Application requirements

You need to submit your online application form and supporting materials by your chosen application deadline.

To apply to our MSc in Financial Economics (MFE) programme you need:

  • Undergraduate degree
  • GMAT or GRE scores
  • Work experience (preferred)
  • References
  • Essay
  • Kira Talent video assessment
  • English language proficiency

You will also be required to pay a £75 application fee via the University's Online Store.

Undergraduate degree

You should hold, or be predicted to achieve a first class or strong upper second class undergraduate degree (with honours), or the international equivalent. View the University of Oxford's list of international qualifications if you are unsure what the equivalent mark would be for your qualification.

  • If your degree result is lower than this, it is very unlikely your application will be successful. 
  • Your degree does not have to be in Finance or Economics, however it is important your quantitative skills are very strong and you can demonstrate these. At the start of the course all students are expected to have a working knowledge of calculus and should know the basics of vectors and matrices, probability, statistics, and econometrics.
  • If you have a Master's degree, we will still look at your undergraduate degree as part of your application review. 

As evidence of degree results or current progress, we ask you to upload your university degree academic transcripts to the online application form. These must outline the subjects studied and grades obtained from each academic year. If you have only just begun your Master's degree and are unable to provide an interim transcript, you must still provide proof that you are enrolled on your course in the form of an official letter from your university. 

GMAT/GRE

You must provide a valid GMAT or GRE (General) score prior to the deadline in order for an application to be considered. We do not provide GMAT or GRE waivers. 

For the 2023 class, the average GMAT score was 747, the average GRE quantitative score was 169 and the GRE verbal average was 164. However, these are not strict minimum scores. We recommend that applicants aim to score as highly as possible in their test.

  • Please contact GMAC/ETS directly to arrange to take the test. We have no preference between the GMAT and the GRE.
  • We can accept the in-person and the online version of either test.
  • All sections of the GMAT/GRE must be taken. GMAT/GRE scores are not valid if they are older than five years on the programme start date.
  • Both the official scores and the score report (PDF or screenshot) must be uploaded to the application portal by your chosen application deadline. Provisional scores are not accepted.
  • You should aim to sit the exam as early as possible to allow enough time for ETS/GMAC to release the score report to you.
  • We will continue to accept GMAT (10th Edition) scores during the transition period.

Work experience

It is not mandatory to have any full-time work experience prior to applying to the programme. If you have any relevant experience, either full-time or via an internship, this will be considered as part of your application.  You are required to upload a one-page CV as part of your application.

Please complete the work experience section of the form in addition to uploading your CV to ensure relevant parts of your application are not overlooked.

References

Three academic or professional references submitted via the online application form.  

  • If you are in the process of completing a degree programme, one reference must be from the institution which will award your final degree.
  • We require references to come from a valid institutional or professional email address; we will not accept a reference from a Gmail/Hotmail/163 (or similar) address under any circumstances.
  • We cannot accept references via any other channel than our official system, including by post or email.
  • We do not accept references from friends or family members.

Essay

'What has attracted you to the MSc Financial Economics and how do you think the programme will support your five-year career plan?' (Maximum of 500 words.)

Kira Talent video assessment

You will need to complete an online assessment as part of your application. The purpose of the test is to get a sense of your personality and see how you think on your feet. The assessment includes four motivation and competency-based verbal questions and one written question, giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your motivations for undertaking the MFE and your relevant skills and qualities.

After submitting your application you will receive an email with instructions about how and when to complete your Kira Talent assessment. The link will also appear in your application portal.

You will be provided with preparation time and practice sessions before going live with your real responses. The whole online assessment should take no longer than 15 minutes for you to complete. All you need is a desktop or laptop computer with a webcam, microphone and stable internet connection.

English language capability

You will need to prove your English language capability through one of the below means if you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration*.

Completed degree-level course entirely in English

Proof of English language proficiency may be accepted at the discretion of the University, in cases where you have either:

  • Successfully completed a full-time degree-level course of a minimum of nine months, at a recognised institution, where the medium of instruction and assessment was entirely in English. Evidence must be provided by submitting an official letter from your institution stating that the medium of instruction throughout your course was English OR by uploading transcripts from your institution, which clearly indicate that the medium of instruction throughout your course was English. 

or

  • You have completed a degree in a majority English speaking country, as outlined by UK Visas and Immigration.*

In both instances, the course must have been completed within two academic years of the start date of the course to which you're applying.

If you are unable to provide a letter or transcript from a recognised institution stating that the medium of instruction throughout your course was in English, or you did not complete a degree in the countries listed below, you will be required to take one of the English tests below and achieve the required scores before you can join the programme. It is not mandatory to submit your English language test results at the point of application.

A TOEFL score

Test of English as a Foreign Language® is a standardised test to measure the English language ability of non-native speakers wishing to enrol in English-speaking universities. The institution code for ordering your official TOEFL score sheet from ETS is 0807. There is no department code, this can be left blank. TOEFL scores will not be valid if they are more than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying.

  • Minimum Score: 110
  • Minimum required on each component: Listening - 22, Reading - 24, Writing - 24, Speaking - 25
  • Test scores must all be achieved in one sitting; we do not accept TOEFL Best Score results.

An IELTS Academic score

The International English Language Testing System, or IELTS™, is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. IELTS scores will not be valid if they are more than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying.

  • Minimum Score: 7.5
  • Minimum required on each component: 7.0

A C1 Advanced score

The Cambridge C1 Advanced exam is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. We only accept scores which are less than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying. If admitted you will be asked to supply an official copy of the certificate.

  • Minimum Score: 191
  • Minimum required on each component: 185

A C2 Proficiency score

The Cambridge C2 Proficiency exam is an international standardised test of English language proficiency for non-native English language speakers. We only accept scores which are less than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying. If admitted you will be asked to supply an official copy of the certificate.

  • Minimum Score: 191
  • Minimum required on each component: 185

An Oxford Test of English Advanced score

The Oxford Test of English Advanced is an online English assessment for applicants who want to prove their English proficiency at a higher level for professional or academic opportunities. We only accept scores which are less than two years old on the programme start date for which you are applying. If admitted you will be asked to supply an official copy of the certificate.

  • Minimum Score: 165
  • Minimum required on each component: 155

* UK Visas and Immigration Office English-speaking country list:

Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Overseas Territories, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, USA. 

Please note, if you are a national of one of the above countries but either your first language is not English or you have not been living in a majority English-speaking country, you will still need to provide an English language test score to obtain a visa and meet the University's requirements.