Step 4 - I've Applied - What Next?
Now you have submitted your application it is important that you regularly check your graduate admission Self-Service account for all further instructions and communications on your application. Use your Self-Service account to track the progress of your application. It tells you everything the Graduate Admissions Office knows about your progress and is quicker to use than telephone or email.
There are numerous people who will be involved in processing and managing your application to study at Cambridge, and you should be aware of what each of their roles and responsibilities are. These include you (the applicant), the Graduate Admissions Office (GAO), departments/faculties and degree committees. See 'Admissions Process' for detailed information on these roles and responsibilities.
The University graduate admission process is co-ordinated by the central Graduate Admissions Office, which also exercises vigilance over academic standards. Academic decisions are made by the faculty/department graduate admissions team. If a department recommends an offer of admission, this must go to the relevant Degree Committee for approval. Every recommendation of admission must then be scrutinised by the central Graduate Admissions Office, and this office makes the official offer of admission on behalf of the University. You can track the progress of your application through these stages in your graduate admission self-service account.
| Office | Snapshot of Roles |
|---|---|
| Graduate Admissions Office | Co-ordinates the admission process, and makes the official offer of admission. |
| Department/Faculty | Makes the initial academic decision recommending admission. |
| Degree Committee | Approves the department's admission decision and makes a recommendation to the Graduate Admissions Office. |
| College | Will consider students who have received an official offer of admission. All graduate students must be a member of a college. |
Flowcharts of the admissions process can be found here:
- The admissions process: from sending in your application to receiving a conditional offer
- The admissions process: from receiving a conditional offer to confirmation of place
- On this page
- Department/Faculty Offers
- Timescales
- Equal Opportunity
- Continuation and Re-admission as a Graduate Student
Department/Faculty Offers
Decisions on admission to the University are made on academic merit, the availability of space on a course, and/or the availability of an appropriate supervisor.
The department or faculty where you wish to study will consider your application. Some will wish to interview you (always the case for part-time research degrees) or might request additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Where this is required it will be clearly stated in the application information in the online prospectus entry for the course.
Decisions are made as quickly as possible but not to a timetable. However, some courses may wait until the closing date before making decisions, and the time taken for decisions to be made can therefore vary considerably. Please let the department/faculty know if you need an urgent decision, and they will alert the Graduate Admissions Office to this.
If you have made more than one application you may receive more than one conditional offer, but we shall only confirm one offer as you can only be accepted for one academic place.
If you are accepted for a course or research place that is then approved by the Degree Committee and the Graduate Admissions Office, you will receive a formal offer via email, and the Graduate Admission Self-Service Account. You will be able to print a summary certificate of the offer from your Self-Service. These are the only documents that constitute an offer of admission. No other correspondence, eg from a department or faculty, constitute a formal offer.
If your application is not accepted, we shall notify you by email and via your Self-Service. In the event that we do not have an email address for you, we shall send you a letter.
Timescales
It may be several months before the department makes a decision on your application, especially for those departments who consider applications after the course deadline. Once the department and degree committee have made a decision, this will need to be approved by the Graduate Admissions Office. It may take up to 5 weeks from Degree Committee approval for your application to be approved by the Graduate Admissions Office. Please note that colleges will not receive your application until a conditional offer of admission has been made by the Graduate Admissions Office.
Your Self-service account will be updated once a decision has been processed.
Equal Opportunity
The University is committed to equal opportunity, and exercises the University's policy in relation to all admissions processes.
Continuation and Readmission as a Graduate Student
If you are currently, or have previously been registered as a graduate student at Cambridge please refer to the specific instructions for students applying for 'continuation' and 'readmission'.