How to apply
All applicants must complete a UCAS application and submit it to UCAS by the relevant deadline. In addition to a UCAS application, applicants who are living in countries outside the EU must complete and submit a Cambridge Online Preliminary Application (COPA)* by the relevant deadline (see table below and the Dates and Deadlines page).
Please note that entry to Medicine is subject to limits for both UK/EU and overseas students.
In both your UCAS and COPA applications, you should indicate the Cambridge College to which you wish to apply. If you have no preference for a particular College, you can choose to make an ‘open' application, where your application is allocated by a computer to a College. Please note that affiliated applicants must apply to a College – there is no open application route for affiliated applicants.
*There is an overseas application fee associated with the COPA as well as an interview fee for those being interviewed overseas.
Interviews
In the 2011-12 admissions round, the University will be conducting overseas interviews in Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Pakistan and Singapore. These are intended for applicants unable to travel to Cambridge for interview but who can travel to one of these countries instead.
If you would like to be interviewed overseas, both your COPA and your UCAS application must be submitted by the appropriate date stated in the table below. Where interviews are conducted in an applicant's home country, they can only be considered for interview in that country or in Cambridge.
Visas and immigration
The UK operates a points-based immigration system, which affects students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, and ties a student's visa to the university which he/she will be attending. To study in the UK requires a Tier 4 visa. To apply for a visa you must receive sponsorship through a 'confirmation of acceptance for studies' (CAS) and prove that you have the funds to meet all of your tuition fees and living costs (as set by the UK Border Agency, UKBA).
If you are made an offer of a place at the University, you are eligible for a CAS once you meet all the conditions (where required) and formally accept it. Since you can only make your visa application three months ahead of your course start date, the earliest you mightreceive your electronic CAS statement is July. You must use this information to complete some of the questions asked in the visa application.
It is your responsibility to make sure you understand and meet the immigration requirements of the UK.
The primary source of information on all matters concerning immigration is the UKBA. Information on whether you require a visa, how to apply, guidance notes and application forms are available on the UKBA website. You must consult this website regularly, as the rules and documentation change frequently.
The University's Student Immigration and Visa website provides more detail on visas and links to other sources of information and help for international students hoping to study in the UK, such as the Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) and the British Council.
Application timetable
See the main Applying to Cambridge pages for further details about the application and selection process.
| Date | Application process |
| April 2011 | onwards Research the courses available at Cambridge and the College system by consulting the Undergraduate Admissions website or Undergraduate Prospectus. |
| May 2011 | onwards If, after looking at the website and the Prospectus, you have identified a College you would like to apply to, write informally to the Admissions Tutor of that College (names and addresses are given in College profiles), informing him/her of your plans and circumstances. It would be useful if you could give as much information as possible about the courses you are currently studying in your own country; the scores you are achieving and the course you wish to study, to enable the Tutor to assess your academic potential. |
| June-October 2011 | Complete and send your completed COPA together with the appropriate application fee. Open applications are processed by computer soon after the 15 October deadline and are allocated to Colleges, which thereafter take over the admissions process and will contact you direct. You should also submit a UCAS application. |
| 9 September 2011 | Students who would like to be interviewed in Delhi (India): COPA must have been submitted UCAS application must then be submitted as soon as possible in early September |
| 20 September 2011 | Students who would like to be interviewed in Malaysia, Singapore or PR China: COPA must have been submitted UCAS application must have been submitted |
| 15 October 2011 | All other overseas students who would like to be interviewed in Cambridge, Canada, Hong Kong, or Pakistan: COPA must have been submitted UCAS application must have been submitted |
| September-December 2011 | UK applicants are interviewed. Overseas applicants may be invited for interview or asked to submit samples of their work/sit admissions tests, some may be considered without interview. See Interviews and Additional Work or Tests for further info. |
| January 2012 | Applicants are notified of decisions. The possibilities are: application unsuccessful the offer of a conditional place, subject to obtaining specified examination grades the offer of an unconditional place |
| October 2012 | Academic year starts |
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