University of Cambridge

Overview

Cambridge is a public, collegiate university in Cambridge, England, dating from 1209. Like Oxford, it splits life between the university, which runs departments, lectures and exams, and the Colleges, which admit students, house them and organize small group teaching known at Cambridge as supervisions.

Many Cambridge courses are broader in their first year than you might expect. Natural Sciences, for instance, lets students choose among several sciences before narrowing, which suits applicants who have not settled between chemistry, physics and biology. Most other degrees are single subject from the start.

Application steps and 2027 dates

You apply through UCAS by 15 October 2026 at 18:00 UK time. Shortly after, Cambridge sends you a link to My Cambridge Application, an extra online form with its own deadline of 22 October 2026. International applicants also send their school transcript by 22 October. Some subjects ask for written work, due by 5 November 2026.

Tests and College assessments

Cambridge splits assessments into two kinds. Pre-registration tests must be booked in advance with the test provider:

• ESAT for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.
• TMUA for Computer Science, Economics and Mathematics. Computer Science applicants to Peterhouse or Trinity also take the CSAT.
• UCAT for Medicine.
• LNAT for Law.

Many arts and social science subjects, such as English, History and Human, Social, and Political Sciences, instead use a College assessment, which you do not register for in advance. A few courses, such as Archaeology and History of Art, have no assessment at all. The admission assessments page has the full table.

Interviews from abroad

Whether an international applicant interviews online or in person depends on the College. Several Colleges interview international applicants online only, a couple offer a choice, and a few interview everyone in person, so check before you pick a College if travel to England in December would be hard. Supervision style interviews reward careful reasoning out loud. Our interview practice deck is a low pressure way to rehearse.

What Canadian and US applicants need

Cambridge says plainly that a US high school diploma alone is not suitable preparation. Its US guidance asks for a minimum of five AP scores of 5 in subjects related to the course, plus a high SAT or ACT. For most science courses and Economics, that means an SAT of at least 1500 with 750 or more in Math, or an ACT of 33; for other courses, an SAT of at least 1460 with 730 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, or an ACT of 32. You must disclose every AP, SAT and ACT score, including retakes.

For Canadian applicants, Cambridge says a high school diploma alone will not be competitive. Suitable routes include the IB, A levels, or five or more AP scores of 5 together with a 90 per cent overall diploma average. If you are working out how your school grades translate, our explainer on Canadian GPA scales helps with the vocabulary.

International fees are listed on the tuition fees page, and College fees may also apply. Visa holders apply for the UK Student visa once they hold a confirmed place. See our United Kingdom guide for how UCAS fits together.