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̽��ֱ��new section has been set up to host papers and documents offering in-depth analysis of the issues affecting admissions policy at the collegiate ̽��ֱ��, and to present some of the key findings from research carried out under the guidance of the ̽��ֱ��’s Admissions Research Working Party.

Admission to Cambridge is highly competitive. In the 2010 admissions round, 99.5% of successful applicants who had completed A Levels achieved at least three grade As. 89% achieved A*AA or better and the average number of A*s achieved by each entrant was 2.5.

̽��ֱ��assessment of applicants focuses on the appropriateness of their chosen course and their potential to achieve strong academic results in Cambridge while deriving the greatest benefit from the Cambridge learning environment. ̽��ֱ��Admissions Research Working Party commissions and receives research and analysis to ensure that, when making these assessments, Admissions Tutors are making valid, fair and well-informed decisions based on the best available indicators of likely future success at Cambridge.

̽��ֱ��research has been published as part of the ̽��ֱ��’s commitment to making as much information as possible about the admissions process available to the public, including prospective students, their teachers, parents and advisers.

Topics covered on the website include:-

• ̽��ֱ��rationale for our target that 61-63% of our UK admissions should come from the maintained sector, which the ̽��ֱ�� has proposed in its Access Agreement. UK State-Sector Undergraduate Admissions to Cambridge: What is an Achievable Target? examines the public examination performance of UK school/college students in 2010 and considers what proportion of the ̽��ֱ��’s UK entrants can realistically be admitted from the state sector without lowering its entry standards.

• ̽��ֱ��justification for placing greater emphasis in selection decisions on AS Level scores and public examination results than on aptitude tests or special exams. ̽��ֱ��Predictive Effectiveness of Metrics in Admission to the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge investigates which factors at admission have provided the best indication of future undergraduate potential. AS and A Level UMS (marks), GCSEs, aptitude tests, school background and gender were all considered.

• ̽��ֱ��relationship between school type and final examination performance. Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students at Cambridge by School/College Background examines the distributions of results obtained in ̽��ֱ�� exams by students who had attended UK independent, grammar and comprehensive schools, as well as other maintained sector institutions, finding no statistically significant differences in performance by school type. There is no evidence of the phenomenon observed at some other UK universities of state-sector students out-performing their privately educated peers.

• ̽��ֱ��performance of students who have studied for the International Baccalaureate rather than A Levels. ̽��ֱ��Academic Performance of International Baccalaureate Students at Cambridge examines the relationships between students' prior attainment in the IB and results achieved in Cambridge examinations and finds that two 7s in Higher Level subjects together with overall scores of 42 or more for Arts and Social Sciences courses and of 39 or more for Science courses predict a better-than-average likelihood of obtaining a II.1 or a First at Cambridge.

Dr Geoff Parks, Director of Admissions for the Cambridge Colleges, said, “We have invested considerable effort and resources into ensuring that our admissions procedures are validated by careful research. It is striking that some of our findings, for instance relating to the performance of students from the state and independent sectors, differ in certain respects from those of other studies. Because of such differences and the considerable public interest in Cambridge admissions we feel it is important to make our research evidence freely available.”

Richard Partington, Senior Tutor of Churchill College and Chair of the Admissions Research Working Party, added, “ ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is resolutely committed to admitting the best students with the greatest potential for future academic achievement, regardless of background. As part of this commitment, we must do all we reasonably can to ensure and demonstrate that our admissions process is fair, objective, and based on sound research. Apart from anything else, this is something we owe to our applicants, who invest such time and effort in submitting strong applications, to their parents and carers, and to their teachers.

“Anyone who wishes to know why, for instance, we differ from other universities in asking for AS/A Level UMS as part of our application process, or why we set demanding conditions on our offers, can now read our research into these important questions for themselves.”