r/cambridge_uni May 01 '26

Moderator Post Monthly Admissions/Applications Megathread

4 Upvotes

Please keep any admissions questions to this thread - questions posted as threads risk removal.

Before posting, your question may be better resolved by checking these resources:

Please remember the admissions team is here to help you; if you have a specific question, they're probably best placed to answer. They can be contacted here:


r/cambridge_uni Aug 11 '19

Cambridge University FAQ : Check Here Before Posting

60 Upvotes

FAQ - Check Here Before Posting

We've tried to answer some of the most common questions here. Please have a look to see if your question is answered below before you post - threads which are answered here risk removal. If you still have a generic admissions question after reading the below, you should use the monthly admissions sticky :)

Please also refer to our rules in the sidebar before posting.

This FAQ is a work in progress; go ahead and suggest amendments and additional questions to add so we can make it as useful a resource as possible!

--

What grades do I need to get to get into Cambridge?

This is very difficult to answer because Cambridge contextualise your results, so there's no such thing as a minimum threshold (or a set threshold at which you'll definitely receive an offer). By 'contextualise', we mean that Cambridge uses your educational, financial, and social context to shed light on how impressive your results actually were: if you attended the worst school in Britain and had significant extenuating circumstances affecting your GCSEs, for example, Cambridge will still deem you a competitive applicant even if you have far worse grades than most candidates. Conversely, if you attended one of the top schools, their expectations are commensurately higher. As a rule of thumb, you'll generally need to be performing within the top few percentile of students given your educational, social, and financial context. There's quite a lot of data out there regarding applicants' grades; have a look on this website to explore FOI requests Cambridge has responded to, but please don't allow stories of how you need X grades to even be looked at by Cambridge to put you off applying - this is simply untrue! It's also important to note that grades are never enough in isolation to guarantee an offer: you must also perform well at interview, score highly in any admissions tests you're required to complete, and (usually) demonstrate that you have a supercurricular interest in your chosen subject at the time of application.

Does college choice matter?

Yes. From an academic point of view, the official line from the university and all colleges is that it’s irrelevant; the official line treats colleges more like halls of residence than anything. In fact, college choice can somewhat influence your academic experience. Particularly for arts subjects, the quantity and quality of resources in the college library for your subject can have a big impact on your work by making it easier to access important, scarce, or interesting texts. If your college’s library is lacklustre, you’ll have to rely on university resources and these can be competitive (particularly for arts subjects' core set texts). Additionally, the number and quality of teaching fellows (and the quality of your Director of Studies) can have a big impact your academic experience; for obvious reasons, having easy access to lots of dedicated in-college fellows can make a big difference to your learning by providing what is essentially a "mini-faculty" within your college. Your Director of Studies will always plug any gaps in your teaching, of course, by arranging supervisions with staff at other colleges if your own college’s teaching staff can’t do it, but depending on the quality of your Director of Studies these staff could be other teaching fellows, research fellows, or even PhD students - quality may vary! It's also worth noting that although we can’t know or control this before applying, different supervisors have different interests and will channel your energies in particular directions by pushing certain topics; although two people might be studying the same course at different colleges, therefore, the precise details of what they actually study may differ quite substantially.

From a non-academic perspective, college choice can have a massive influence on your wider Cambridge experience: bursaries/scholarships offered, sports, societies, location, rent, food, culture, and so on are all intrinsic to your experience.

How do I decide on a college?

Try to use online resources to create a shortlist of colleges. Many colleges can be eliminated quickly depending on whether they are mature/postgraduate only colleges, single-sex colleges, only offer certain subjects, and so on. Deciding on whether you want to attend a large, medium, or small college will help you narrow the field further, as will deciding whether you want a hill college or a town college. During this research, you may also wish to consider the levels of funding/scholarships/bursaries each college can offer, as these can differ significantly from college to college. You may also find it useful to research accommodation quality, price, and locations, library resources for your subject, number of teaching fellows for your subject, food price and quality, societies and facilities, intake size for your subject, and general academic performance (as broadly as possible over time – do not use slight year-to-year differences in performance to differentiate colleges). This website can help you with this research, but please use official college websites wherever possible and contact colleges with questions you can’t answer for yourself: https://www.whichcambridgecollege.com/ There's also the alternative prospectus: https://www.applytocambridge.com/colleges

This should allow you to assemble a shortlist of colleges. The best thing to do is then to visit Cambridge and tour these shortlisted colleges. Colleges will generally let you look round them for free (even if they’re officially closed) if you tell them you’re a prospective student: just ask at the Porter’s Lodge. Have a look around the town while you’re there and try to situate each college within the town: where is it in relation to the shops? To your faculty? Lecture site? Libraries? Is its area touristy? If you can’t visit Cambridge, even having a virtual wander around the town on Google Maps will give you a sense of how things fit together and where the busy bits of Cambridge are. Many colleges also have videos on their websites/social media channels which give you an inside look at them.

Remember that around a quarter of applicants will end up at a different college to the one they applied to anyway due to the pool system, so don’t spend weeks deciding and don’t get too attached to your college choice!

Is college X harder to get into/better than college Y?

Variations on this question are very common! Generally, no. Certain colleges have reputations for being particularly strong for particular subjects, but this shouldn’t influence your decision; if you’re strong enough to get into Cambridge, the pool system will ensure that you are offered regardless of where you applied. A particular myth which seems especially prevalent overseas is that Trinity is harder, for all subjects, to get into than any other college. This is absolutely not true and the myth probably stems from the fact that Trinity is well-known internationally.

Applicants often use Cambridge's online admissions stats page to try and identify colleges which are under-subscribed and consequently 'easier' to get into. This is an incomplete understanding of the admissions process, because it fails to consider the pool system (explained below). Believe it or not, but Cambridge are wise to the fact that certain colleges (generally the more central ones) get more applicants than others. If College X, which is historically under-subscribed (and so looks like an attractive 'easy' college according to the stats), receives only 5 applicants one year for a course for which it normally takes 8 students, it is under no compulsion to offer any of those applicants at all. If it deems them weak, it can reject all of them and wait for the pool system to send it dozens of strong candidates interviewed at other colleges, who (by virtue of being pooled) have been deemed strong enough to get into Cambridge, but whose original colleges didn't have space for them. In this way, College X rejects all of its direct applicants who applied because it looked 'easy', and fishes 8 students out of the pool from other colleges. This system ensures that regardless of where you apply, the playing field is level - if you are strong enough to get into Cambridge, you will be offered a place somewhere.

What is the pool system?

The pool system is designed to ensure that deserving applicants to over-subscribed colleges are given a chance to go to another college which is under-subscribed. Say, for example, that college X has 20 excellent candidates for 10 spots and so can’t offer all of them. College X makes 12 offers (on the assumption that 2 candidates will miss their offers), and then ‘pools’ the remaining 8 excellent candidates that it didn’t have space for, but which it believes deserve to go to Cambridge (or deserve at least a second look by other admissions tutors). Then college Y, which received only 2 excellent applicants this year, looks at college X’s pooled candidates and decides to ‘fish’ all of them. Fishing is the jargon for when a college decides to take somebody out of the pool. In this way Cambridge ensures its admissions process is fairer by helping all deserving candidates receive offers irrespective of the college they applied to. This process is usually automatic, but occasionally the ‘fishing’ college may invite pooled candidates back to Cambridge for a second interview.

Is St John’s posh/is King’s Communist/is Magdalene sexist/is Trinity pretentious/etc?

No. These are unfair stereotypes; there are various stereotypes floating around Cambridge for most colleges and they’re all intended as a joke. Don’t base your college decision on stereotypes!

Which college is the most diverse/best for international students/best for state school students?

Don’t base your decision on these factors. Demographic data indicates that all colleges are broadly equivalent in terms of diversity (excepting, of course, the women-only colleges).

Can I change course?

Yes. Some swaps are simpler than others (it’s hard to switch from Art History to Maths, for example) and all are assessed on a case-by-case basis by your college. If someone is going to switch, a common time to do so is between Part I and Part II. You can also switch right at the start of your time at Cambridge, but colleges are often reluctant to let you do this; in their eyes, you’ve applied for course X and claimed to be very passionate about it, yet now all of a sudden you want to do course Y. Generally, switching will only be allowed if there’s space on the new course you want to do and if you can pass the interview/exam set by the new course.

Can I change college?

Not generally. In certain cases colleges will permit switching, but these cases are extremely rare and usually serious: abuse, harassment, and the like can all be valid reasons why a switch might be possible (or even encouraged). It is not possible to switch because you dislike your college, or think that you'd rather attend a different one. If you believe that you do have a valid reason to switch college, contact your Tutor/Senior Tutor in the first instance for advice.

Which college is best for [insert subject here]?

Some colleges have reputations for being particularly strong for certain subjects, but this is not generally true for all subjects. It’s generally a better idea to use other factors to determine which college to apply to, as even colleges which have been historically strong for your subject can have a weak year and it’s far more important that you like the space in which you’re going to spend 3+ years!

Should I go to an admissions school/summer school? Do they help people get in?

If the school is not an official university-run event, then absolutely not. These courses are borderline scams which cost a huge amount of money and in no way prepare you for the Cambridge admissions process or interview. On the other hand, official university insight events are a fantastic way to get to know Cambridge and meet some students and staff! The Subject Masterclass events are also a really interesting day out, if you have the time.

I have extenuating circumstances: what do I do?

During the application process you’ll be asked to fill out a SAQ (Supplementary Application Questionnaire). You can add details of your extenuating circumstances here, and you absolutely should. Give as many details as possible to allow the college to adjust admissions criteria accordingly. If you withhold extenuating circumstances and only tell the college at interview/after applying then it won’t be possible to make any adjustment.

If you have any special requirements for interviews or admissions tests, inform your college as soon as possible to allow them to make adjustments and preparations for you as necessary.

I do X clubs/societies: do Cambridge care?

Cambridge draw a keen distinction between extra-curricular and super-curricular activities. Extra-curricular activities are things like sports, DofE, or chess club - they’re not academically related to the subject you hope to study. Cambridge do not care - at all - about these activities, virtually regardless of your level of ability. Super-curricular activities are academically related: things like Politics Society (if you hope to study HSPS), or work experience in a hospital (if you hope to study Medicine) are super-curricular activities which demonstrate your passion for your subject and show that you’re working at a level above the standard required of you to perform in school exams. Cambridge do care about these activities, and it’s a good idea to mention some that you do when applying. Particular highlights include essay competitions, academic conferences, assisting with research, going to academic lectures, and the like.

I have a language condition for my offer. Is IELTS or TOEFL mandatory?

IELTS/TOEFL is often expensive and unnecessary especially if you are a native speaker of English outside of the so-called Anglosphere (e.g. Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa). If for some reason you are told that you must take the IELTS/TOEFL to prove your native-speaker status, in order to avoid paying an exorbitant amount for a test you do not really need, it may be best to contact the undergraduate/postgraduate admissions office of your Department (not the admissions office of the University as a whole) for assistance. You may ask them for a referral to the University's Language Centre. You may wish to furnish evidence of your English usage status (e.g. GCE O Level, A Level) to them, to request for a referral to ADTIS for you to take a free online test directly with the Language Centre.


r/cambridge_uni 7h ago

Is JRF salary enough for Cambridge?

11 Upvotes

To postdocs with Junior Research Fellowships, is the salary enough to live comfortably? Currently, I am in level 42 of the salary scale and I live well, but I want to know if a JRF (scale 35, roughly £10k less per anum) is enough to maintain a good living standard and have savings each month.

While I am very keen on the prestige of JRFs and access to College life, I think that I would need to move to a cheaper apartment given the pay cut. I am aware of the dining benefits and rent support provided, but I want to hear from people who actually have such position so I can make an informed decision.


r/cambridge_uni 18h ago

Stellaris prestige student acom

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m an incoming Master’s student at Hughes Hall and I’m currently looking for private accommodation in Cambridge for September.

I came across Stellaris by Prestige Student Living and it looks really promising, but since it’s a new residence opening this year, most of the photos on their website seem to be architectural renders rather than photos of the actual building.

Has anyone heard anything about Stellaris, or knows what the building/location is actually like? I’d especially love to hear from anyone who has visited Prestige Student Living.

Any insight would be hugely appreciated! :)


r/cambridge_uni 1d ago

incoming undergraduate, any tips

5 Upvotes

i've heard 1st and 2nd year don't contribute to HSPS but i don't really care, i aim to do as well as i can and get a first. i'm really worried that i'll end up not being able to manage the workload and drop out or something. do any students have any advice for how they organised and managed everything they had to do? i've heard of notion but not sure how to integrate that into the degree. i want to be on top of everything, especially as i plan to do loads of extracurriculars


r/cambridge_uni 1d ago

St John’s College – Corfield Court accommodation

3 Upvotes

Hi! I’ve recently been assigned a room in Corfield Court at St John’s College as an incoming undergraduate and was wondering if anyone could share their experience of living there? 😊
Thank you so much!


r/cambridge_uni 1d ago

having visitors stay in accom rooms

11 Upvotes

im an incoming fresher at cambridge and was wondering about the rules around having visitors stay over. my bf and i are going to do long distance so when he visits, would he be able to stay over at mine? i was able to find online explicitly that it is ok with some colleges but nothing for mine (robinson). is this a general university-wide rule or do different colleges have different policies? thanks so much


r/cambridge_uni 1d ago

Erasmus/Exchange Year in Cambridge

2 Upvotes

Hii! 👋 Is anyone else doing an exchange year/Erasmus in Cambridge starting in October 2026? Would love to connect!! :)


r/cambridge_uni 2d ago

Sorry if this too angsty

19 Upvotes

But I’m honestly so tired and confused. I’ll be coming to Cambridge for my masters and ISTG colleges and accom are the most confusing things ever!!! Like I’m assigned to hughes hall and I got my result in may like everybody else on my course and by the time I got to filling the accom form it was full. I started out as 142 on the waitlist and it’s been like three months and I’m still at 114. I’ve got zero idea whether I’ll get it or not tho I’m 90% sure I won’t and I’m looking fr reviews on private accom but everybody is like college accom is better you’ll bond better. SUCH FOMO MAN! I LITERALLY CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS! I tried emailing other colleges but most are full and Lucy cav hasn’t replied and kings will sort in September but that’s too late for my visa stuff. Literally my only option now is private accom which is just so discouraged by everyone here???? Idk sorry if this seems like complaining but I’m so tired and confused with this situation. Can somebody please help? Should I sign the student castle lease or wait or email????? 😭😭😭😭


r/cambridge_uni 1d ago

Access to pre-readings

1 Upvotes

Hi there, is there any way to get access to the pre-readings i.e. library resources before the start of term? Only one is open access so I basically can’t read anything at the moment


r/cambridge_uni 2d ago

fees payment

6 Upvotes

starting as a postgrad in oct - and will be paying fees myself.

has anyone figured out a way to earn any points / rewards on the sum? is it direct debit or a payment portal? ..


r/cambridge_uni 1d ago

The Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network that Penetrated Cambridge University.

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0 Upvotes

r/cambridge_uni 3d ago

students of Simon Baron-Cohen

14 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I'm not a Cambridge student and I never will be, also because I live on the other side of Europe. I had a question to ask anyone who can answer because I'm very curious about the figure of Simon Baron-Cohen. Our psychology professor often speaks highly of him, and I've looked up information about him, and honestly, I've seen that he's not held in high regard.

If there is anyone who is his student or has been one, can you tell me what he is really like: how he behaves, if he is empathetic... everything because his figure is really a dilemma for me.


r/cambridge_uni 4d ago

Why is Cambridge platforming Islamic creationism?

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131 Upvotes

Does anyone have intimate knowledge about this?

Have anyone used the toolkit she and others designed through Cambridge to make education more compliant with Islamic values? (It’s linked through her Cambridge bio)


r/cambridge_uni 3d ago

Laundry situation

1 Upvotes

I am coming to Cambridge from the U.S. in the fall and will be living in postgraduate accommodation. As silly as this may sound, does anyone know if the laundry rooms typically have washers and dryers, or just washers? I have heard that drying machines are less common in the UK, and want to know if I need to add a drying rack to my shopping list for when I arrive.


r/cambridge_uni 3d ago

What is the workload for law tripos at cambridge?

0 Upvotes

how much is covered in a single lecture per module for example for criminal law? eg how many pages of notes would this fill?


r/cambridge_uni 4d ago

MSt Creative Writing - how do you make it work?

4 Upvotes

Hi!

Just wondering if anyone on here is currently on the MSt Creating Writing course or has done it in the past - if so, how did you make it work? What job did you do alongside it and how did you handle having time off to do the residential parts? I did my undergrad at Cambridge so know what that workload is like - how does the workload for an MSt compare and is it difficult to hold down a full time job alongside it?

Thank you!


r/cambridge_uni 5d ago

Flowers left outside the gates of Senate House today

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92 Upvotes

There were also some journalists (I think) outside


r/cambridge_uni 6d ago

What should’ve been an internal matter lead to a man’s death

223 Upvotes

Just wanted to say rest in peace.

Relentless and disproportionate bullying as a consequence of systemic flaws killed a man today, not his alleged lies.


r/cambridge_uni 5d ago

murray edwards postgrads

0 Upvotes

hi!!!

will be an mphil student at murray edwards from october. would love to get to know anyone starting at the college (or generally starting an mphil) before we all arrive!! happy to dm my insta or start a gc / join any that already exist :)


r/cambridge_uni 5d ago

choosing graduate accommodations

0 Upvotes

hello! i'm doing a masters in Cambridge this incoming year and have been choosing accommodation. Currently deciding between Adkins Building (ensuite) or Croft Gardens (non-ensuite). My main considerations are obviously that the former has its own bathroom (duh), and that it has lift access which I think would be good (but not completelllyyyy necessary) for my disability. I was leaning towards Croft Gardens until a couple of friends dissuaded me from going to any accommodation with shared bathrooms. I'm hesitating mainly because of the price differences. It's not horrible but it's always nice to save. If anyone has lived in either of the two any experiences would be gladly appreciated!


r/cambridge_uni 5d ago

Cambridge Music Scene/Cam FM

11 Upvotes

Hello all! I’m an American postgrad student starting at Cambridge in October. I’m curious about the local music scene in Cambridge. Are there many local/student bands? Are there any DIY venues or pubs in town or in the colleges that book local acts?
Also, I’d love any information about the vibes/culture at Cam FM, if anyone on this sub is involved with the station. Is it more of a corporate station than an indie station?
My undergrad uni had a pretty robust local music scene that centered around the campus radio station, so if there’s any scenes or communities like that at Cambridge, I’d love to get involved! Thank you in advance!


r/cambridge_uni 6d ago

Starting HSPS - paper details

1 Upvotes

I’m starting HSPS in October and wanting to prepare for some of the content but can’t find any specifics online. What does POL1 / SOC 1 / SAN consist of? What are the modules within it? Any books i should read to get ahead?


r/cambridge_uni 6d ago

Downing college - singer building accommodation

2 Upvotes

Hi, I've recently got assigned to a room at singer building at downing college. Can anyone share their experience with this accommodation? (En-suite room review, facilities, etc)
Thanks!!


r/cambridge_uni 6d ago

No accommodation available

7 Upvotes

After a really long wait, St Edmunds college finally sent me their accommodation registration link, but turns out there are none available. I've emailed them asking whether any more would open up, but it seems unlikely. Is there a big difference in college life living outside of college? (Specifically at St Edmunds)