This is an HTML version of an attachment to the Freedom of Information request 'Oxford UK Applicants'.


UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD 
University Offices, Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JD 
 
 
Ref. FOI/20190320/5 
29 May 2019 
Reply to request for information under Freedom of Information of Act  
Your Ref 
FOI/20190320/5 
Address 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx 

Request 
Dear University of Oxford, 
 
Please can I have the following information for the last 3 years in a microsoft excel 
form. Please only include applicants for undergraduate courses. 
1) The number of applicants from every school in the UK. If there are no applicants 
from a school, then you may omit these in the report. 
 
2) The number of successful applicants from every school in the UK for the last 3 years.  
 
3) A breakdown of the subjects that students applied to study at Oxford from each 
school and how many of these were successful. 
 
4) Which Oxford colleges students applied to study at from each school and how many 
were successful 
 
5) what was the number of applicants and successful applicants to each Oxford college 
segmented by Private School, Grammar School and State School.  
 
6) The A level, IB and Pre U results of all Oxford applicants.  
 
7) How many applicants did not meet their conditional offer. segmented by subject, 
student race, and Oxford college. 
 
Yours faithfully, 
 
E. Ocampo 
 
Dear E. Ocampo, 
 
I write in response to your request for the above information.  
 
1 - 2) This information may be found on the University’s website, which we link to for your convenience:  
https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-figures/admissions-statistics/admissions-statistics-school?wssl=1 as 
well as https://public.tableau.com/views/UniversityofOxford-
UCASApplyCentreApplications2017/UCASApplyCentre?:embed=y&:display_count=yes&:showTabs=y&:showViz

Home=no.  
 
3 - 4) We will not comply with this part of your request which is for detailed individual level data for single 
application cycles. We consider that disclosure of this information in the form requested might enable those 
with access to other information or knowledge (e.g. those associated with the same school as applicants) to 
identify individuals and learn new information about those individuals. In taking this measure, we are applying 
 



the exemption in section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Section 40(2) provides an 
exemption from disclosure for information that is the personal data of an individual other than the requester, 
where disclosure would breach any of the data protection principles in Article 5 of the General Data Protection 
Regulation (GDPR). We consider that disclosure of the information requested in the exact form requested 
would breach the first data protection principle, which requires that personal data is processed lawfully, fairly 
and in a transparent manner. Disclosure would be unfair to the individuals concerned, as it would be contrary 
to their reasonable and legitimate expectations. They would not reasonably expect that information about 
their qualifications or other information relating to their application to Oxford would be made public under the 
FOIA without their consent.  
 
For the disclosure of personal data to be lawful, it must have a lawful basis under Article 6 of the GDPR. There 
are six possible lawful bases in Article 6; we do not consider that any of them would be satisfied in respect of 
the disclosure.  
 
The exemption in section 40(2) is an absolute exemption and is not subject to the public interest test provided 
for in section 2(2)(b) of the FOIA. To the extent that the public interest is relevant in this case, the University 
considers it is satisfied by the attached information. 
 
5) This information may be found on the University’s website, which we link to for your convenience. Further 
details may be accessed near the bottom of this webpage: https://www.ox.ac.uk/about/facts-and-
figures/admissions-statistics/undergraduate-students/current/school-type?wssl=1.  
 
6) To be included in our further correspondence.  
 
7) The information, where held on the central student system, is provided in the attached document.  
 
Your request is for detailed individual level data for a single application cycles. We consider that disclosure of 
this information in the form requested might enable those with access to other information or knowledge (e.g. 
those associated with the same school as applicants) to identify individuals and learn new information about 
those individuals. For this reason, we have taken the following measures to reduce the risk of individuals 
being identified.  
 
• 
We have presented aggregated figures for the category of race, redacting where figures fall below five. 
 
In taking these measures, we are applying the exemption in section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 
(FOIA). Section 40(2) provides an exemption from disclosure for information that is the personal data of an 
individual other than the requester, where disclosure would breach any of the data protection principles in 
Article 5 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We consider that disclosure of the information 
requested in the exact form requested would breach the first data protection principle, which requires that 
personal data is processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner. Disclosure would be unfair to the 
individuals concerned, as it would be contrary to their reasonable and legitimate expectations. They would not 
reasonably expect that information about their qualifications or other information relating to their application 
to Oxford would be made public under the FOIA without their consent.  
 
For the disclosure of personal data to be lawful, it must have a lawful basis under Article 6 of the GDPR. There 
are six possible lawful bases in Article 6; we do not consider that any of them would be satisfied in respect of 
the disclosure.  
 
The exemption in section 40(2) is an absolute exemption and is not subject to the public interest test provided 
for in section 2(2)(b) of the FOIA. To the extent that the public interest is relevant in this case, the University 
considers it is satisfied by the attached information. 
 
 
 
 



INTERNAL REVIEW 
 
If you are dissatisfied with this reply, you may ask the University to review it, by writing to the Head of 
Information Compliance at the following address: 
 
University Offices 
Wellington Square 
Oxford 
OX1 2JD 
 
Alternatively, you may request a review by e-mailing xxx@xxxxx.xx.xx.xx  
 
THE INFORMATION COMMISSIONER 
 
If, after the internal review, you are still dissatisfied, you have the right under FOIA to apply to the 
Information Commissioner for a decision as to whether your request has been dealt with in accordance with 
the FOIA. The Information Commissioner’s address is:  
 
Information Commissioner  
Wycliffe House 
Water Lane 
Wilmslow 
SK9 5AF 
 
Tel:  0303 123113 
 
Further information for submitting complaints to the Information Commissioner is available at 
http://www.ico.gov.uk/complaints.aspx   
 
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
FOI OXFORD