Law at University of Oxford
LNAT for Oxford: scores, essay use and deadlines
The short answer
For 2027 entry, Oxford requires the LNAT: book by 15 September 2026 and sit it by 15 October 2026, the same day as its UCAS deadline.1,2 How the score is used: LNAT contributes to selection alongside other evidence. MCQ reasoning and essay writing are both assessed; no current numeric weighting recovered.3 The essay: Oxford tutors mark the essay to assess written communication.3 Offer holders averaged 30.48 out of 42 in Section A (2025-26). An average is not a minimum: many people in that group scored below it.4
How Oxford's published figures relate to the LNAT, from its own report.
LNAT deadlines for Oxford, 2027 entry
These dates are for the 2026-27 LNAT cycle. They change every year; do not reuse them for a later entry year.1,2
How the score and essay are used
- The score (Section A)
- LNAT contributes to selection alongside other evidence. MCQ reasoning and essay writing are both assessed; no current numeric weighting recovered.3
- The essay (Section B)
- Oxford tutors mark the essay to assess written communication.3
- Past ranking weights (2025-26 retrospective)
- With a contextual GCSE score: Section A 10%, essay 10%, contextual GCSE score 80%. Without: Section A 50%, essay 50%. This was the initial rank; adjusted individually; not final offer probabilities, not a 2027 formula.4
Published LNAT scores for Oxford
These are past averages from university reports and Freedom of Information replies. They show where successful applicants tended to score, not a line you must reach.
| Cycle | Group | Section | Average | Range | Group size | Course | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | All applicants | Essay mark | 62.38 | Not published | 2115 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [4] Regent's Park College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2025-26 | Shortlisted applicants | Essay mark | 64.59 | Not published | 630 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [4] Regent's Park College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2025-26 | Offer holders | Essay mark | 65.21 | Not published | 252 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [4] Regent's Park College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2025-26 | All applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 24.94 | Not published | 2115 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [4] Regent's Park College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2025-26 | Shortlisted applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 29.37 | Not published | 630 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [4] Regent's Park College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2025-26 | Offer holders | Section A (out of 42) | 30.48 | Not published | 252 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [4] Regent's Park College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Shortlisted applicants | Essay mark | 64.53 | Not published | Not published | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [5] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Offer holders | Essay mark | 65.41 | Not published | 251 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [5] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | All test sitters | Essay mark | 62.7 | Not published | Not published | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [6] Mansfield College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Shortlisted applicants | Essay mark | 64.5 | Not published | Not published | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [6] Mansfield College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Offer holders | Essay mark | 65.4 | Not published | Not published | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [6] Mansfield College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | All applicants | Essay mark | 62.75 | Not published | 2061 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [7] The Queen's College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Shortlisted applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 29.18 | Not published | Not published | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [5] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Offer holders | Section A (out of 42) | 30.96 | Not published | 251 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [5] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | All test sitters | Section A (out of 42) | 24.5 | Not published | 2017 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [6] Mansfield College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Shortlisted applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 29.2 | Not published | Not published | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [6] Mansfield College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | Offer holders | Section A (out of 42) | 31 | Not published | Not published | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [6] Mansfield College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2024-25 | All applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 24.5 | Not published | 2061 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [7] The Queen's College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2022-23 | All applicants | Essay mark | 62.8 | Not published | 2141 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [8] Somerville College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2022-23 | Shortlisted applicants | Essay mark | 65 | Not published | 666 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [8] Somerville College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2022-23 | Offer holders | Essay mark | 65.7 | Not published | 240 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [8] Somerville College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2022-23 | All applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 24.2 | 5 to 38 | 2141 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [8] Somerville College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2022-23 | Shortlisted applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 28.3 | 13 to 38 | 666 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [8] Somerville College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2022-23 | Offer holders | Section A (out of 42) | 30 | 19 to 38 | 240 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [8] Somerville College, Oxford, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2021-22 | Shortlisted applicants | Essay mark | 63.52 | Not published | 603 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [9] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2021-22 | Offer holders | Essay mark | 64.05 | Not published | 228 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [9] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2021-22 | All applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 22.5 | Not published | 2046 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [9] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2021-22 | Shortlisted applicants | Section A (out of 42) | 27.03 | Not published | 603 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [9] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
| 2021-22 | Offer holders | Section A (out of 42) | 28.25 | 16 to 37 | 228 | Law; exact included routes not resolved | [9] University of Oxford, Faculty of Law, checked 26 Sep 2026 |
Free tools for this
Questions people ask
What LNAT score do I need for Oxford?
There is no published minimum LNAT score for Oxford.3 The most recent published average is 30.48 out of 42 for offer holders (2025-26).4 LNAT contributes to selection alongside other evidence. MCQ reasoning and essay writing are both assessed; no current numeric weighting recovered.3
Does Oxford read or score the LNAT essay?
Oxford tutors mark the essay to assess written communication.3
Sources
Every figure on this page links to one of these. A checked date is the day we read the page, not the day it was published. Labels: Published, Past cycle, Calculated from published counts, Estimate, Not published.
- 1LNAT ConsortiumChecked 27 Sep 2026.
- 2University of OxfordChecked 27 Sep 2026.
- 3University of Oxford, Faculty of LawChecked 27 Sep 2026.
- 4Regent's Park College, OxfordPublished 2026-01. Checked 26 Sep 2026.
- 5University of Oxford, Faculty of LawChecked 26 Sep 2026.
- 6Mansfield College, OxfordPublished 2025-01. Checked 26 Sep 2026.
- 7The Queen's College, OxfordChecked 26 Sep 2026.
- 8Somerville College, OxfordChecked 26 Sep 2026.
- 9University of Oxford, Faculty of LawChecked 26 Sep 2026.
Data checked 27 September 2026. Missing figures are shown as not published, never as zero or a guess.