If you are thinking about applying to the Ruskin School, the Fine Art Department of the University, it's a good idea, if you can, to attend an Open Day at the School.
Theses are organised throughout the year. Please check the School website for the dates: www.ruskin-sch.ox.ac.uk. These days are an opportunity for you to meet some of the tutors and students, tour the studios and generally find out more about the School.
In order to study at Oxford, you need to belong to a college. There are a total of 18 colleges at Oxford that accept Fine Art students. Please see attached list for further details. Each of the colleges also have Open Days throughout the year to help you make your selection of which college you would like to apply to. Each one has its own particular character, so you may well have a preference. Please bear in mind, though, that successful candidates can be offered a place at a different college to the one to which they originally applied. It is also possible to make an open application, where you select the subject that you wish to study but do not select a college. With an open application, you will then be assigned a college.
"Applying to the Ruskin is competitive. Students frequently undertake a Foundation course (or something equivalent) before applying. This is a contrasting experience from school, since it provides students with a fresh peer group and a diverse range of curiosities and skills across the visual arts.
Ruskin students often remark that the Foundation year represents a vital breathing space in which to focus and research, and to develop new working relationships.
When the Ruskin staff look at the portfolios of applicants we are always looking beyond the fulfilment of School curricula. We look for highly motivated activity over and above any project-based work. We look for a breadth of engagement, a sense of purpose and a strength of opinion in the way the portfolio is edited. We enjoy discovering a sense of the temperament behind the work and any other interests which inform the portfolio.
We are emphatically not looking for a formula or a style but do seek signs of energetic, ambitious and inquisitive work."
Richard Wentworth, Ruskin Master
All candidates applying to Oxford are required to submit an Oxford
application form in October to:
Undergraduate Admissions Office
Wellington Square
Oxford OX1 2JD
Application forms are now available to download from http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/forms/
Portfolios should be delivered to the Ruskin by 14th November 2008. This deadline also applies to second degree applications.
All candidates must apply through the Universities and Colleges
Admissions Service (UCAS). The UCAS application form and UCAS directory
can be obtained from app.req@ucas.ac.uk,
by phone on 01242 223707 or through this address:
UCAS Application Requests
New Barn Lane
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire GL52 3LZ
There is a £6 charge for the UCAS Directory but the data is also available on www.ucas.ac.uk and a free CD-Rom version of the Directory is available from UCAS. The UCAS code number for Oxford University is 033. The code for fine art is W100.
These documents should be submitted to the respective offices between 1 September and 15 October 2008.
