A waitress, a personal assistant and a former engineer who did not go on to higher education when they finished school have all won places at Oxford University.

The adult students, who all hail from Oxford, have each completed a two-year, part-time course at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education.

The course is the equivalent to the first year of an undergraduate degree and the students are now due to start full degree courses in October.

Four students from Oxfordshire, Guy Garden, from Risinghurst, Leo Gough and Michael Weatherburn, from North Oxford, and Jo Edge from Cowley have each successfully earned a Foundation Certificate in History and will be joining Oxford University colleges next year.

Manuela Rosochacka, from Jericho in Oxford, plans to join the history undergraduate programme at Oxford Brookes University.

History course director Christine Jackson said: "The aim of the course is to give people who have not reached their potential in the past, for whatever reason, the chance to reach it.

"We have been running the history course since 1997 and have had all sorts of people go through the system in that time.

"There has been an assistant chief police commissioner, managing directors, housewives, teachers who are not happy with the subject they are doing and would like to teach history and people who have been unemployed. Anybody who is looking for a way forward can sign up."

Before he started the course Mr Garden had worked as an engineer, Ms Edge still works part-time as a personal assistant and Ms Rosochacka waits on tables part-time.

Ms Edge said: "Having dropped out of university for health reasons some years ago, I wanted to return to study, but not, initially, in a full-time capacity as I wanted time to work out if history was the subject for me.

"The first thing that struck me about the course was the variety of people there - from different backgrounds and of different ages. In terms of historical debate this proved to be extremely interesting.

"My life for two years was extremely busy with full-time work and part-time study, but it was definitely worth it - I have learned so much and I think about things differently. I have also made some very good friends and we've gone to our separate universities."

Fellow student Mr Gough added: "I was originally attracted to the course because I was looking for a route back into full-time tertiary education. As with many other students, I was unsure how I would be able to adjust to study after so many years of 'real world' work, but we were given a lot of support in making the transition, and, especially for those of us who completed the full two years, the experience has been extremely rewarding."

This year's successful students ranged from people in their 20s to those in their 60s. Ms Jackson added: "On the whole, there is a very high level of commitment. I think because the people who do the course are interested in history and perhaps because they are a little bit older, they are more enthusiastic and studious."

Anybody who is interested in finding out more about the course should call 01865 270369.