How do I make an application to

Cambridge?

Graduate Admissions
For Applicants

How do I make an application to Cambridge?

For Referees
Applications can be submitted either via an online form or on paper. Your choice of
method will not affect the selection process. However the latter is slower and we have to
charge a higher application fee to cover additonal adminstrative costs.
Please note that this website deals with applications for graduate study only. If you have
found this page via a search engine, and wish to apply for an undergraduate course, see
the Undergraduate Study website.

How do I apply for scholarships?

Graduate Admissions
For Applicants

How do I apply for scholarships?

For Referees
To indicate you wish to be considered for the main University scholarships (Gates
Cambridge and Cambridge Trust) and two UK research council scholarships
(AHRC and ESRC), simply tick the appropriate boxes in the GRADSAF form. Additional
fields (e.g. personal references) will have to be completed depending on which schemes
you choose.
Other sources of funding are available and may need to be applied for separately, often
with the guidance from the relevant academic departments.

Funding Opportunities
There are many funding opportunities at Cambridge from a wide variety of sources
including the Cambridge Trust, Gates Cambridge, Colleges, Departments, Research
Councils and central University funds. You can use our Cambridge Funding Search page
to find out which type of funding you might be eligible for, and how and when to apply.
We also operate a Graduate Funding Competition to co-ordinate some of these funding
opportunites and make the process easier for you as an applicant.

How to Apply
Don't worry - it is very easy to apply for funding. 80% of the funding awarded to
applicants last year was from competitions that just require you to complete the
funding section of the graduate application form (via the Applicant Portal); you

will be able to check using our funding search for options that you aren't
automatically considered for. The most important thing to remember is: get
your applications in early! See below for deadlines.

When will I hear?

Most funding awards are made between the beginning of March and the end of July with
the majority of awards being made in March and April. If you haven't heard by the end of
July, you should assume that your application for funding has been unsuccessful.

Funding Deadlines
The deadlines for the Graduate Funding Competition are listed below. These are open
to applicants for courses with start dates between Michaelmas 2017 and Easter
2018. Students who will be starting before October 2017 are no longer eligible. You can
find deadlines for other scholarships in the Cambridge Funding Search (note that some
of these may be earlier than those listed below).

Graduate Funding Competition Deadlines

Applicant
Eligibility
Deadline
based on
fee status

(all 12:00)

Overseas

7 December 2016

(Not
EU/Home)

Decisions

Notes for Gates

Made

Cambridge

Late

If you are a USA

February

resident you will need

to submit your

onwards

application by 12
October 2016 if

(Gates in April)

you want to
be considered for Gates
funding.

Graduate Funding Competition Deadlines

Applicant
Eligibility
Deadline
based on
fee status

EU
(incl.
Home)

Decisions

Notes for Gates

Made

Cambridge

Early

If you are EU fee status

and you wish to

March

be considered for
Gates Cambridge you

onwards

will need to
submit your application

(all 12:00)

4 January 2017

by 7 December
2016.

It is also worth keeping an eye on the news updates on the Graduate Admissions
Homepage for the latest information on awards being offered.

If you are not eligible to hold a UK or EU passport, then you are likely to need to apply
for a visa in order to enter the UK.
The UK operates a points-based immigration system; you must apply for a Tier 4 visa as
a prospective student. It is your responsibility to identify whether you require a visa, and
to understand and comply with the immigration requirements.
If you do require a Tier 4 visa, the University must sponsor you and will issue you with a
CAS for your visa application.

If you already have UK immigration permission in another capacity, for example a

dependent visa, work visa or ancestry visa, you may be able to study on that visa
without needing to apply under Tier 4.
For information on visas, we strongly recommend that you read the following web pages
and understand the requirements before making your application to study:

International Students

Home Office: Tier 4 Visas

You cannot begin a course at Cambridge using an existing Tier 4 visa that is sponsored
by another institution.
The Graduate Admissions Office is not qualified to advise you on visa and immigration
issues. Please consult the Universitys International Student Team and Home Office
guidance for specialist advice.
Visa pilot scheme for Masters students
The University has been selected by the Home Office, along with a small number of other
UK universities, to participate in a Tier 4 visa pilot scheme. Students applying for a Tier 4
visa to study on a Masters course of 13 months or less for 2017/18 entry will
automatically be eligible for the scheme which provides access to a streamlined visa
application process and six months of additional leave on their visa from the course end
date.

International Qualifications

Graduate Admissions
International

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International Students
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International Qualifications
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If you have not previously studied in the UK, it is important to check the relevant country
page to ensure the qualifications you hold are considered suitable preparation for entry
on to your chosen course.
Whatever system you're being educated in, graduate work in Cambridge is intense and
very intellectually demanding and so the University has high academic entry
requirements.
Please note the information given here is a guideline of the University's
minimum academic requirements. Please refer to the Course Directory for the
academic requirements for your specific course, as these may be higher than
the University minimum academic requirements.
It should be noted that, for many countries, the University recognises significant
variance between institutions and that, for example, a score of 70% from one University
may not be considered to be the same as a score of 70% from another University.
For further information on international qualification equivalency, please see the UK
NARIC website. UK NARIC is the UK's National Recognition Information Centre and
provides services for individuals and organisations to compare international qualifications
against UK qualification framework levels.

Check the equivalence guidelines

for my country:
Please note these equivalences are for applicants starting in October 2017.
Search for a country...