Diplomas: How to apply

General entrance requirements:

• A first-class or an upper-second class undergraduate degree or equivalent international qualifications (GPA of 3.5). We will consider applicants who do not hold such a qualification but can demonstrate a particularly strong employment record and/or hold certain professional qualifications.
• At least 5 years' relevant professional experience.
• English language proficiency (either TOEFL or IELTS, with minimum scores met, if English is not your first language). A previous degree or work experience in English may be sufficient.

Submit your CV for review for:

• Diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business
• Diploma in Financial Strategy 
• Diploma in Global Business 
• Diploma in Organisational Leadership 
• Diploma in Strategy and Innovation

Applications for our 2024 Executive Diploma cohorts are now open.

There is a rolling admissions process, with application deadlines throughout the year.

Places will be allocated to successful applicants on a continual basis, so we would recommend applying early to guarantee your place. Once the programme is full, a waitlist will come into effect.

Application rounds:

• Monday 25 September 2023 - final deadline for all scholarship applications, and application round three closing date for all diplomas
• Monday 4 December 2023 - final application round closing date

You will need the following to complete your application:

• an up-to-date CV
• two references (at least one professional)
• academic transcripts (including official translations if appropriate)
• evidence of English language ability (for non-native speakers)
• two essays (500 words each)

Your application essays give you the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, curiosity and insight into the relevant field. The essay topics are:

• Please outline why you wish to study for the diploma. You should focus on the organisational, strategic and/or financial challenges you are currently facing and explain how you think the programme will help you address these challenges.
• What are your main achievements in your current position and what were your reasons for taking this position?

Please note: If you would like to apply for one of our scholarships, you will also need to upload a supporting statement (maximum 500 words) answering the essay question for the award you are applying for (where appropriate).

We are looking for you to demonstrate your knowledge and opinions, but also to include evidence to support your arguments, so be sure to include references for any quoted material within your essays. References will not count as part of your essay word limit. 

Every piece of written work is put through plagiarism detection software. Read the University's guide on how to avoid similarities when writing your essay.

If English is not your first language or you are not from a majority English speaking country, you must take a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an International English Language Test Scheme (IELTS) and meet all minimum scores. 

Alternatively, you must have a Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) or a Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE).

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course.

• Minimum overall score required for TOEFL is 110 (Listening: 22, Reading: 24, Writing: 24 and Speaking: 25)
• Minimum overall score required for IELTS is 7.5 (minimum required on each component for IELTS: 7)
• Minimum overall score required for CPE is 191 (minimum 185 per component)
• Minimum overall score required for CAE is 191 (minimum 185 per component)

English language test waivers

At the discretion of the academic department, the requirement to provide English language test scores may be waived.

You may apply for a waiver if you have completed, or are currently completing, a degree-level course that is:

• Full-time
• At least nine months in duration
• Undertaken at a recognised institution where teaching and assessment throughout the course is undertaken entirely in English
• Has been completed no more than 2 academic years before the start date of the course to which you are applying

You may also apply for a waiver based on substantial professional experience if:

• You have worked for a minimum of two years in a majority English speaking country where the main language for the role was English;
• Your role involved daily professional use of each of the four language components (reading, writing, listening and speaking);
• You worked in an appropriately technical context to demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively in an academic environment; and
• Your role has ended no more than two years before the start date of the course to which you are applying.

If you meet either the criteria based on your previous education or your professional experience, you will need to indicate this by answering yes or no to the English language waiver questions on the ‘Languages’; tab of the application form. If you choose the professional experience option, you will need to summarise your role and use of English to enable the assessors to judge whether it meets the criteria.

The academic department will consider your request if you are offered a place. If your request is accepted, you won't be required to provide English language test results as a condition of your offer. Otherwise, you will still have to provide English language test scores at the required level for your course, by a deadline stated in your offer letter.

If you require a visa to enter the UK, please allow sufficient time for your visa to be processed.

The fee for our 2024 diploma classes is £30,890.

Programme fees cover tuition costs, course materials, essential reading texts, assessments and associate college membership. When in-person, lunch and refreshments are provided daily and there is an evening dinner at a different Oxford college during each module.

Accommodation is not included in the fee. You should make arrangements to stay in Oxford during the modules.

If your application is successful, you will be asked to pay a deposit against your course fees as a condition of your offer. The deposit payment is usually required to secure your place on the programme within 30 days of the initial offer if your application is successful. If your application is completed towards the start of the programme then you may be given a shorter deadline to pay your deposit.