University interviews: Oxford, Cambridge, medicine and other courses that interview

Most UK degree courses offer places based on your UCAS application alone, with no interview. But some courses, and two universities, interview almost everyone they’re seriously considering. If you’ve applied for one of them, this guide explains what to expect and how to prepare.

The short version: an interview isn’t a trap or a quiz. It’s a chance for the university to see how you think and why you want to study the subject. Being nervous is normal, and interviewers expect it.

Which courses interview?

You’re likely to have an interview, or something like one, if you’ve applied for:

• Any course at Oxford or Cambridge. Almost every course at both universities interviews shortlisted applicants.
• Medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine. Nearly every medical school interviews before making offers.
• Nursing, midwifery, social work and other health courses, such as physiotherapy and paramedic science.
• Teaching degrees, such as a BA in Primary Education with QTS.
• Creative courses, which often ask for a portfolio (art, design, fashion, photography, film) or an audition (music, drama, dance) instead of, or as well as, an interview.

Some other courses interview occasionally, so check each course page. If an interview is part of the process, the university will contact you through email or UCAS Hub with the details.

Oxford interviews

• When: early to mid-December 2026. Oxford says it usually tells shortlisted applicants between the middle of November and early December, sometimes with only a week’s notice, so keep December free.
• Where: online, using Microsoft Teams. Most people do it from school or college, which can usually provide a quiet room and a reliable computer.
• How many: most candidates have more than one interview, sometimes at more than one college, usually with two tutors.
• How many get one: Oxford receives over 23,000 applications and shortlists about 10,000 for interview. So being shortlisted is a real achievement, but it isn’t an offer yet.
• Decisions: through UCAS on 12 January 2027.

Cambridge interviews

• When: the main interview period is 7 to 18 December 2026. Most invitations go out in November, some in early December. Cambridge says the timing of your invitation doesn’t say anything about how strong your application is.
• Where: in person or online, depending on the college and course. You usually can’t choose. Some colleges can help with travel costs and accommodation for in-person interviews, so ask if this would be a problem.
• How many: most applicants have one or two interviews, lasting 35 minutes to an hour in total, usually with two or three interviewers.
• How many get one: Cambridge interviews many applicants, and everyone who gets an offer has been interviewed.
• Decisions: in January. Some strong applicants are put in the “winter pool” and may be offered a place by, or interviewed at, a different college in mid to late January.

What Oxford and Cambridge interviews are really like

Both universities describe their interviews as being like a short tutorial: a conversation about your subject with academics who teach it. You might be given a short text, a poem, a graph, a problem or an object you haven’t seen before, and asked to talk about it.

The point isn’t to see whether you already know the answer. It’s to see how you think when you meet something new. Interviewers say they are looking for curiosity, clear reasoning, and interest in the subject beyond what you’ve covered at school. Oxford says decisions are not based on your manners, appearance or background.

It’s fine to say “I haven’t come across that before”, as long as you then have a go. Ask them to repeat or rephrase a question if you need to.

Medicine, dentistry and vet interviews

Medical schools mostly interview between December and March, and many make their offers towards the end of March, so a long wait is normal. There are two main formats:

• Multiple mini interviews (MMIs): you move between several short “stations”, often 5 to 10 minutes each, each with a different interviewer and task. Stations might ask about your motivation, an ethical dilemma, a role-play with an actor, a teamwork task, or what you learned from work experience. MMIs are the most common format.
• Panel interviews: a longer conversation with two or three interviewers. Oxford and Cambridge, and a few other medical schools, use these.

Some interviews are in person and some online, and this varies by school, so check your invitation. Whatever the format, they tend to look for the same things:

• why you want to do the job, and an honest idea of what it involves
• what you learned from work experience or volunteering, rather than a list of what you did
• kindness, respect and good communication
• how you reason through a difficult situation, such as an ethical question with no single right answer
• awareness of current issues in healthcare

The Medical Schools Council, which represents UK medical schools, publishes free interview preparation guidance (linked below).

Nursing, midwifery, health, social work and teaching

These interviews are usually values-based. They look at whether you have the qualities the job needs, such as compassion, respect, resilience and good communication, more than what you know. For nursing and health courses, these values come from the NHS Constitution, so it’s worth reading it.

Formats vary a lot between universities. You might have:

• a live interview with two people, online or in person
• a recorded interview, where questions appear on screen and you record your answers within a time limit
• a group task, where interviewers watch how you work with others
• for teaching courses, a short micro-teach, where you teach a small activity

Use real examples from your own life: work experience, caring for a relative, a part-time job, volunteering or helping at a club. “Here’s a time I…” is much stronger than “I am a caring person.”

Portfolios and auditions

For art and design courses, the portfolio usually matters more than an interview. Universities generally want to see finished work and how you got there, such as sketchbooks, research and early ideas. Each course sets its own rules about how many pieces and in what format, so follow them exactly.

Music, drama and dance courses often hold auditions, and some ask for a recorded performance first. Again, the course page and your invitation will say what to prepare.

How to prepare for any interview

1. Re-read your personal statement and anything else you sent. Interviewers often ask about it, so be ready to talk about anything you mentioned.
2. Know why you chose the course. Look at the modules and what makes this course different from others.
3. Practise talking, not just thinking. Explain an idea from your subject out loud to a friend or family member, or record yourself.
4. Ask your school or college for a mock interview. Many teachers will do one if you ask.
5. Keep up with your subject. Read a little around it, or follow the news in your field, especially for medicine, health and teaching.
6. For online interviews, test your camera, microphone and internet the day before, and find a quiet room with a plain background.
7. Tell the university early about any disability or need for adjustments, such as extra time, so they can arrange it.

Two rules to know: don’t record your interview, and don’t look things up or use AI tools during it. Oxford’s code of conduct bans all three, and other universities have similar rules, especially for online and recorded interviews.

After the interview

Try not to replay every answer. Almost everyone leaves thinking of something they wish they’d said, and interviewers judge you on the whole conversation, not one moment. Decisions come through UCAS Hub, and the waiting times above are normal.

If you’re still choosing where to apply for next year, our subject rankings for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, nursing and primary teaching show student satisfaction, drop-out rates and graduate outcomes for every university. Our guide to UCAS deadlines has the dates that come after interviews, including when you need to reply to offers.

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