Malala wins place at Oxford University

Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot by the Taliban for advocating education for girls in her native Pakistan, announced on Aug. 17 she has won a place to study at Oxford University.

"So excited to go to Oxford!!" the 20-year-old posted on Twitter, along with a picture of the message she received confirming her acceptance on the philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) course.

The announcement came on the day that students across Britain received the results of their A-levels, exams taken at the end of secondary school.

Yousafzai did not reveal her results, but said: "Well done to all A-level students -- the hardest year. Best wishes for life ahead!"
   
She was just 15 years old when she was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in October 2012 as she travelled by bus home from an exam to her village in the Swat valley.

She was flown to the central English city of Birmingham for treatment, and has lived there with her family ever since, continuing her education and activism.

Yousafzai was granted the Nobel Peace prize aged 17 in 2014 along with India's Kailash Satyarthi for their championing of children's rights.

In July, she opened a new Twitter account on her last day of school, an experience she described as "bittersweet".

"I know that millions of girls around the world are out of school and may never get the opportunity to complete their education," Yousafzai wrote.

But she said she was "excited" about her future and promised to continue "fighting for girls".

PPE is a prestigious course that has produced many British politicians and world leaders, including late Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto.