A group of Australian scientists and researchers from Dartmouth University, including a professor from the school’s School of Chemistry, have put together a comprehensive application for students to apply to Dartmouth to study at Oxford University, which has been awarded the top academic award for students studying at a UK university.
The application, which they describe as a “complete assessment of a student’s chances of becoming a PhD candidate in the field”, is available on the Oxford website, as well as on the Dartmouth website.
“It provides a detailed look at all the criteria that must be met in order for an application to be considered, so that students can compare their chances to those of peers, peers in the same field, and other applicants,” Dr. Richard Smith, one of the authors of the paper, told New Scientist.
The researchers did their own assessment of the applicants’ academic record and research experience, and found that “most of the students had good academic records, although some had poor results”.
The paper also notes that the application process has a few key requirements, such as a minimum of 2.5 years of postgraduate study, and that the Oxford-based institution will also need to be accredited by a higher-level organisation, such in science, medicine, engineering, or education.
The Oxford-Dartmouth consortium, which includes Oxford University and Dartmouth, are currently working on a new application.
“Our aim is to make it easier for people to apply for entry into the Oxford PhD programme,” Smith said.
The paper comes as Oxford and Dartington Universities, both in Oxfordshire, are trying to lure more students to the Oxford and Oxford-Oxford centres of study.
Oxford is already one of only two UK universities to have more than 10,000 PhD candidates in the PhD programme, and the other is in Cambridge.
“Oxford is in the process of transforming its reputation in the UK, and we want to be in the position of having more of those students,” Oxford University vice chancellor of academic affairs and external affairs, Mark Smith, told the Times Higher Education newspaper.
“I am confident that we can help attract more people to Oxford.”
In addition to the applications, the Oxford University website has also been updated with the latest information on the application, including details on the applicants, their research, and a short statement about the selection process.
Dartmouth was founded in 1785, and has more than 50,000 students studying in more than 140 countries.
“Dartmills is an international and leading research university, renowned for its research and research excellence, and for the excellence of its staff,” a spokesperson told New Science.
“We look forward to welcoming students to Oxford and working with them to realise their potential.”