There are over 20,000 students at Oxford University, including 11,734 undergraduates and 8,101 postgraduates.
Oxford University has one of the lowest drop-out rates in the UK: figures published in summer 2009 by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) show that only 1.8 per cent of Oxford University students dropped out, compared with the national average of 9 per cent.

53 per cent of undergraduates are studying for degrees in the humanities and social sciences, and 43 per cent in the medical, mathematical, physical and life sciences. The rest are studying for undergraduate level diplomas and certificates offered by the Department for Continuing Education.

The tutorial is at the core of undergraduate teaching and learning at Oxford. It offers students a unique learning experience in which they meet regularly with their tutor, either on a one-to-one basis or with one or two other students.

Undergraduates attend, on average, one hour-long tutorial every week and undertake a considerable number of hours’ preparatory work for each tutorial, including background reading, essay-writing and problem-solving.
At graduate level, 36 per cent of students are studying for higher degrees in the medical, mathematical, physical and life sciences and 56 per cent in the humanities and social sciences. The rest are studying for postgraduate certificates and diplomas offered by the Deparment for Continuing Education.

Six months after graduation 90% of students who graduated at Oxford University in the year ending July 2008 were employed or engaged in further study.

Every year almost 15,000 people take part in courses offered by the Department for Continuing Education, making Oxford University one of the largest providers of continuing education in the UK.