This article is included in the ‘Oxbridge Essentials® “Engineering Volume”
I. Comparison of Application Popularity
1. 2020 Oxford and Cambridge Engineering Application Data Overview
The animated chart below shows that Chinese students’ enthusiasm for applying to the University of Oxford’s Engineering program far exceeds that of global students, ranking second only to Mathematics.
Looking at the number of applicants, Chinese students make up about one-fifth of all students applying to Oxford for Engineering. Meanwhile, the popularity of the Engineering program at the University of Cambridge among Chinese students ranks second, with their numbers accounting for about one-tenth of global applicants. This clearly indicates the high level of popularity of Engineering programs at Oxford and Cambridge among Chinese students.
2. 2016-2021 Chinese Student Application Proportion
Over the six years from 2016 to 2021, applicants from Mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) to Oxford’s Engineering program accounted for about 10%. In the same period, Chinese students applying for Engineering at Cambridge made up about 15%.
When engineering is combined with the application data for Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and other related fields, it is clear to see that STEM subjects remain the mainstream majors for Chinese students applying to Oxbridge.
3. Application Difficulty for Chinese Students from 2016-2021
The scatter plot below clearly shows that, although both Oxford Engineering and Cambridge Engineering are in the second tier, there is a significant difference in the level of competition between them.
Oxford Engineering has a higher number of applicants than most majors at Oxford, but a lower acceptance rate (the size of the circles in the graph indicates the acceptance rate); Cambridge Engineering also has many applicants, but a higher acceptance rate compared to most other popular majors at Cambridge.
Relative to other popular majors such as Mathematics, Computer Science, and Economics, the difficulty for Chinese students applying for Engineering at Oxford and Cambridge is considerably lower.
Oxford and Cambridge Chinese Student Admission Data (free trial, subscription required)
II. Comparison of Application Trends
The global acceptance rate for the Engineering programs at Oxford and Cambridge has shown a trend of “steady decline” over the past decade. Compared to other popular majors such as Mathematics, Computer Science, and Economics, the decline in acceptance rates for Engineering has been much slower. Looking solely at the acceptance rates from the 2020 application season, Engineering also had a significantly higher rate than other hot majors.
Combining the data of global students and Chinese students, the acceptance rate of Chinese students for Engineering at Oxford and Cambridge has also decreased along with the global acceptance rate. However, the decline in acceptance rates for Chinese students in Oxford Engineering has been faster and more pronounced.
III. Gender Comparison in Application Difficulty
Looking at the global data for male and female students applying to the University of Oxford, about 7.4% of the applicants for the Engineering program are male, while females make up approximately 2.5%, with a gender ratio of about 3:1. The gender ratio for those applying to the Engineering program at Cambridge is slightly higher than 3:1. One noteworthy trend is that the number of male applicants for Engineering has fluctuated several times over the past decade, while a clear upward trend is more apparent for female applicants.
Over the last ten years, female applicants to Oxford’s Engineering program have gradually surpassed males in terms of acceptance rates, demonstrating increasing competitiveness. For Cambridge Engineering, female students’ acceptance rates have consistently been just a bit higher than those of male students, suggesting that females applying for Engineering at Cambridge have a slightly higher chance of being admitted compared to males.
IV. Other Dimensions of Comparison
Due to limitations in length and the capabilities of dynamic data display, the above comparison of the application difficulty for Engineering at Oxford and Cambridge was made from only three dimensions.
The Youyi official website (ueie.com) also provides dynamic charts of Oxbridge admissions data that support analysis by various criteria such as region, application method, and college. These charts allow for an in-depth analysis of the global admissions data for various majors at Oxford and Cambridge over the past ten years, as well as data for Chinese students admitted in the last six years. For more content related to applications for Engineering at Oxford and Cambridge
