Applying to Oxford Business College (OBC)

BA (Hons) in Business Studies with Foundation Year (Awarded by Business Studies With Univerisity Of West London).

There are two application routes to entry for study at Oxford Business College, these are:

  • Route A: Standard Entry (via Academic Achievement)
  • Route B: Non-standard Entry (via Work Experience)

We give equal value and importance to both routes

Our aim is to ensure that every prospective student that has the potential to succeed in higher education has the opportunity, regardless of background or previous academic performance.

Five easy steps

At Oxford Business College we try to make the application process as easy as possible. From initial contact to enrolment, our aim is to make each stage of the process clear to applicants and to provide you with all the help, support and advice needed to successfully apply and enrol on this course.

  • Please click here to read about the course
  • If you;
    • like what you read and
    • meet the minimum entry requirements you will continue with the next step
    • If you finish reading and want more information please contact us

This should take around 15 – 25 minutes.

Information and enrolment

From information about the course, to applying and writing your personal statement, you can count on our friendly team of Admissions Officers for help and advice at every step.

Members of this team are happy to discuss the course, tell you all about the College and our facilities, and answer any questions or concerns you may have via Zoom, WhatsApp, Phone call, email etc, just contact us by mail and let us know.

Preparing to complete the application

  • Read about the course here
  • Prepare a list of questions you want to ask so you don’t forget them when you are here
  • Think about how your work experience is relevant to the course (if applying via this route - B)
  • Make sure that you understand the full admissions process - if you don’t, ask us about it!
  • Organise your documents and bring the originals to your appointment

Document Checklist

  • [ ] PROOF OF ID (Passport / Photo ID Card)
  • [ ] PROOF OF ADDRESS (Bank Statement / Utility Bill)
  • [ ] ACADEMIC CERTIFICATES (Originals and Translations)
  • [ ] CV AND EMPLOYER REFERENCE (If applying via Work Experience route - B)

If you have any questions or need any more information, please mail admissionsuk@oxfordbusinesscollege.ac.uk or call one of our admissions team.

  • You can either start filling in the online application yourself or one of our admissions team will help you through the online application process and to compete your application
  • For the BA (Hons) Business Management with Foundation you will also need to submit an online application via UCAS.
  • UCAS applications cost £20 for one course choice or £25 for multiple course choices

Applications can take anywhere from 30 – 90 minutes depending on how prepared you are.

Find out more
  • If you don’t have a qualification which demonstrates the required level of English proficiency you will need to take our English language test
  • This assessment will test your writing (and will be verified during the interview)
  • If you hold an accepted English qualification you will be exempt from this step

The initial English assessment takes around 60 minutes to complete (test and interview) and will include a VIVA VOCE (verification that it was you who wrote the test).

Find out more
  • Once you have submitted your application it will be reviewed by our admissions team
  • If you meet the admissions criteria you will be invited in for an academic interview
  • One of our expert academics will interview you and discuss your suitability for the course
  • They will review your academic and / or professional background and motivation to study
  • They will ask concept or summary questions about your written test
  • If you pass the academic interview you can proceed to the final step

Academic interviews usually last around 15 – 20 minutes (but may occasionally take longer)

Academic Interview

Once you have completed steps 1-3, our admissions team will review your application to ensure that it is complete and that you meet our eligibility and entry requirements for the course.

If you do, they will then invite you in to interview with a member of our academic team. These academic interviews generally last around 20 minutes and are used to assess the following:

  • Your academic and / or professional background
  • Your understanding of and suitability for the course
  • Your English ability
  • Your understanding of the subject area, related industry and relevant careers

As part of our quality process we interview every applicant that meets our entry requirements.

If you are applying via the Standard Entry route (Academic Achievement), the interviewer will want to discuss your educational background, as well as how the course will support your career goals.

Preparing for your Academic Interview (Standard Entry)

  • Think (and be prepared to talk) about why you want to study your chosen course
  • Think (and be prepared to talk) about how your previous study is relevant to the course
  • Think (and be prepared to talk) about what you know about the subject area or industry
  • Have a copy of all your documents with you, including ID and CV
  • Try to relax – our academics are very friendly and want to see you succeed!

If you are applying via the Non-standard Entry route (Work Experience), the interviewer will want to discuss your work experience to establish how it is relevant to the course, as well as discussing how the course will support your career goals and so on.

Preparing for your Academic Interview (Non-standard Entry)

  • Think (and be prepared to talk) about why you want to study your chosen course
  • Think (and be prepared to talk) about how your work experience is relevant to the course
  • Think (and be prepared to talk) about what you know about the subject area or industry
  • Have a copy of all your documents with you, including your CV and personal statement
  • Make sure you remember what you wrote in the written test (they will ask questions)
  • Try to relax – our academics are very friendly and want to see you succeed!

Want to know more about the academic interview process? Email admissionsuk@oxfordbusinesscollege.ac.uk or call one of the admissions staff.

  • Once you have successfully completed steps one to four you will need to apply for funding
  • Our Student Finance team can help you apply for funding face to face or over the telephone
  • Once approved by Student Finance England you will receive a letter confirming this
  • You can apply for funding from Student Finance England at: www.gov.uk/student-finance

Student Finance applications take around 30 minutes to complete (depending on complexity). Student finance applications are made directly on the University’s SLC Portal.

Applying for Student Finance

Whilst we list applying for your student finance as step five of our process, you can apply at any stage using your preferred course / provider choice details.

In fact, the earlier you do this the better in many ways as it can take up to six weeks for Student Finance England (SfE) to process your application.

The quickest and easiest way to apply for funding is via the online application form, depending on your circumstances, the application process should only take around 30 minutes to complete.

You will need the following documents to compete your application:

  • A valid Passport
  • Your National Insurance (NI) number
  • Details of your Bank Account (this account must be in your name)

If you do not currently hold a bank account in your name, you will need to open one BEFORE you can apply for student funding. Most high street banks can help you with this process and many have special offers and accounts especially for students.

In order to receive funding for your studies from Student Finance England (SfE), you will need to meet the following eligibility criteria, you will need to prove that you:

  • Currently live in the UK
  • Have been living in the UK for at least three years prior to the start your course
  • Are a UK national or have ‘settled status’ (no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK)

Apply for Student Funding (via SfE)

  • Apply online at: https://www.gov.uk/student-finance-register-login
  • Apply early and provide all the information needed at once (if possible)
  • Make sure you have set up your own bank account if you don’t already have one
  • Read our guidance notes and watch this helpful UCAS
    video: https://youtu.be/tckbD5o2T8o
  • Make sure you have all your documents, including bank details, to hand when you apply!

If you are a self-funding student, meaning you plan to pay your tuition fees directly to the College yourself, please speak to our Student Finance Team before applying by calling 01865 791908.

If you need any help to apply for your student finance or have questions, our team of Admissions Officers can help you. As a final option, visit us on campus, but email admissionsuk@oxfordbusinesscollege.ac.uk or call 01865 791908 to make an appointment

Document Checklist

When you talk to our Admissions Officers (or finance Officers), please have the following documentation ready, the better prepared you are the easier the process will be:

  • PROOF OF ID (Passport / Photo ID Card)
  • PROOF OF ADDRESS (Bank Statement / Utility Bill)
  • ENGLISH LANGUAGE CERTIFICATES (Originals and Translations) if you have them
  • CV AND EMPLOYER REFERENCE (If applying via Work Experience route)

Offer Types

If you are successful in your UCAS application, as part of the admissions process will be offered a letter from the University (via your UCAS account):

Conditional: You have been accepted on the course but must attend induction

You will need to accept this offer in order to proceed with your application

Please also note that you will need to attend a pre-course ‘Engagement session’ as well as some pre-course ‘tutorial sessions’. Participation in these sessions are an important factor when we make final decisions for accepting an application

If you have any questions or need any more information, please mail admissionsuk@oxfordbusinesscollege.ac.uk or call one of our admissions team.

If you need any help with the online application; any issues with the portal, where to upload documents, how to do the test etc, please feel free to call:

  • Paulo –
  • Francesca –
  • Franciny –
  • Hannah -

If you need any help with the online application form including advice on student finance and UCAS applications, please feel free to call:

  • Amanat -
  • Hannah –

If you are not happy about anything you have read, seen or experienced … we want to hear about it. We have a complaints procedure in the ‘admissions procedure’ here (starting on page 18)