Inside information
Millions of admissions data points, alongside academic expertise.
Admissions research.
Put to work.
For students, and the people who guide them.
We study university admissions in depth, then turn the evidence into practical tools.
Why this work matters
A decision this important deserves better information.
Choosing five UCAS options can feel daunting. Understanding how an application will be assessed is harder still.
We examine what happens beyond submission, with particular depth in Oxford and Cambridge admissions, and put that understanding within reach of every student, teacher and adviser who needs it.
We are researchers, academics, analysts and advisers.
Our research
Depth of research. Clarity of advice.
Our work draws on hundreds of thousands of historical admissions outcomes, institutional evidence and academic expertise.
Developed with Oxford and Cambridge professors, admissions tutors and advisers, our framework turns scattered information into a clearer understanding of what matters for an application.
Close analysis
Careful statistical analysis, informed by academic judgement, with the limits of the evidence made clear.
A useful next step
Tools and briefings that help students choose well, prepare effectively and make informed decisions.
The evidence
Make an informed application.
Requirements vary between courses, and admissions practices change.
Where these figures come from
Economics and Management, Computer Science and Law: applicants for each place, 2023–2025, from Oxford's admissions report for 2026, Table 1.2.
History and Music: approximate, worked out from the rounded success rates on Oxford's course pages for the same years.
Each is a ratio for a whole course, never one applicant's chance.
The admissions landscapeOxford
Competition for places at Oxford
Applicants per place · 2023–2025
Economics & Management18.8
Computer Science14.8
Law10.0
HistoryApproximately 4.3
MusicApproximately 2.4
Courses, universities and colleges are counted from HESA’s Discover Uni dataset, release of 8 September 2026. Estimates are counted from Delta Academics in October 2026. HESA’s data is used under CC BY 4.0.
For students
Research should change what you do next.
From your five UCAS choices to your personal statement, Delta makes the evidence relevant to your application.
- Choose with perspectiveBuild a considered shortlist around your interests, academic profile and ambitions.
- Make your caseIdentify the experiences and subject knowledge that give your personal statement substance.
- Know where to focusUnderstand what your chosen courses assess, including tests and interviews where required.
What needs work now?Example
An Economics applicant
Student profileExample benchmarkExample priority: admissions-test preparation
Ambition
Aim as high as your grades allow.
For each UCAS choice, Delta shows the whole range of grades held by the students who started the course, where that is published, never an average alone, and says where a student’s predicted grades sit within it.
The study behind this
A 2023 study of 70,000 applicants in the United States found that a widely used tool, showing students the grades of past admitted applicants from their school, increased undermatching (applying only where a student was overqualified) by more than half among 17,000 high achievers. Delta is built the other way.
Tomkins, Grossman, Page and Goel, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2023
For schools and advisers
Research to strengthen your guidance.
We give university guidance counsellors and teachers the research and tools to advise with confidence, from an individual conversation to a whole year group.
Bring evidence to the conversation
Could this student aim higher?
Recognise potential and explore possibilities that might otherwise be overlooked.
Do these five choices make sense together?
Support a balanced discussion of ambition, suitability and application risk.
Where would guidance help most?
See where students need support and make the most of the time available.
Delta Briefings
A closer look at admissions.
From research to practice
Put the evidence on your side.
Talk to us about the research, or about Delta for your school.