The prestigious University of Oxford on Wednesday confirmed that presidential aspirant Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. failed to finish his degree and therefore did not graduate from the university in 1978.

“We can confirm that a Ferdinand Marcos matriculated at the University of Oxford in 1975 to read for a BA in Philosophy, Philosophy, and Economics. According to our records, he did not complete his degree but was awarded a special diploma in social studies in 1978," said Cathy King, private secretary to the registrar at Oxford University, in an email.

The email was sent to Filipino artist Ruston Banal who inquired with Oxford about Marcos' education there. He shared the content of the email with several media outlets.

When asked what is a special diploma, King said it is available for both undergraduates and graduates and is comparable to any online course available on the internet.

“Non-university members could also read for it under certain circumstances. There is no recorded link between the BA and the special diploma and the special diploma was not a full graduate diploma.”

Earlier, a group of Filipino students and alumni of Oxford University in the United Kingdom issued a statement emphasizing that Marcos, son, and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, did not finish his degree from the university.

However, Marcos' camp stands by his 2015 online resume on the Senate website where he wrote that he had a "Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Political Science, Philosophy and Economics" from Oxford.

In his failed vice-presidential bid in 2016, Marcos confirmed his special diploma. He also said he did not finish his master's degree at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania.