Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Prize-winning activist who narrowly avoided death after being shot by the Taliban, has gained a place to study at the University of Oxford.

The 20-year-old revealed she has been accepted to study philosophy, politics and economics at the prestigious institution after receiving her A-level results on Thursday morning.

Ms Yousafzai was shot at pointblank range by a gunman in Pakistan in 2012 after speaking out to defend the right of girls to attend school.

After being treated at a hospital in Birmingham she continued her education in the city and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.

The story gained international recognition and she has since become a global advocate for female education.

The activist tweeted her acceptance to the university, saying she was “so excited” to gain a place.

She said earlier this year that she had been offered a university place contingent on her exam results but did not reveal the institution.

She did however reveal she had attended an interview at Lady Margaret Hall, an Oxford college. Alan Rusbridger, the former Guardian newspaper editor and now Principal of Lady Margaret Hall, tweeted to “welcome” the Nobel laureate.

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Speaking about the entry process for the college, Ms Yousafzai said: “It was the hardest interview of my life. I just get scared when I think of the interview.”