Top 12 Private Schools with High Oxbridge Admissions

Every year, thousands of ambitious students apply to Oxford and Cambridge — the two most prestigious universities in the UK. The competition is brutal: less than 20% of applicants actually get an offer. However, some schools manage to beat the odds again and again, with dozens of students heading to Oxbridge each year. Not surprisingly, most of these schools are based in the UK — and that’s where we’ll start.

Here are the top 12 UK private schools by number of Oxbridge offers in 2024:

1. Westminster School — 81 offers
2. Eton College — 48 offers
3. St Paul’s Girls’ School — 46 offers
4. King’s College School — 41 offers
5. The Perse School — 36 offers
6. Highgate School — 30 offers
7. Wycombe Abbey School — 26 offers
8. Magdalen College School — 26 offers
9. North London Collegiate School — 24 offers
10. Brighton College — 24 offers
11. St Paul’s School — 22 offers
12. Winchester College — 21 offers

1. Westminster School

Oxbridge offers: 81

Westminster School consistently leads the rankings when it comes to Oxbridge admissions. Located in central London — right next to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament — it’s one of the UK’s most academically ambitious and selective boarding schools.

The school is known for its strong teaching, especially in humanities and sciences, and for its focused preparation for university entrance. In 2024, 87% of all A-level grades were A* or A. Students also achieve top results in international Olympiads and academic competitions.

This year, Westminster graduates received an impressive 81 offers from Oxford and Cambridge. Such results are no coincidence — they reflect both a highly selective admissions process and well-structured university application support, including mock interviews, entrance exam prep, and help with personal statements. Overall, 58% of last year’s graduates went on to Russell Group universities or top-tier US colleges.

Westminster accepts both boys and girls into the Sixth Form (from age 16), making it one of the few prestigious co-educational schools of its kind in the UK.

2. Eton College

Oxbridge offers: 48

Eton College is one of the most prestigious and internationally recognised private schools in the world. Founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, it’s located in the town of Eton in Berkshire, right on the River Thames, just across from Windsor Castle.

Eton is a full-boarding school for boys only. Over the centuries, it has built a powerful reputation — its alumni include 20 British Prime Ministers (among them Boris Johnson and David Cameron), as well as many ministers, scholars, artists, writers, and even members of the royal family.

Despite growing competition and changes in university admissions policies, Eton remains a strong performer when it comes to Oxbridge entry. In 2024, 48 students received offers.

3. St Paul’s Girls’ School

Oxbridge offers: 46

St Paul’s Girls’ School is one of the UK’s top academic schools — and arguably the best girls’ school in the country. It’s located in Brook Green, West London, and was founded in 1904 by the Mercers’ Company as a sister school to the boys-only St Paul’s School.

In 2024, St Paul’s Girls’ School received 46 Oxbridge offers, putting it in third place nationally among private schools.

Year after year, the students here achieve outstanding A-level results, with over 90% of grades at A or A*. The school offers a strong academic environment, with extensive support for university entrance, including preparation for Olympiads, subject-specific tests, and Oxbridge interviews.

4. King’s College School, Wimbledon

Oxbridge offers: 41

King’s College School (KCS) is a prestigious independent co-educational school in southwest London, located near the King’s College London campus, with which it shares historic ties. Founded in 1829 as a junior department of the university, the school moved to Wimbledon in 1897 and became fully co-ed in 2010.

KCS offers both A-levels and the IB Diploma, and students consistently achieve top academic results across both programmes. In 2024, the exam stats were impressive:

• IB Diploma: Average score — 41/45, with 62% of Higher Level grades at 7 (the top mark).
• A-levels: 49.5% of all grades were A*, and 86.1% were A* or A.
• GCSE: 90.7% of grades were A*, and 98.3% were A*/A.

These results speak for themselves — KCS students are extremely well-prepared for top university admissions.

5. The Perse School

Oxbridge offers: 36

The Perse School is a private day school for boys and girls, located in Cambridge. Founded in 1615 by philanthropist Stephen Perse to educate boys from poor backgrounds, it’s now a modern, highly respected academic institution with a reputation for intellectual rigour.

Perse offers a wide A-level programme with around 30 subjects, including:

• Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology
• English Literature, History, Economics, Philosophy, Politics
• Languages: French, German, Spanish, Latin
• Art, Drama, Music, Computer Science

Classes are small and focused, which allows for individualised attention and deep engagement with each subject. There’s a strong emphasis on critical thinking and independent learning. Students have access to modern labs and research spaces where they can work on academic projects or prepare for subject Olympiads.

6. Highgate School

Oxbridge offers: 30

Highgate School is a prestigious independent school in London, founded back in 1565. It’s one of the oldest and most respected schools in the capital, offering education all the way from junior years to Sixth Form.

Students in the Sixth Form choose between two classic academic routes:

• A-levels — with a wide selection of subjects across sciences, humanities, and the arts.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) — an academically rigorous and well-rounded programme recognised worldwide as a strong alternative to A-levels.

The school places great emphasis not only on academic success, but also on developing independence, critical thinking, and leadership through both classroom learning and co-curricular activities. Students receive extensive university application support: from help choosing the right university to preparing for interviews, admissions tests, and writing personal statements.

Starting in Year 12, each student is assigned a mentor who helps them build a personalised Oxbridge application strategy — including mock interviews and subject-specific coaching.

7. Wycombe Abbey School

Oxbridge offers: 26

Wycombe Abbey is one of the UK’s leading girls' boarding schools, founded in 1896. Located in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire — about an hour from London — the school sits on a stunning 170-acre campus, complete with historic Victorian buildings, gardens, and woodland.

In addition to academic excellence, students enjoy world-class facilities: tennis and squash courts, a gym, swimming pool, creative studios, and science labs. The school promotes a well-rounded education where intellectual curiosity goes hand in hand with sports, arts, and leadership development.

Wycombe Abbey follows the A-level curriculum, offering a wide range of subjects in STEM, the humanities, and the arts. Girls are also supported in preparing for Olympiads and university admissions tests, especially for Oxbridge. Debating, theatre, public speaking, and sports all play a role in helping them grow into confident, articulate leaders.

The academic standards here are consistently high — with over 85% of students achieving A–A* at A-level.

8. Magdalen College School, Oxford

Oxbridge offers: 26

Magdalen College School (MCS) is a historic and academically elite private day school in Oxford, founded in 1480 as part of Magdalen College, University of Oxford. It ranks among the oldest and most high-achieving schools in the UK.

In 2024, MCS students received 26 Oxbridge offers — tying for 7th place with Wycombe Abbey.

The school consistently performs well in national rankings. According to official school data, in 2023, 93% of A-level grades were A or A*, while 81% of GCSE results were at grades 8–9 (the highest possible).

Magdalen College School was also named Independent School of the Year 2024 for its efforts in social mobility. Through its flagship programme, The Bridge, MCS provides scholarships and academic support for talented students from underprivileged backgrounds and partners with local primary schools to widen access.

9. North London Collegiate School (NLCS)

Oxbridge offers: 24

North London Collegiate School (NLCS) is one of the first girls’ schools in the UK, founded in 1850. Its main campus is located in Edgware, North London, and the school has since expanded globally with branches in Dubai, South Korea, Singapore, and Japan.

Today, NLCS ranks among the top 10 schools in the UK, and is consistently listed as one of the top 3 girls' schools in the country, according to the The Times Parent Power 2025 rankings based on GCSE and A-level performance.

Sixth Form students can choose between A-levels and the IB Diploma, both delivered with exceptional academic rigour. The numbers speak for themselves: in 2024, 47.2% of A-level grades were A*, and 85% were A/A*. The average IB score was 41 in 2024, and an even more impressive 42.7 in 2025 — placing NLCS among the best IB schools globally.

10. Brighton College

Oxbridge offers: 24

Brighton College is one of the UK’s leading private schools, known for its academic excellence and vibrant student life. Founded in 1845, it’s located in the seaside city of Brighton, East Sussex — just a short walk from the beach.

In 2020, The Sunday Times named Brighton College the School of the Decade, and in 2025, it was crowned with multiple accolades: UK School of the Year for A levels, Boarding School of the Year, and Top Co-educational School in the UK.

Academically, the school delivers impressive results. In 2024:

• 99.3% of A-level grades were A–B*,
• 87% were A/A*,
• and nearly half were A*.

Roughly one-third of Brighton’s students receive Oxbridge offers each year. Between 2013 and 2023 alone, 290 students went on to study at Oxford or Cambridge.

Outside the classroom, students can join over 100 clubs and societies, take part in up to 15 drama productions a year, and explore a wide range of sports (from rugby and swimming to cricket). The school also encourages involvement in volunteering, entrepreneurship, and community service.

11. St Paul’s School

Oxbridge offers: 22

St Paul’s School is one of the oldest private schools in the UK. Founded in 1509, it is now an independent day school for boys aged 13 to 18, and ranks among the top academic schools in the country.

What’s remarkable is that since its foundation, St Paul’s has admitted students solely based on academic merit, regardless of their social background.

The curriculum includes GCSEs and A-levels. In 2024, the school showed impressive results: 61% of all A-level grades were A*, and 90% were A*/A. At GCSE level, 73% of grades were the highest Grade 9, and 92% were Grade 8–9. Each year, between 25% and 35% of leavers receive offers from Oxford or Cambridge, while most of the others go on to top UK universities, including Imperial, UCL and LSE.

Students at St Paul’s can choose from over 80 clubs and societies — from philosophy and debating to programming, chess and even jazz. Many sixth formers also take part in volunteer projects, run lessons in local primary schools, or collaborate with charities.

12. Winchester College

Oxbridge offers: 21

Founded back in 1382, Winchester College is a prestigious boarding school with nearly 650 years of history. Located in the city of Winchester (Hampshire), the school admitted only boys until recently. Since 2022, girls have been allowed to join the Sixth Form, and starting from 2026, Winchester will also offer boarding places for girls.

In 2023, 79.6% of A-level grades were A or A*, with 42.4% being A*. At GCSE level, 92% of grades were between 7 and 9.

A distinctive feature of academic life at Winchester is the unique “Div” course, which students take alongside A-levels. It consists of informal lessons focused on developing critical thinking and the ability to explore topics beyond the standard curriculum. Students discuss philosophy, history, literature, and science — without the pressure of exams.

What about international schools?

So far, we’ve looked at UK-based schools, but many international institutions also prepare students for Oxbridge — and often just as successfully. In fact, several of them sent more students to Oxford and Cambridge last year than some of their well-known British counterparts.

Here are 5 international schools with high Oxbridge admission numbers in 2024:

1. Shenzhen College of International Education, China — a private institution following the British A-level curriculum. In 2024, graduates received 48 Oxbridge offers (32 for Oxford, 16 for Cambridge).

2. St. Paul’s Co-educational College (SPCC), Hong Kong — a private school offering the IB programme. According to the school’s 2024 graduation report, students received 16 Oxbridge offers.

3. German Swiss International School (GSIS), Hong Kong — a private IB school. The official website states that 8 students received offers (7 from Cambridge and 1 from Oxford).

4. International School Frankfurt (ISF), Germany — an international private school offering both A-levels and IB. In 2024, 4 students were offered places at Cambridge.

5. Harrow International School, Hong Kong — an overseas branch of the prestigious UK school, teaching the A-level curriculum. According to the school website, 8 Oxbridge offers were made (7 to current Year 13 students and 1 to a past student).

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