient and modern literatures.
This course is built for applicants who want to move between linguistic precision and literary interpretation. It is not simply “Classics plus a language”; the final structure can include comparative ancient and modern literature work and, where permitted, a thesis replacing one Classics paper.
How It Ranks Against Peers
| University | Guardian UK | CUG UK | Times UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Cambridge | #1 | — | — |
| University of Oxford | #2 | — | — |
| University of St Andrews | #3 | — | — |
| Durham University | #4 | — | — |
| University of Leicester | #5 | — | — |
| University of Birmingham | #6 | — | — |
University of Cambridge
University of Oxford
University of St Andrews
Durham University
University of Leicester
University of Birmingham
Ranks shown are UK subject-table positions from the three major UK guides. World rankings are not included — UK applicants compare using UK-focused sources.
Section 02
International Applicants
Hover to preview · Click to draw route
Select a highlighted country to see the admissions-test, score, and English-language requirements that apply specifically to applicants from that country.
Section 03
| Qualification | Typical Offer | Key Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | AAA (with As in Latin and Greek, if taken) | Post-A-level route: chosen modern language usually expected at A-level, Advanced Higher, IB HL or equivalent., Applicants not taking that qualification may still be considered with CEFR B1 proficiency., If Latin and/or Greek are taken at A-level, an A is required. required. General Studies, Global Perspectives and Research not accepted.Beginners' modern language routes are available for Czech, German, Italian, Modern Greek and Portuguese, with route restrictions for candidates also beginning a classical language. |
| IB Diploma | 39 (including core points) with 666 at HL, including 6s at HL in Latin and Greek if taken | HL: Post-A-level route: chosen modern language usually expected at IB HL or equivalent., HL Latin and/or Greek at 6 if taken. required.IB Career-related Programme is not accepted under Oxford's UK qualifications guidance. |
| Advanced Placement (AP) | Four APs at grade 5 (including any subjects required for the course) OR three APs at grade 5 (including required subjects) plus ACT 31+ or SAT 1460+; optional ACT/SAT essay not required. | Any course-required subject must be included among APs where relevant; confirm route-specific language requirements on the official course page. required. SAT/ACT: ACT 31+ or SAT 1460+ only if offering three APs rather than four; optional ACT/SAT essay not required..SAT/ACT superscoring is not accepted for meeting an offer; Calculus AB and BC cannot count as two separate subjects. |
Section 04
MAY — AUG
Use the summer before submission to choose the language/classics route, compare college availability, draft the UCAS personal statement, and organise the academic reference.
Tip:Because this course has no admissions test, the written work, school record, personal statement and interview preparation carry more of the visible selection evidence.
1 SEP
Completed UCAS applications for 2027 entry can be submitted from September 2026, once the reference and all course choices are ready.
Tip:Do not wait until the final day; school or referee deadlines are often earlier than the UCAS deadline.
15 OCT
Submit the UCAS application by 6pm UK time on 15 October 2026. Late applications for Oxford’s early-deadline courses are not normally considered.
Tip:Check that the correct Classics and Modern Languages route and college/open-application choice are entered before submission.
10 NOV
Submit one piece of written work for the Classics part of the course to the college by the Oxford written-work deadline.
Tip:Choose work that shows analytical argument, clarity of expression, and ability to handle evidence, rather than a heavily polished piece that hides your own thinking.
LATE NOV
Applicants normally hear whether they have been shortlisted from the end of November into early December.
Tip:Keep early-to-mid December free; Oxford says interview times cannot normally be rearranged.
DEC
Oxford’s central timeline says interviews take place in early to mid-December. The subject-specific 2026 timetable has not yet been published; do not rely on the sample/previous-year 8–17 December pattern as confirmed 2026 dates.
Tip:Prepare for separate subject/language discussion, close reading, grammar or translation work, and questions that test how you respond to new ideas.
12 JAN
Oxford states that 2027-entry applicants will receive their application outcome via UCAS on Tuesday 12 January 2027, with colleges following up directly later that day.
Tip:If unsuccessful, feedback requests are normally handled by the college that considered the application.
12 AUG
Conditional offer-holders use results day to confirm whether they have met the academic offer conditions. The 2027 A-level date is provisional until final exam-board/UCAS confirmation.
Tip:Have college contact details ready in case results are delayed, missing, or require clarification.
MAY — AUG
Use the summer before submission to choose the language/classics route, compare college availability, draft the UCAS personal statement, and organise the academic reference.
Tip:Because this course has no admissions test, the written work, school record, personal statement and interview preparation carry more of the visible selection evidence.
1 SEP
Completed UCAS applications for 2027 entry can be submitted from September 2026, once the reference and all course choices are ready.
Tip:Do not wait until the final day; school or referee deadlines are often earlier than the UCAS deadline.
15 OCT
Submit the UCAS application by 6pm UK time on 15 October 2026. Late applications for Oxford’s early-deadline courses are not normally considered.
Tip:Check that the correct Classics and Modern Languages route and college/open-application choice are entered before submission.
10 NOV
Submit one piece of written work for the Classics part of the course to the college by the Oxford written-work deadline.
Tip:Choose work that shows analytical argument, clarity of expression, and ability to handle evidence, rather than a heavily polished piece that hides your own thinking.
LATE NOV
Applicants normally hear whether they have been shortlisted from the end of November into early December.
Tip:Keep early-to-mid December free; Oxford says interview times cannot normally be rearranged.
DEC
Oxford’s central timeline says interviews take place in early to mid-December. The subject-specific 2026 timetable has not yet been published; do not rely on the sample/previous-year 8–17 December pattern as confirmed 2026 dates.
Tip:Prepare for separate subject/language discussion, close reading, grammar or translation work, and questions that test how you respond to new ideas.
12 JAN
Oxford states that 2027-entry applicants will receive their application outcome via UCAS on Tuesday 12 January 2027, with colleges following up directly later that day.
Tip:If unsuccessful, feedback requests are normally handled by the college that considered the application.
12 AUG
Conditional offer-holders use results day to confirm whether they have met the academic offer conditions. The 2027 A-level date is provisional until final exam-board/UCAS confirmation.
Tip:Have college contact details ready in case results are delayed, missing, or require clarification.
Section 05
Oxford states that applicants for Classics and Modern Languages do not need to take a written admissions test. Preparation should therefore focus on the UCAS application, the required Classics written work, interview readiness, language aptitude and evidence of commitment to both sides of the course.
Section 06
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Interview Invitation
Late Nov
Arrival to Interview
Early Dec
Technical Question
Mid Dec
Decision
Early Jan
Question Types You’ll See
Oxford’s verified interview evidence for this course points to tutorial-style academic discussion, with close reading, language or grammar work, translation tasks and discussion of literary or cultural material. The current verified location is online.
In practice, preparation should focus on thinking aloud clearly. It helps to practise explaining why a grammatical choice, translation decision or literary interpretation is plausible, then revising that view when the interviewer gives you new evidence.
For all routes, the same underlying skill matters: notice detail, state a reasoned view, and respond calmly when the question becomes less familiar.
Practise with realistic questions from our free Classics and Modern Languages mock interview bank.
Free Mock Questions →Section 07
Weighting of Admission Factors
100%
Indicative — exact balance varies by college and year.
Oxford states that tutors consider the full application rather than a single score for Classics and Modern Languages. Because the course has no written admissions test for 2027 entry, the strongest visible decision evidence is likely to come from interview performance, school achievement, predicted grades, written work, UCAS reference and personal-statement evidence.
This means you should not prepare as if one element can rescue everything else. We recommend building a balanced application: strong qualification evidence, careful written work, genuine subject reading, and interview practice that tests how you handle unfamiliar material.
Section 08
A good Classics and Modern Languages personal statement should show how you think across language, literature and culture. Avoid presenting the two halves as separate hobbies; tutors need to see why the combination makes intellectual sense for you.
Use one or two concrete examples. A passage you translated, a poem you compared across languages, or a grammatical feature you investigated is usually more useful than a long list of books.
Reflection matters more than volume. Use the statement to show what changed in your thinking after reading, translating or comparing texts.
See a full annotated example with line-by-line expert commentary.
Classics and Modern Languages PS Example →Section 09
The best projects for this course are usually small, precise and text-led. A useful project might compare two translations of the same classical passage, trace one myth through a modern-language text, or analyse how syntax changes meaning across languages.
A project does not need to be original research. It needs to show that you can ask a focused question, use evidence carefully, and explain what you learned.
How to present a project:
Possible project ideas include comparing a classical text with a modern-language adaptation, building a short grammar log from unseen translation practice, or writing a close-reading commentary on a passage in the modern language.
Other supercurricular work should support the core application rather than decorate it. Choose activities that sharpen close reading, translation judgement and historical or cultural interpretation.
These activities support the application, but they are not a substitute for strong academic evidence.
Competitions are not required; what they do well is stretch your ability to work under time pressure and respond to unfamiliar material.
Use any competition or challenge selectively. One or two done well beats five half-attempted.
Section 10
The first year builds the core linguistic and literary base for both sides of the degree. On the standard Option A route, students work across ancient-language translation, classical literature, practical modern-language work and modern-language literature, preparing for First University examinations before progressing to the later Honour School. Option B and beginner classical-language routes can change the path and may make the course five years rather than four.
Balanced foundations across Classics and a modern language
The second year deepens the student’s Oxford-level work in both halves of the joint degree. Students continue language, literature and subject-option work, with branching depending on route and language background.
Main academic branching between route emphases
The standard four-year structure includes a compulsory year abroad connected to the modern-language side of the degree. Oxford lists possible year-abroad formats such as paid language assistantship, internship or university study, with the aim of developing language competence and cultural knowledge.
Compulsory year abroad
The final year brings the Classics and Modern Languages strands together in advanced papers and final examinations. Students may select papers across both sides of the degree, including work that links ancient and modern literatures, and may be able to replace one Classics paper with a thesis.
Nine-paper Finals plus modern-language oral
Section 11
Oxford’s verified 2027 timeline requires one piece of written work for the Classics part of this course by 10 November 2026. The structured timeline says that this work should be submitted to the college by the Oxford written-work deadline.
The decision-criteria visual treats written work as an editorial 20% estimate, not an official weighting. The practical point is still clear: because there is no written admissions test for 2027 entry, written work becomes one of the main visible pieces of subject evidence before interview.
Choose a piece that shows argument, clarity and evidence. We recommend avoiding a heavily over-polished essay if it hides your own analytical decisions.
Section 12
Start with the official course page, because it sets out the available routes, entry requirements, course structure and written-work requirement for this exact degree.
Beyond those official sources, build knowledge through texts rather than summaries. Keep notes on short passages: what the grammar does, what the translation loses, and how the cultural context changes the reading.
For modern-language preparation, active language work matters. It helps to read aloud, summarise short texts, and practise explaining a literary point without translating every sentence mechanically.
Section 13
19 colleges offer this subject. 20 of applicants submit an open application. 28 of places come through the pool.
It does verify that Oxford lists route-specific course combinations rather than one universal code, so college and route availability should be checked against the current Oxford course information before applying.
Choose a college for fit, availability and practical preference rather than perceived odds. Oxford’s assessment is academic, and attempting to optimise college choice is usually less useful than improving written work and interview readiness.
Section 14
Where graduates of this course head after leaving — by sector, as reported in the university’s destinations survey.
Full employer lists, median salary bands, and sector notes live on the careers data page.
Oxford describes Classics and Modern Languages graduates as entering fields including media, teaching, acting, management, advertising, librarianship, international companies and international organisations. Oxford’s course page examples include an investment manager and a trainee solicitor. The bar-chart percentages are a national Modern Languages HESA/Prospects proxy, not Oxford CML-specific destination data.
Section 15
GCSEs, where taken, may also be considered with the rest of the application and in context where possible.
Context does not replace subject preparation. It helps tutors interpret your academic record fairly, especially where subject availability, school context or disruption affected what you could study.
If your school did not offer Latin, Greek or the relevant modern language route, explain the situation clearly through the UCAS reference or school context where appropriate. We recommend making the evidence easy to understand rather than overstating the disadvantage.
Watch & Learn
Student vlogs, mock interviews, lecture tasters, and admissions advice.
Official course overview video for Classics and Modern Languages.
Demonstration interview relevant to the Classics side of the course.
Modern Languages mock interview example from an Oxford college.
All videos are the property of their respective creators.
Further Reading
Super-curricular reading, websites, and tools recommended by our expert tutors.
Use this for current route combinations, entry requirements, written work and application details.
Use this for Modern Languages application guidance, including the current no-written-test position for 2027 entry.
Use this for Classics interview format, online interview expectations and subject-specific preparation.
Use this to check which colleges offer each Classics and Modern Languages route.
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