- Earlier deadline: You must submit your UCAS application by 15th of October.
This deadline is for anyone applying to Cambridge or Oxford, or for most medicine / veterinary / dentistry courses at other universities. The standard UCAS deadline is 15th of January. - Colleges: Via UCAS you apply to a particular college within Cambridge; you can pick one & put it on your application, or if you can’t decide you can make an ‘open application’ which means you will be randomly allocated to a college, who will process your application.
Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges; most students live, eat and study (some classes) within their college, so most people like to choose which they’d prefer when applying. A full list of Cambridge University Colleges. - Supplementary Application Questionnaire (SAQ): Once you’ve submitted your UCAS application, Cambridge will ask you to fill out an SAQ. This includes:
- An extra personal statement - this is great for applicants to niche Cambridge courses which aren’t available at other universities, as you can be Cambridge-specific in your SAQ and tailor your UCAS personal statement to the other courses you’re applying to. It’s optional so you won’t be disadvantaged for not writing one.
- More personal/academic information, for example:
Your class sizes in school (to contextualise your exam results so pupils in larger classes aren’t disadvantaged). Which topics/texts you’ve already studied (this can help interviewers plan what to discuss with you).
- Extenuating Circumstances Form (ECF): If your education/home life has been significantly disrupted, perhaps your grades are slightly lower/you took fewer GCSEs making your application look “less competitive”, your school, college, doctor or social worker can explain this in an ECF form. This enables Cambridge to contextualise your performance and appreciate the extra challenges you’ve overcome, so that your application isn’t disadvantaged because of them.
Note: there is virtually no difference in success rates between applicants who declare a disability and those who don’t; if you disclose it, you won’t be judged or disadvantaged & you can get extra help with the tests & interview process!
Examples include:- a serious, acute or chronic medical condition (especially since the age of 14) which caused significant educational disruption
- significant caring responsibilities, or recent bereavement or serious illness within close family
- living independently of the family (estranged students)
- any kind of serious disruption due to adverse family circumstances
- serious disruption to educational provision at school/college
- where the applicant has been the victim of a serious crime
- other circumstances where serious disruption has occurred – the school/college, doctor or social worker is welcome to contact a College admissions office to discuss an applicant's particular circumstances
You can find more information and a link to the form here. - Pre-interview or at-interview tests: Depending on the course you apply to, you’ll probably have to sit a test, before or at-interview (or for some joint degrees, both). Other than the BMAT for medicine, which is used by other universities too, most tests are Cambridge-specific.
Here’s a list of Cambridge Admissions assessments by subject; you can find sample papers for some subjects on the web-page for your specific degree course.
If you normally have exam access arrangements (e.g extra time) these can be arranged for these tests, although you will have to let your college / assessment centre know in advance.
Some (mostly humanities) courses also ask you to submit examples of previous written work from your A levels: submitted work guide. - Interviews: After your UCAS, SAQ forms & pre-interview tests you may be invited for interview, normally in early December. Cambridge interviews everyone they believe have a reasonable chance of getting an offer, usually 75-80% of applicants.
Most students have 2 interviews lasting 20-45 minutes each; they assess your ability to solve problems, to take on new information & use logical reasoning. Besides subject-specific content, you may have a general interview about your personal statement, why you’re interested in Cambridge specifically, your wider reading & academic interests etc. Have a look at the college website as they often give extra information as to the format of the interviews, which can vary between subjects and colleges.
Interviews normally take place in Cambridge, although in-person interviews are usually offered in certain countries: overseas interviews.
N.B. Due to COVID-19 2020 overseas interviews will probably be carried out remotely. Likewise, the university’s current plan is not to ask interviewees to Cambridge; its alternative is TBC: check the Interview webpage.
Access at interviews:- Costs: If you’ve ever been in care, or a state-school pupil eligible for free school meals, or over-21 & eligible for certain benefits, the Colleges will help to cover your travel costs. Some colleges offer free accommodation to all interviewees or those who can’t travel on the day due to disability or living far away.
- Disability: Just like the tests, if you require access arrangements you should make your college aware in advance, e.g. if you need a rest between interviews. If you declare your condition on UCAS and/or the SAQ, the college should contact you regarding your needs prior to interview. (Telling your College about this will NOT harm your application chances, & can help you get extra support to perform your best).
You can also find plenty of advice online:- Inside Uni
- Official university video guide: the Interview
- Official university webpage guide: what do interviews involve?
You can also look out for our video advice on YouTube...
Think out loud, enjoy discussing your subject with academics (who want you to succeed!), wear comfy clothes & remember: the interview isn’t everything, your application is viewed holistically, with grades, personal statements and entry tests too. Good luck! - The pool: The winter pool prevents talented applicants from missing out on offers because their college received many very competitive applications. Colleges can place talented applicants into the winter pool, where other colleges can view their application and make them an offer, sometimes after re-interviewing them.
Direct & pooled offers are all announced on the 15th of January.
Typically, 1 in 4 applicants is pooled, and of these around 1 in 5 is offered a place by a different College to the one they applied to or had been allocated to (from an open application).
'Summer pool': if you get an offer but miss the grades in August, another college may pick you from the summer pool.
- Adjustment: On results day, if you exceed your conditional-firm offer you can try for places at other universities without losing that place. From 2020 Cambridge is involved in adjustment.
You are eligible if:- You unsuccessfully applied to Cambridge & you were notified that you could be eligible for adjustment - this means you’ve been identified as meeting at least 3/5 widening participation criteria: Adjustment at Cambridge
- You’ve met your firm-choice offer at another university & exceeded at least one criterion
- The Cambridge course you applied to has adjustment places
- You’ve met or exceeded the typical offer for that course
On results day, between 8am and 1pm you must submit an online form expressing your interest in adjustment. The university will then contact you to explain the next steps and potentially make an offer, which you must accept by noon on Monday (17/08/2020).
Cambridge Application Timeline
Plain Text Version
UCAS deadline: 15th October
SAQ & ECF deadline: 22nd October
Pre-interview tests & submit written work: Oct/Nov
Interviews & at-interview tests: Early December
Winter Pool: Early January
Decisions - offers made: 15th January
Offer-holder days: Feb-April
A level Results, Adjustment & Summer Pool: Mid-August
Start Cambridge: Late Sept/Early Oct