LNAT for Oxford University BA (Hons) Jurisprudence Law admissions 2025 and 2026

Oxford University is one of the oldest and most renowned educational institutions in the world. This is evidenced by the national and international popularity of Oxford University’s undergraduate programmes in Law.

Given the large number of applicants every year, Oxford University uses the LNAT score as one of the shortlisting and selection parameters.

In addition to the UCAS form, all applicants for the BA (Hons) Jurisprudence Law programmes are required to take the Law National Aptitude Test (LNAT) in the year you are applying.

Why does Oxford University use the LNAT?

Applicants from different backgrounds apply for the Law programmes at Oxford. The LNAT is used as a common test for all, since it is subject agnostic and does not require any prior knowledge or external information – which means that everybody sitting the LNAT will start from an equal level.

The LNAT is designed to test your aptitude for studying Law rather than your knowledge of any subject. The test will help Oxford University to assess your verbal reasoning, ability to interpret and communicate information, and decision-making skills.

The LNAT essay questions test your ability to argue economically and to come to a conclusion.

Apart from the LNAT, which is common to all BA (Hons) Jurisprudence Law applicants, candidates for Law with Law Studies in Europe who are applying for the French, German, Italian or Spanish law options will usually be given an oral test in the relevant European language at the time of interview.

The LNAT results are used both when shortlisting and when making the final admissions decisions.

Oxford University BA (Hons) Jurisprudence Law Admission Statistics

In the 2022 admissions round, 2141 applications were received, and 240 offers were made.

This translates to 8.92 applicants per offer.

Of the 2141 applications, 666 candidates were called for the interview. Which means that 2.8 applicants were interviewed per offer.

Success rates:

• Application to interview success rate – 31.1%
• Interview to offer success rate – 36.03%
• Overall application to offer success rate – 11.20%

Does Oxford University use the LNAT essay?

Yes. Oxford University uses both sections A and B in the selections process.

Section A – Multiple Choice Questions are marked by the LNAT system, whereas the LNAT essay is sent ‘as is’ to the Oxford Faculty Selection committee (FSC). All LNAT essays are marked centrally by the University.

The LNAT essay is marked using a ‘comparison marking system’ that anonymizes the essays and allows markers to compare two essays at a time, creating a numerical score.

LNAT scores of offered candidates at Oxford University BA (Hons) Jurisprudence Law

The LNAT is a very crucial component of the Oxford University Law admissions.

• Pre-shortlisting is done using contextual GCSE information (where available) and LNAT Multiple Choice and LNAT Essay scores
• The final offers decisions also take the LNAT scores into consideration

When should you take the LNAT for Oxford Law Admission?

Candidates apply to Oxford through UCAS. The Oxford deadline is typically 16 October 2024 at 6pm*.

You must register for the LNAT, and take it (in a test centre) between 1 September 2024 and 16 October 2024 to meet the UCAS application deadline.

Due to high demand, you should register and book their LNAT tests by 15 September 2024, in order to get a test date before the 15 October 2024.

*  The dates may be changed by the Oxford University ahead of the admission cycle. Double check the actual dates – as per the official university website and the UCAS information page.

Ideally, you should register for and take the LNAT at the earliest to ensure centre availability and avoid any logistical issues.

Explanation of the Oxford admissions process

LNAT scores and contextualized GCSE data (for applicants who will have taken GCSEs) will be combined to generate an initial ranking. This ranking will then be utilized to assist in creating a shortlist of candidates, with those higher in the ranking having a better chance of being shortlisted for an interview. Conversely, candidates lower in the ranking will be less likely to be shortlisted, unless there are extenuating circumstances or contextual details indicating that their scores may not accurately represent their potential.

A faculty selection panel will review all candidates. At this stage, some candidates may be reassigned to another college to maintain a roughly equal ratio of shortlisted applicants per available spot at each institution.

Offers will be extended to candidates who display the most potential for success in the course, based on their UCAS form, LNAT performance, interview outcomes, and any other pertinent contextual information. Additionally, candidates applying for Law with Law Studies in Europe will be evaluated on their language test results.