Now, CBSE, ISC students can apply to Oxford varsity

The University of Oxford in the UK will from next year accept applications of students graduating from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for Indian School Certificate Examination schools for admission to undergraduate courses.

The University of Oxford in the UK will from next year accept applications of students graduating from Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Council for Indian School Certificate Examination schools for admission to undergraduate courses.

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So far, Oxford, and other UK universities accepted Indian students’ applications based on international board scores: the A-Levels and International Baccalaureate qualifications and the SATs. Until now, only a few universities would accept ISC or CBSE scores, and only for a few courses.

Oxford vice-chancellor Andrew Hamilton has been in India since Monday.

He made the announcement on the policy change at an event in Kolkata on Thursday and will make a formal announcement when he speaks at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur on Friday.

“India is rising rapidly, both economically and in terms of educational quality, and we’re very pleased to open our doors to the country’s top-performing students,” said Hamilton, in a note. “We are committed to attracting the best students from India to Oxford, and to signal our commitment, we have gone further than many other UK universities, including Cambridge, in deciding to accept Class 12 examination results for all undergraduate courses at Oxford.”

Usually, individual subject departments decide on the basis of making offers to students, but a note from the university said CBSE and ISC (Class 12) students would be expected to achieve 90% in each of the five subjects they appear for exams in. The requirements would be reviewed after three years.

“Oxford has also seen a very high performing group of Indian postgraduate students in recent years,” said a spokesperson from the university, via email. “Some US universities accept candidates with CBSE and ISC scores, who excel in their studies, making an additional reason for Oxford to undertake its own review."