Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) is one of the best-known undergraduate courses that you can read at Oxford.
It has been offered since 1921, and it’s rooted in the view that it’s helpful to approach problems in society from the perspectives of several complementary disciplines and frameworks. In Oxford terms it is a relatively young course at only 100 years old(!), so PPE is known as ‘Modern Greats’ where Classics is the original ‘Greats’.
What is PPE at Oxford?
The PPE course is highly flexible: study comprises all three disciplines in the first year, but, after that, students can choose what interests them and go into more depth there.
It also spans very different types of subjects. It includes Philosophy as a basis for rigorous, logical thinking on fundamental questions of life and ethics. Politics is there as a vehicle for understanding the institutions that govern us in society, and to help resolve problems associated with collective action. And Economics provides the framework for analysing the behaviour of individuals and markets within the economy – including a grounding in statistics.
Students usually conduct two tutorials a week, where they present an essay and then intensively explore arguments and their implications either one-on-one with a tutor, or with at most one or two other students too. They are backed up by “labs” sessions that teach students the methodology of applied and computational statistics. There also are lectures, too, which help give a broader understanding of examinable topics—and a great deal of reading and writing.
PPE students have the option of dropping one of the three subjects in their second and third year (most people actually will do this)—but can continue with all three.
Further detail about course structure and content is provided by the student handbook here: PPE Handbook Prelims 2024-25 v1.0
How hard is it to get into PPE at Oxford?
PPE is one of the most competitive courses for Oxford entry, with an average interview rate of 38% and acceptance rate of 12% in the most recent three statistics (three-year average 2022-24). Compare this ‘Modern Greats’ figure with the 96% interview and 35% acceptance rate for the original ‘Greats’ (Classics).
All PPE applicants must take Oxford’s Thinking Skills Assessment. They should register online for this by mid-September with their UCAS ID number and book a date for the test to be taken at a local Pearson VUE centre in late October. The TSA comprises a 90-minute multiple-choice assessment of problem-solving, numerical reasoning and critical thinking, plus a 30-minute writing task that evaluates their ability to organise and communicate ideas. Colleges receive the results in November, but candidates will be in the dark until January. The average multiple-choice assessment score in 2024 was 65.7 for those getting an interview, and 68.5 for those getting an offer.
Read our preparation tips for the TSA.
Colleges shortlist at least 2.75 applicants per place for interviews in December, so the number of applicants and places per college will be relevant to an applicant’s chances. The shortlist ranking is based on an applicant’s Thinking Skills Assessment score and their contextualised GCSE performance (i.e. relative to other students at their school). High-ranking students not picked for interview by their first-choice college will be reallocated to others. This means that college choice is not so important to the overall chance of an Oxford offer. Figures from recent years are now openly available thanks to Freedom of Information requests.
What A-Levels do I need to study PPE at Oxford?
There are no specific subject requirements for entry to PPE at Oxford, although Maths is recommended to prove aptitude for the Economics and philosophical logic elements of the course, and History is deemed helpful background for Politics. Nonetheless, of successful applicants with A-Levels, 97% of them had Maths. Candidates with A-Level Maths also scored slightly higher in all sections of the Thinking Skills Assessment than those without.
Whatever the subject, applicants should be expecting to achieve at least AAA at A-Level. Scottish applicants should be on track for AA/AAB in their Advanced Highers. International Baccalaureate applicants will need 39 out of 45 points with at least 7,6,6 in their Higher Level subjects.
Best Oxford college for PPE
College choice is not an important factor in an applicant’s overall chance of an offer (see ‘How hard is it to get into PPE at Oxford?’, above). However, since undergraduates are primarily taught at their own college, candidates might wish to research the specialisms of current faculty staff and tutors. This can be done on the college website. Colleges do compete against each other for academic success: an overall historical comparison of exam scores can be made with the now-discontinued Norrington Table. Colleges do have very different social and political reputations, not to mention aesthetic qualities. Thus, an applicant’s choice might be made on non-PPE criteria too. Do check, of course, that the college (or PPH) admits students for PPE.
PPE personal statement top tips
A personal statement is the least important part of an Oxford PPE candidate’s application. It is officially given the lowest rating in the college shortlisting process. The Thinking Skills Assessment score and contextualised GCSE grades will primarily determine whether or not an applicant gets an interview. Nonetheless, they should be prepared to discuss the content of the personal statement and should therefore give it careful thought.
The UCAS personal statement is being replaced for 2026 entry with three specific questions:
- Why do you want to study this course or topic?
- How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?
- What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?
Each answer requires at least 350 characters, and there is still a 4,000 character limit overall. These questions should prompt applicants towards content that would have comprised a good personal statement anyway. Here is some advice for students:
- Communicate your motivation for the subject but avoid unbelievable overstatement and unconvincing cliché.
- You are not expected to be an expert in all three subjects at this stage. However, there should be some tangible evidence of your novice interest in the subject.
- Show your extended scholarly passion: what have you been reading, watching and listening to? See the section on PPE supercurriculars below.
- Character matters. It should be clear how you will contribute positively to university life, and why you are suited to the tutorial system at Oxford. Consider the intellectual virtues of inquisitiveness, open-mindedness, scepticism and appropriate humility.
Oxford PPE interview questions
Questions and interview formats are not set centrally at Oxford. There will be wide variation between colleges, and even between tutors within a college. Added to that, there will be distinct differences in approach between the three constituent subjects for PPE.
Interviewing tutors will conduct exercises and possibly feed in new concepts that give students a chance to show that they will thrive in Oxford tutorials. Rehearsed answers will not be impressive, and nor will excessive stubbornness. Which means, of course, that candidates shouldn’t go in with an attitude that they already know everything there is to learn about your subjects—if so, why would they waste three years studying them at Oxford? Basically, the interview is a mini-tutorial, and the interviewing tutors will be very interested to learn how students think, and rather less interested to find out what they know.
The admissions team says that tutors are looking for potential in four specific areas:
- Understanding, e.g. “ability to listen carefully, to analyse problems, to identify the premises and conclusions of arguments, and to express in their own words someone else’s ideas.”
- Intellectual flexibility, e.g. “willingness to consider alternative views, and readiness to respond to problems and criticisms.”
- Critical thinking and problem solving, e.g. “ability to adopt logical and critical approaches to problems, to critically assess arguments, to identify good and bad reasons for believing a particular claim, to assess relevance, and to think independently.”
- Communication, e.g. “ability to express ideas clearly, to give considered responses to questions, and to address the point under discussion instead of veering off topic.”
Additionally, applicants should be able to explain why reading politics, philosophy, and economics appeals to them. It would also be a good idea to be able to explain, for instance, why they would rather read PPE at Oxford than just philosophy or just economics at Cambridge.
Recommended reading list and supercurriculars for Oxford PPE
Oxford has a useful page with its own recommended readings for PPE. The following are their particular book recommendations:
- What Does it All Mean? by Thomas Nagel
- Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction by Jennifer Nagel
- An Introduction to Political Philosophy by Jonathan Wolff
- What is Politics? by Adrian Leftwich
- The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford
- The Accidental Theorist by Paul Krugman
Given the interviewing criteria outlined above, a passion for debating, public speaking or Model United Nations shows relevant intellectual vibrancy. Entering essay competitions or taking relevant online courses (a.k.a. MOOCs) would reflect well on a candidate’s intellectual interest. Michael Sandel’s HarvardX course on Justice is now a classic MOOC, and The Royal Institute of Philosophy’s accessible essay competition is a good example of its kind. EPQ projects on PPE-relevant topics are now increasingly common too, and suit political or ethical questions particularly well.
Tutors for PPE
Please do get in touch with Keystone Tutors if you are looking for a tutor to support your PPE application process. We have a number of Oxbridge admissions tutors with expertise in preparing for PPE interviews, personal statement drafting, super curricular learning and the TSA admissions test.