Oxford University accepted more than twice the number of black students who failed to achieve the required grades compared to white applicants, new figures have shown.
In the past five years, 16 per cent of black UK undergraduates who were offered a place at the university did not meet the A-level grades needed, according to a Freedom of Information request submitted by The Telegraph.
This is more than double the number for white students, which comes in at six per cent.
Meanwhile, just two per cent of Chinese applicants in Britain were handed a place after failing to meet the required grades.
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The university usually expects students to achieve between A*A*A and AAA in their A-levels.
On its website, it says a "very small number" are admitted who do not meet their offer conditions, which is "often as a result of personal exceptional circumstances".
The university has placed increased focus on ethnic minority admissions in recent years.
In 2021, it said it had "increased the proportion of admitted UK undergraduates with Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority heritage to a record level".
Oxford University usually expects students to achieve between A*A*A and AAA in their A-levels
|PA
According to the university's annual admission report, 30.8 per cent of students admitted from the UK in 2025 identified as Black and Ethnic Minority, while 8.1 per cent were eligible for free school meals.
A total of five per cent of black students achieved a first-class degree at the university last year, figures from the Oxford University Gazette show.
The data shows 36 per cent of Chinese undergraduates achieved the top degree classification and 38 per cent of white students.
A spokesman for Oxford University said: "Admission to Oxford is based on merit and academic potential.
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A spokesman for Oxford University said admission is based on 'merit and academic potential'
|PA
"Grades awarded at A-level and for equivalent examinations constitute one part of the undergraduate admissions process at Oxford.
"They are considered alongside other forms of evidence to inform decisions regarding the academic potential of our applicants; such evidence may include subject-specific tests and submitted written work as well as academic references and interviews with the tutors who will be teaching them.
"This rigorous and multi-faceted approach sets us apart from most other universities and supports the fair assessment of every applicant.
"The university is unequivocal that the care and rigour we put into our selection process means we are confident that all students at Oxford fully deserve their places here."
It was revealed earlier this year that top universities in Britain, including the University of Oxford, would offer "inclusive assessments" for minority groups to yield better results.
The Office for Students approved plans proposed by Russell Group universities to replace in-person, unseen exams with open-book tests and take-home papers.
Oxford University said at the time its proposals were to "use a more diverse and inclusive range of assessments" to "improve the likelihood” of those from "lower socio-economic backgrounds" obtaining quality degrees.
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