Considered world’s third oldest university, the University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university based in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the institution is considered to be one of Britain’s most prestigious universities. As of 2025, the Center for the World University Rankings has ranked the university as the top public university in the world i.e. for twelve years straight. Distinguished affiliates have been at one point been associated with Cambridge includes 126 Nobel Prize Laureates, 47 Heads of State, and 217 Olympic medalists. In addition, the university is housed at the heart of one of the world’s largest technology clusters- Cambridge, which is a home to over 5,000 knowledge-intensive billion dollar companies. The institution includes 31 semi-autonomous constituent colleges and 150+ academic departments, faculties, and other institutions organized into six schools. The Cambridge University Press and Assessment is probably the largest department based in the university and contains the oldest university press in the world with £1 billion of annual revenue and 100 million learners.
Admission to the University of Cambridge is extremely competitive. Applicants who are not from an English speaking country should possess strong command in English language i.e. competent enough to take part in the university’s academic interview and study a Cambridge course that is taught and examined in English. Undergraduate applications are processed through UCAS and the progress can be checked through UCAS Hub. The deadline for submission currently is mid-October in the year before prior to beginning.
One should note that one cannot apply to Oxford and Cambridge in the same year. In addition, only one application can be submitted to Cambridge in one year. A personal statement and letter of recommendation is a crucial part of the application. Many applicants will also have to undertake a written or a verbal test relevant to their subject as a part of their application. The test will assess an applicant’s subject knowledge including writing, language, mathematical, and problem solving ability.
To get into a postgraduate course, one needs to have a minimum of 2:1 (upper second class).
The university admissions standards are competitive and asks an applicant to have atleast a minimum score on IELTS of 7.5 with no component less than 7.0, TOEFL (iBT) of an overall score of 110 with 25 or above in each element, Cambridge English: C2 Proficiency of 200 with no component lower than 185, or Cambridge English: C1 Advanced with an overall score of 193 with no component lower than 185.
Aids and funding to support students with their studies can be checked on the university’s website.
Cambridge has indeed been committed to achieve excellence in research to contribute to the innovation agenda for the well being of society. World class research, excellent teaching, cutting edge course facilities, resources, top notch learning support, accommodations, student societies and clubs makes the university one of the best to pursue a higher educational degree.
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