Yes; all graduate applications to Oxford must be supported by references.
Academic references are usually requested but your course page will indicate whether you can use any professional references to apply to your course. Personal or 'character' references cannot be accepted.
To arrange references for your application, make sure you contact potential referees as soon as you decide to apply to make sure they are happy to submit a reference by the deadline you are applying to. You should then register your referees’ institutional or professional contact details in your application as early in the process as you can.
You must provide the referee's institutional or professional email address wherever possible. If this is not possible, you will need to provide additional details when registering that referee so that we can, where necessary, seek confirmation of their authenticity. Your referee will also need to explain the reason for this in their letter.
After you register your referees, they will receive an automated email from us with instructions from us on how to send a reference. We will not accept references submitted directly by you or uploaded to your application form.