How do you get into the University of Oxford? It is a question asked by thousands of young people every year. In Martin Amis’s The Rachel Papers (1973), Charles Highway discovers that the key is to feign socialism and memorise a few book reviews. It turns out there is an even better ruse: the Saïd Business School.

Saïd has, at best, a dubious origin story. In 1996 the project was forced through at Oxford’s Congregation, the university’s legislative body, despite concerns that naming a school after Wafic Saïd, known for his role as a ‘fixer’ in the al-Yamamah arms deal, in return for £20 million might not do wonders for the university’s reputation. Its first director departed before completing a single term. Last year, the dean of the school, Soumitra Dutta, was forced to resign after the university upheld three harassment claims against him.

There are frequent complaints that students can barely speak the language in which they are taught

Students now complain about something else. The school claims to be ‘an integral part of the University of Oxford’. Those who attend – and pay fees – are attached to an Oxford college. Unlike undergraduates, who must fork out £343, life membership of the Oxford Union is free for those studying at Saïd. By undertaking an MBA at the institution, you can become a fully fledged Oxford University student.

There’s just one problem: the whole thing appears to be a bit of a sham. Students are concerned that........

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