Which elite universities have the highest offer rates?

Josie Gurney-Read, online education editor 
19 OCTOBER 2016 • 11:09AM
It will come as little surprise to anyone that getting into an elite university can be highly competitive, with candidates to some Russell Group institutions having less than a 50 per cent chance of success.

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Figures from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge are often cited to illustrate just how competitive admission can be. According to data published by Ucas, some 19,040 people applied to Oxford last year, of which, just 3,230 places were accepted. At the University of Cambridge there are, on average, five applicants for every place.

Not that prospective undergraduates should be down-heartened. The range of institutions across the Russell Group means that offer rates can vary greatly, as can the average Ucas points required of candidates.

While we would advise against selecting a university based on how likely you would be to get an offer, it’s worth taking into account how competitive some higher education institutions can be.