Graduate Admissions

 

Conditions of Admission

If you have received an official offer of admission through your Self-Service account this is usually conditional upon you meeting several conditions. It is your responsibility to meet the conditions as requested in your Self-Service account.

The Offer Booklet will also form part of your offer - it is very important that you read it in full as it contains important information about what you need to do next.


Conditions of your offer will probably include, but will not always be limited to, the conditions listed below:

  • On this page

Meeting Your Offer Conditions

You should aim to submit all the supporting documentation in order to meet the conditions of your offer at least three months before the start of your course, so that your place can be confirmed at least two months before you start. This is especially important for overseas students who may wish to apply for a visa. i.e. if your course begins in October, you should aim to submit all your supporting documentation by 30 June in order to maximise your chances of obtaining college accommodation, and so that you can make travel, accommodation, and (if necessary) visa arrangements.


[top]


Accepting Your Conditional Offer

One of the offer conditions will be that you should accept the conditional offer. You should only do so once you have decided that you definitely wish to accept a place at Cambridge. You may still have other offer conditions outstanding at that stage. You may use your Self-Service to accept the offer, or you may write to us to confirm acceptance.

You will need to accept the offer before we can confirm your admission to Cambridge.


[top]


Academic Condition

If you are currently studying for a degree your offer may be conditional on you achieving a certain grade. If we have asked you to achieve (or demonstrate that you have already achieved) a certain academic qualification, you will be required to send an original, or authenticated copy of your final transcipt to show that you have met this condition. If you have already uploaded your transcript via your self service you will still be asked to send the original or authenticated copy so that we can verify its origin. Please note that we are not able to return these transcripts as they are destroyed after verification.


[top]


Finance Condition

All offers are conditional on finance. A completed and signed Financial Undertaking Form will be required from you in order for you to meet your financial condition.

This form gives us an undertaking that you have available in advance adequate financial provision to cover the full University and College fees, and a cost of living amount for the duration of the course and it should take into account:

  1. Likely increases in both fees and other expenses year on year, at least in line with inflation (as explained above)

  2. Any possible over-run. The financial conditions for most PhD students (other than those on 4 year doctoral programmes or integrated masters and PhD programmes) will require evidence of funding for three years. However, students are advised to make adequate provision, in advance, for the possibility that they may over-run and not submit their thesis within 3 years. Neither the university nor the college are able to support student financially who are in this situation.

  3. Fluctuations in currency exchange rates. If you are a student from overseas you may wish to consider securing the amount available to you in £ Sterling. Fees are only payable in £ Sterling either by cheque or bank draft, unfortunately the colleges cannot accept payment by credit card.

Under no circumstances should you sign the Financial Undertaking Form if you are in any doubt whatsoever about whether you have sufficient funds for your fees and living costs. If you are admitted, neither the University or the colleges undertake to support you financially in the event that you experience financial difficulties and you may be asked to leave if you are unable to pay your bills.

If all or parts of your costs will be met by a scholarship/funding body, you will also need to provide an original letter from them which details the amount and duration of the funding. Your sponsor should make explicit mention of the fact that they understand that there will be annual increases in fees and other costs, at least in line with inflation, and that they undertake to meet these increases.

Details about fees and cost of living expenses can be found in the 'Course Costs and Fee Status' section of our website.

Please see the 'Funding' section of our website for information on sources of funding.


Inflationary increases to fees

Applicants should be aware that University and College fees and other costs are subject to an annual increase. At the present time, these increases are of the order of 5% per annum. Therefore, for students whose courses are longer than twelve months, and/or which span more than one academic year, the annual fee rate will increase each year.


Cost of living amount

The amount estimated for the cost of living is the minimum students will require, and actual costs are likely to be higher unless a student has a very basic standard of living. (Part-time applicants are not required to provide evidence of the cost of living amount.)


Bringing Dependents

Additional costs are specified if a candidate is to be accompanied by dependents. This will be taken from information you provided in your application about whether you will be accompanied to Cambridge by dependents. You must inform us, as soon as possible, if these circumstances change.


Other additional costs

Note that there may be other compulsory additional costs e e.g. field trips, attendance on an English language course etc., which you will need to allow for.


Paying your University and College fee

Colleges collect the university fee as well as the college fee. Each college has a schedule under which fee payments must be made and may require deposits/full fees in advance; any enquiries concerning fee payment should be addressed direct to your college.


[top]


Obtaining a College Place

One condition for which you are not responsible is admission to a college; this is organised centrally, taking into account, so far as possible, any preference(s) you have expressed.

The information you provided on your application form will be used to determine where your papers should be sent. You will not be permitted to alter your decision after submitting your application.

If you make no choice, a college will be allocated for you. If you have made other applications to which you have already received offers, we will use the college from the first application to have received an offer (this includes applications you might have made to other parts of the University, for example, for a PGCE).

Your first chosen college will consider your case and determine whether or not to make an offer of membership. If it does not, it will pass the papers to your second chosen college, who will do the same. If you do not receive an offer of membership from either college, or if you do not express a preference, a place will be found for you at another college.

We shall let you know when you receive an offer of membership - you will see this on your Graduate Admission Self-Service account. The college will also write to you.

You are expected not to decline this offer of a college place, unless one of the following exceptional circumstances arises:

  • You have been made a confirmed offer of a full or substantial scholarship at another college (in this case your transfer will be automatic)
  • Disability, other serious religious or medical grounds, or special family need.

Please note that an offer of membership from a college does not constitute an offer of accommodation, and a college room cannot be guaranteed. Many colleges do not allocate accommodation until all offer conditions have been met and admission has been confirmed, and therefore the earlier you meet all your conditions, the better your chances of obtaining college accommodation.


[top]


Taking Courses at Other Institutions

The Board of Graduate Studies requires, as a condition of admission, that any candidate for admission to a full-time degree who is already registered at another institution must show evidence that he or she has completed the other course or withdrawn from it, or has permission from that institution to intermit from the course.

Students are not permitted to follow a course at another institution at the same time as studying for a full-time Cambridge degree. A full-time student who, once admitted to the University, takes up a course of study at another institution will be removed from the register until such time as the other course has been completed.


[top]


English Language Conditions

If your first language is not English, and you have not already met our English language requirement, one of the conditions of admission will be that you pass a language test at the correct level.

If you need to take an English language test, please make arrangements to do so as soon as possible.

We recommend that if you have a language condition to meet, you make arrangements to take an IELTS or TOEFL test as early as possible, as there can sometimes be long waiting times for a test place.

Test centres often become fully-booked and if you delay making arrangements, it may be difficult to find a centre at which you can take a test. In addition, you should allow sufficient time to take a further test, in case you do not meet the requirements immediately. All elements must be passed at the required level in one sitting. English language requirements for each course can be found in the relevant course entry in the Qualifications Directory.

The University offers a course called 'English for Academic Purposes' (EAP). If you have passed your English test at the required standard, you may opt to take this course. If you have taken a test and narrowly missed the minimum score, you may be eligible to be assessed for a place on this course instead of taking a new test. If you are eligible for assessment, it will be shown in your Self-Service account. If you would like further information about the EAP course, please contact the University Language Centre. There is a fee for the EAP course. If you are invited to attend, you will be sent all the details including the costs.

The Language Centre also offers a 'Preparation for IELTS' course, for a fee. This is specifically designed to prepare students for the Academic Training Module in the IETLS examination. The course normally runs in the spring - for more details see the Language Centre website.

  • Further information

[top]


Obtaining a Confirmation of Acceptance for Study (CAS)

In order to obtain a CAS for your visa application we will need to see a scan of your passport. This should be uploaded, along with any visa you may currently hold, via your self-service account at the earliest opportunity. If you do not require a visa please upload the relevant travel document as evidence (e.g. an EU passport or ILR Visa).


[top]


Academic Progression

You must upload a completed Academic Progression Form via your Self-Service page using the document type 'Immigration'.

  • Further information

[top]


Criminal Records Bureau Check

If your place is conditional on your providing a Criminal Records Bureau check or the equivalent, you will be contacted by the Student Records Office. Please respond to them as quickly as possible, as this process can take a long time, and must be completed before you can be admitted to your course. The regulations are in process of change; for the latest information please see the Criminal Records Bureau Disclosures page at the Student Administration and Records office.

  • Further information

[top]


Quicklinks
Frequently Asked Questions
Your Self-Service Account