̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - admissions

New PhD funding programme launched

ps748 — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 12:17:11 +0000

Trinity College and the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s new £48 million programme enabling fully-funded PhDs has been launched.

New admissions tests for 2024

ps748 — Thu, 18 Jan 2024 10:11:46 +0000

Cambridge and Imperial will provide two sets of tests. ̽��ֱ��Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) will be used for degree programmes in Engineering, Natural Sciences, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, and Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge, and Physics and most Engineering degrees at Imperial.

̽��ֱ��Test of Mathematics for ̽��ֱ�� Admission (TMUA) will be used for Economics and Computer Science degrees at Cambridge, and both the Economics, Finance and Data Science and Computing degrees at Imperial. A number of other UK universities will also use the TMUA for assessing applications for mathematically-based courses.

Pearson VUE is the certification and licensure arm of Pearson, the world’s leading learning company, providing assessment services to many institutions in the academic and admissions space. From October 2024 students will take a new computer based assessment at a Pearson VUE test centre, selecting from a global network of more than 5,500 locations in more than 180 countries. Mike Nicholson, Director of Recruitment, Admissions and Participation at Cambridge said “We are delighted to be able to provide computer based admissions tests from 2024, and in locations that take the burden off teachers and schools to act as test centres.”

Cambridge and Imperial will also be using the UCAT assessment for admission to their medical degrees from 2024, also provided through Pearson VUE, and Cambridge will continue to use the LNAT test for Law admissions.

Applicants will be required to pay an administration charge to take the tests, in line with other comparable institutions, but a fee waiver will be applied for UK-based applicants who are eligible for free school meals or who meet a number of other widening participation criteria. Nicholson added that “It is important that cost is not a barrier to participation, and the model we are using for the fee waivers has been successfully used for other admissions tests supported by Pearson”.

Lizzie Burrows, Director of Marketing, Recruitment and Admissions at Imperial said “ ̽��ֱ��applicant experience is at the heart of our ambitions. With the number of applications expected to continue to rise over coming years, universities need to find ways to fairly select the best candidates while minimising the burden on our applicants.”

We hope that these tests, operating through Pearson VUE’s well established test centre network will encourage other universities to use the TMUA and ESAT as assessments and streamline the admissions process for students.”

To attract a wider range of applicants the TMUA and ESAT will run test-sittings in mid-October 2024 and early January 2025 to reflect the two main deadlines for courses in the UCAS admissions process. Applicants to Cambridge must take the Autumn sitting.

Matthew Poyiadgi, Vice President EMEA and Asia at Pearson VUE, commented “As academic settings and admissions programmes continue to evolve in an increasingly digital world, computer-based assessments drive greater efficiencies. We look forward to collaborating with Imperial and Cambridge on this transition and supporting applicants to these world-leading universities in proving their potential.’’

Learn about our admissions tests and assessments.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Imperial College London are to launch a new joint venture to deliver admissions tests for science, engineering and mathematics based degree courses. ̽��ֱ��tests, which will be delivered by global assessments leader, Pearson VUE, aim to improve the experience of students applying for highly competitive undergraduate courses while helping universities to fairly assess the skills of the brightest applicants.

We are delighted to be able to provide computer based admissions tests from 2024

Mike Nicholson

Senate House

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Statement on 2022 admissions

ps748 — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:15:25 +0000

We would like to congratulate those who successfully met the terms of their offers. This is a cohort of students who have faced immense disruption to their education so their excellent results this summer are a testament to their effort and determination.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� will welcome another record number of state school students. Around 72.5% will come from the maintained sector (up from 71.6% in 2021). A total of 84 students were admitted through the August Reconsideration Pool (formerly Adjustment). These are students from less advantaged backgrounds who are likely to have narrowly missed out on an offer in January but who then went on to achieve high grades at A-level, demonstrating their potential for Cambridge.

A further 47 students have been successful in securing a place on the ̽��ֱ��’s Foundation Year. This provides fully funded, year-long study in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for those who have faced educational disruption or disadvantage.

̽��ֱ��Director of Admissions for the Cambridge Colleges, Dr Sam Lucy, said:

“We’re delighted to be welcoming another cohort of talented young people on to our courses this year who have shown real resilience in going on to achieve superb results. Every student who gets a place at Cambridge thoroughly deserves it. We know that many will have faced challenging circumstances in the last two years and the Colleges are ready to help with the transition to university level study. Once again, more than a quarter of our students will have come from less advantaged backgrounds* with just over 7% having been eligible for Free School Meals while at school. Our Foundation Year programme will give an opportunity to those who have faced additional hurdles in their route to higher education.”

Around 21% of freshers will be international, slightly down on last year. With more than 22,000 applications for 2022 entry, competition has remained high, with 6 applications per place.

Notes

*Using a combination of POLAR 4 Q1 + 2 and IMD measurements.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is publishing initial figures from the 2022 admissions cycle. With a few decisions still outstanding, the ̽��ֱ�� will be admitting just under 3,600 undergraduates this year.

Every student who gets a place at Cambridge thoroughly deserves it

Dr Sam Lucy

Senate House

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Vice-Chancellor gives evidence to ̽��ֱ��Times Education Commission

Anonymous — Fri, 13 May 2022 08:22:44 +0000

Professor Toope’s evidence focused on the higher education sector’s role in raising attainment in schools and sixth-form colleges, widening participation, and exploring different approaches to university examinations and assessment.

His submission to the inquiry, particularly around widening participation, generated discussion in the media and saw some commentators suggest the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge is discriminating against pupils from independent and grammar schools. This suggestion misrepresented the Vice-Chancellor’s comments. Professor Toope's response was published by the Telegraph:

“ ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge does not and would not discriminate against pupils from any type of school and does not use any quotas when making admissions decisions.

“Universities like Cambridge have been challenged by successive governments to reflect wider society by drawing students from all backgrounds. Unlike our great independent and grammar schools, many comprehensives have no tradition of sending pupils to places like Cambridge with the result that many of their pupils never consider applying. It is those pupils that the country’s leading universities are now trying to reach.

“This does mean that a greater number of applicants from a wider range of backgrounds will be considered for broadly the same number of places. But the most high achieving pupils from independent and grammar schools will still find a welcome at Cambridge, along with those from the comprehensive sector.”

During his submission to the inquiry, the Vice-Chancellor focused on the work universities are doing to share best practice to raise attainment and aspirations in schools.

Professor Toope cited the ̽��ֱ��’s recently launched Cambridge Foundation Year and STEM SMART programmes as examples of how Cambridge is working to reach talented but educationally disadvantaged students who might not otherwise consider applying to Cambridge, or other top universities. He also highlighted the huge success of more established Cambridge outreach programmes like NRICH and Isaac Physics, as well as Cambridge’s pioneering efforts to widen participation in postgraduate education - including a collaboration with colleagues at Oxford, using a grant from the Office for Students, to develop new admissions practices and systems to help transform selection processes.

New approaches to assessment at Cambridge were also discussed by Professor Toope. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has world-leading pedagogical expertise and all decisions are based on delivering the most effective examinations. Along with other universities, some of our examinations - where the primary aim is to assess a student’s analytical, critical and problem solving skills - are now 'open book' and completed online. When detailed knowledge retention or mathematical skills are being tested, we continue to use the traditional format of in-person exams. We are in the first year of a three-year trial and data from ongoing evaluation will ensure standards remain as high as they always have been.

̽��ֱ��Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen J Toope, this month gave evidence to ̽��ֱ��Times Education Commission, which was set up in May 2021 to examine the future of education following the COVID-19 crisis, declining social mobility, advances in technology, and the changing nature of work.

Universities like Cambridge have been challenged by successive governments to reflect wider society by drawing students from all backgrounds.

Professor Stephen J Toope, Vice-Chancellor

Yes

̽��ֱ��student helping to demystify Cambridge

cg605 — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 15:15:01 +0000

Tami Briggs didn’t want to apply to Cambridge but getting the right information made her change her mind. She became a volunteer for InsideUni, the student-led non-profit organisation that plugged the information gap for her at just the right time.

̽��ֱ�� launches enhanced bursary scheme

ps748 — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 13:19:47 +0000

̽��ֱ��new scheme is being made possible through the generosity of philanthropic donations from alumni and friends of the collegiate ̽��ֱ��. ̽��ֱ��Harding Challenge, established by David and Claudia Harding as part of their £100 million gift to Cambridge and St Catharine’s College in February 2019, was designed to underpin this expansion in bursary provision. Far more students will qualify for support since the threshold for eligibility will rise from the current maximum household income of £42,620 to £62,215. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� expects 25 – 30% of students will be eligible for the enhanced support (currently it’s around 20%). Once fully rolled out, around 700 students will also qualify for an additional £1,000 because they were eligible for free school meals.

UK students can apply to the Student Loans Company for a maintenance loan to cover basic living costs. There is widespread take-up of these loans: repayments are linked to future earnings which means they are more like a tax than conventional debt, and they are an invaluable support to making ̽��ֱ�� more affordable for as many students as possible. However, research conducted by the ̽��ֱ�� suggests many students struggle to meet all their expenses because parents often can’t afford to contribute to the extent that these means-tested loans assume they will. It’s these financial gaps that the new bursary scheme will help to alleviate.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Stephen J Toope, said:

"This new enhanced bursary scheme, which wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of donors, will help to ease some of our students' financial worries. ̽��ֱ��scheme’s launch means far more students will be eligible for support. This is particularly relevant now, at a time when many families’ incomes have been affected adversely by the COVID-19 pandemic."

̽��ֱ��launch of the enhanced bursary scheme follows a pilot scheme involving 20 Colleges established and largely funded by Trinity College. Students in receipt of these bursaries said they were able to participate more fully in the academic and wider student activities Cambridge has to offer. ̽��ֱ��awards also had a positive impact on their mental well-being, reducing the anxieties they had about finances. Colleges also noted that there was a marked reduction in applications for hardship funding in-year.

Professor Catherine Barnard, Senior Tutor at Trinity College, said:

" ̽��ֱ��enhanced bursary scheme is about removing barriers, and helping students fully participate in ̽��ֱ�� life. Our evidence suggests supporting students in this way not only improves their wellbeing but ensures they can thrive while studying at Cambridge."

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��’s Faculty of Education has conducted research to find out how effective this level of support is for students. This found it contributes substantially to their wellbeing, participation in academic life and student societies, and overall student experience.

Under the new scheme, bursaries of up to £3,500 per year will be given to students from households with an assessed income of up to £62,215, without any application needed. Previously students were given support if the assessed income rose to £42,620. ̽��ֱ��bursary will be tapered so those at the lower end will receive more. For example, all undergraduates from households with assessed incomes below £25,000 will receive the full amount. Those at the top end will receive £100. ̽��ֱ��amount they receive is a grant and so is non-repayable. Awards will be further enhanced for students who join the ̽��ֱ�� from local authority care or who have been classed as independent by their regional funding body. In addition, the scheme will include a supplementary award of £1,000 per year to all low-income students who qualified for free school meals, contributing to a bursary of £4,500 in each year of their undergraduate studies. Mature students (aged 21+) are also eligible for both the enhanced and supplementary awards.

Further details on how the scheme will work

A new enhanced bursary scheme is being launched by the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge to support undergraduate students facing financial pressures. Over the next ten years, more than £100 million will be awarded to students, across all the Colleges. ̽��ֱ��additional funding, to help with living costs, will enable students to enjoy the benefits a Cambridge education offers, regardless of their personal financial circumstances. Students will start benefiting from October 2021.

̽��ֱ��new bursary scheme, which wouldn't be possible without the generosity of donors, will help to ease some of our students' financial worries

Vice-Chancellor, Prof Stephen Toope

Bursaries at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Cambridge welcomes record number of black students

ps748 — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:07:55 +0000

This year, 137 have been admitted, a rise of just over 50% on the 2019/20 academic year. This represents 4.6% of the total number of UK undergraduates commencing their studies at the ̽��ֱ�� and follows a similar increase, of almost 50%, last year. There are now more than 300 black British undergraduates at Cambridge.

Senior Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Graham Virgo, said: “In just three years the number of UK based black undergraduates taking up their place at Cambridge has more than tripled. This is testament to their hard work and ambition. ̽��ֱ��Collegiate ̽��ֱ��, its students, and partners, have been working hard to reach out to potential applicants to encourage them to apply.

“We accept this is not just about ensuring that our intake reflects UK society. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��, and Colleges, need to work hard to ensure that once admitted, all students, no matter what their ethnic background, feel Cambridge is a welcoming place and one in which they can realise their potential and thrive. That is why we’re working with black students at Cambridge to ensure that their education is the best it can possibly be.”

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� has been working in collaboration with black students to identify innovative ways in which the awarding gap between black and white students can be closed (a gap that has been narrowing and which the ̽��ֱ�� is committed to eliminate by 2024). A number of departments throughout the ̽��ֱ�� are examining ways of diversifying the curriculum, and providing a wider choice of authors to study. And the ̽��ֱ�� is providing race awareness and unconscious bias training to all staff.

̽��ֱ��generosity of figures like the grime artist, Stormzy, in providing scholarships for black students at Cambridge each year, has contributed to breaking down barriers. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� has also strengthened its partnership with initiatives like Target Oxbridge, providing more places on its mentoring programmes. ̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� launched the ‘Get In’ social media campaign aimed at overturning perceptions about what Cambridge is like. In 2019, a series of short films, presented by YouTube influencer, Courtney Daniella, was published. This was followed, earlier this year, by films featuring British Pakistani and Bangladeshi students.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ��’s own students are also engaged in access work, with members of the African-Caribbean Society (ACS) volunteering as mentors for younger students. ̽��ֱ��Society’s president, Sharon Mehari, says the arrival of even more black students this year is a significant step forward:

“As a Society devoted to creating a welcoming and empowering space for all black students, it is an honour and a joy to see that Cambridge will be ushering in its largest intake. This speaks to the passion of the many individuals, organisations, and institutions who have worked to ensure that Cambridge is a place where black students have their academic ability, creativity, ingenuity and heritage valued. There is no doubt that this cohort of students will thrive and leave an impact on Cambridge in ways we have never seen. We, at the ACS, are so excited to celebrate every individual and welcome them into the family.”

Last month, the ̽��ֱ�� announced that, for the first time, 70% of its UK undergraduate intake this year come from state schools, and more than a fifth come from what are officially described as the most deprived areas of the country.

̽��ֱ�� ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has welcomed another record number of UK based black undergraduates this year.

In just three years the number of UK based black undergraduates taking up their place at Cambridge has more than tripled. This is testament to their hard work and ambition

Graham Virgo

Sharon Mehari

ACS event

Yes

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Unexpected experiences: Glen Rangwala reflects on Cambridge's first virtual Open Days

zs332 — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 11:00:22 +0000

Glen Rangwala, admissions tutor for Trinity College and director of the undergraduate programme in Politics & International Relations, was preparing for the ̽��ֱ��’s virtual Open Days – and wondered if anyone would show up.