Interviews for admission to the ancient seat of learning are considered the most challenging. Very few of those who apply make it, while thousands are sent politely worded rejection letters every year.

But Elly Nowell, 19, who went to a state-funded school in Hampshire rather than an elite private school, parodied the admission process and sent a letter of rejection to the university, which has been widely read.

Nowell, who was put off by the admission interview that is seen by many as daunting and intimidating, wrote: “I have considered your establishment as a place to read Law (Jurisprudence). I very much regret to inform you that I will be withdrawing my application. I realise you may be disappointed by this decision, but you were in competition with many fantastic universities and following your interview I am afraid you do not quite meet the standard of the universities I will be considering.”

Nowell “warned” the university not to “reapply”.

“You may believe your decision to hold interviews in grand formal settings is inspiring, it allows public-school applicants to flourish... and intimidates state-school applicants, distorting the academic potential of both,” she said, criticising Oxford’s “traditions and rituals” and a perceived gulf between “minorities and white middle-class students.”