There are some critical dates of which you should be aware.

1. Prospectuses are published for the coming academic year in March, and should be obtained directly from the universities and colleges.
2. Open Days are important events that you should try to attend. These are organised by individual colleges and by some subject departments. Open Days are organised from April to June each year. Most colleges have at least three Open Days, the dates of which are given in the university prospectus. To attend, you should make an early written application, as places are limited.
3. The submission of your application form must be made by the 15^th October. At Cambridge the application form is submitted directly to your chosen college, at Oxford it is submitted to the University Admissions Office. You must also submit your UCAS form to Cheltenham at the same time.
4. Interviews usually take place in early December once the undergraduates have gone on Christmas vacation. At Cambridge, selection interviews usually take one day but at Oxford they can take up to three days.
5. Decision information is usually provided very quickly. In most cases you will be given the college’s decision by early January. If you have been placed in the Pool, three outcomes are possible. You will be directly made an offer from another college, called for further interview by an interested college, usually during the first two weeks of January, or be told by your college that no offer will be made. This final filtering is usually completed before the end of January.