How to apply

Your UCAS reference should be written by someone who is familiar with your academic work, as well as your recent history, for example, a teacher or tutor. Guidance for teachers and advisors who are writing UCAS references can be found here. 

We can only accept a reference via the UCAS application, written by the applicant's designated UCAS referee. 

For the Graduate Course in Medicine, we do require a second reference. More information is available here. 

More information on what references should contain can be found here.

Section 3 of the UCAS reference is most helpful to us when they focus on academic ability, levels of motivation for study, and relevant analytical and/or technical competencies. Almost all applicants are predicted top grades in the qualifications they are studying, and words such as ‘outstanding’ carry more weight if they are accompanied by specific information about performance, progress and potential, such as:

• Observations from subject teachers or lecturers (‘Her Biology Teacher writes…’)

• Comments on written English, verbal skills and intellectual flexibility

• A rank order in class (e.g. ‘top of 20’ or ‘in the top four out of 23’) or a comparison with current or previous applicants (for instance, ‘one of our top 10 university applicants this year’)

• Evidence of improvement ('has progressed rapidly from Merit to Distinction standard')

• Evidence of willingness to explore and discuss ideas outside the confines of the curriculum

• Evidence of self-discipline, maturity and commitment

• Possible reasons for past underachievement at GCSE, AS-/A-level, or equivalent

• Details of any personal or health issues of that have affected, or may adversely affect, applicant performance.

When do I need to register for the ESAT by?

Online registration for the ESAT begins on 31st July 2025 and closes on 29th September 2025. We strongly recommend candidates book their test as soon as possible in order to stand the best chance of a slot in their preferred test centre.

The deadline to apply for access adjustments is 8th September 2025. 

UK candidates in financial need can apply for bursary funding to meet the costs of the test. Do this before booking so that you can use your bursary voucher code to pay for your test. It can take up to five working days for evidence to be reviewed. For further details, see here.

Where and when will I sit the ESAT?

You will take the test on 13th or 14th October 2025. This is a computer-based test that is taken in an authorised test centre local to you. You can find your nearest test centre when you register for the test online.

Which modules should I take?

All applicants taking ESAT must sit Mathematics 1. If you are applying for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology or Natural Sciences, you have a choice of any two of the following modules:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Mathematics 

When considering which modules to take, consider what your current strengths are and what would be the most useful preparation for you within your course interests. 

If you are applying for Engineering, then you must take the following two modules:

• Physics
• Mathematics 2

When do I need to register for the TMUA by?

Online registration for the TMUA begins on 31st July 2025 and closes on 29th September 2025. We strongly recommend candidates book their test as soon as possible in order to stand the best chance of a slot in their preferred test centre.

The deadline to apply for access adjustments is 8th September 2025. 

UK candidates in financial need can apply for bursary funding to meet the costs of the test. Do this before booking so that you can use your bursary voucher code to pay for your test. It can take up to five working days for evidence to be reviewed. For further details, see here.

Where and when will I sit the TMUA?

You will take the test on 16th or 17th October 2024. This is a computer-based test that is taken in an authorised test centre local to you. You can find your nearest test centre when you register for the test online.

Final details for the 2025 test window have not yet been released, so please ensure you check the LNAT website regularly here. It is worth noting that registration and booking usually open on 1st August, with the test window starting on 1st September.

When do I need to register for the UCAT by?

Online registration for these assessments begins in May 2025 and closes on 19th September 2025.

Candidates in financial need can apply for bursary funding to meet the costs of the test .Do this before booking so that you can use your bursary voucher code to pay for your test, and do bear in mind it can take several days for evidence to be reviews. For further details, see here. 

The deadline to apply for access adjustments is 16th September 2025. 

Where and when will I sit the UCAT?

You must take the test by 26th September 2025. You can sit the test from 7th July 2025. This is a computer-based test that is taken in an authorised test centre local to you. You can find your nearest test using the UCAT website here. 

The following information is correct for applicants applying this year for 2026 entry (or deferred 2027 entry).

Only applicants who are invited to interview will be asked to sit the relevant College Admissions Assessment. Applicants to Lucy Cavendish College are required to sit the following assessments:

What are we looking for?

We are looking for examples of your work that illustrate your interests, experience and ability in the visual and material arts. The basis of the portfolio should be comprised of drawing and painting work on a variety of subject matter, although you can also include other media such as sculpture, installation and photography. When looking at the portfolio we will be focusing on:

• Your drawing and related technical skills.
• Your ability to produce three-dimensional pieces of work.
• Your ability to work with a range of materials, such as models, installations, casts, and other forms of manual production.
• Your own interests within the field.

Do give some thought about how best to put together portfolio. In many ways, the portfolio is a piece of work in its own right that illustrates your ability to convey your ideas.

The portfolio does not have to:

• Contain work exclusively drawn from your A-level or equivalent studies. You are welcome to include creative work done outside of your formal education.
• Contain work that is explicitly architectural (e.g. plans for buildings). You will taught these skills once you start your degree, and we don’t expect you to be competent in this area already.

If you are applying to Lucy Cavendish College, then the following subjects require samples of your written work:

• Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic
• Archaeology
• Classics
• Education
• English
• History
• History and Modern Languages
• History and Politics
• Human, Social and Political Sciences
• Land Economy
• Modern and Medieval Languages
• Psychological and Behavioural Sciences
• Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion

What kind of work can I submit?

Please do not write something especially for Cambridge. You should submit work marked by a teacher/professor that has been produced as recently as possible during the normal course of your studies in school/college. In other words, it should have been as part of the qualifications you are currently working towards, and that you have entered as yet to be completed on your UCAS form. If you are applying during a gap year, then you can submit work from your last year in education.

Where possible, the work should be from subjects within or relating to your chosen degree course. If that is not possible and you are applying for a course that you do not study in school, then try to pick something that is as closely related as possible, and that demonstrates some of your best work.

How long can the work be?

Your written work will be reviewed by our Admissions Panel during an incredibly busy period, so we do please ask that you please keep your written work to a reasonable length. Normally, written work should not exceed more than 2500 words. If you are submitting work as part of an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) or International Baccalaureate, then we would ask you to please pick an extract that does not exceed the above limit. We do reserve the right to stop reading beyond 2,500 of any submitted written work.

What if I am an international applicant and have no written work in English to submit?

International applicants with no written work in English are asked to complete the following steps:

• Submit two essays written in the original language
• Produce a translation of the two essays
• Include a 500 word statement for each translation on what you gained academically from writing the two pieces of work, and what you found challenging.

Subject-specific information

Modern and Medieval Languages (MML)

Applicants planning to continue one language they already study plus an ab initio (from scratch) language are asked to submit one essay in the language you are continuing, plus a piece of work in English. Ideally this would come from a related subject like English or History, although if this is not possible then please do not worry. The essay will be used primarily to assess your ability in discursive writing, so the subject matter is less crucial.

If you are applying to continue two languages that you already study then please submit an essay from both languages. You therefore do not need to submit a piece of written work in English.

Each candidate typically has two interviews, conducted over Zoom Interviews typically last between twenty and thirty minutes. In some cases, you will be given preparatory reading or material to work through beforehand. Some subjects will be looking for evidence that you have grasped enough of the mathematical or scientific concepts necessary to thrive on our degree course. Others will be testing your analytical skills and ability to develop, illustrate and sustain an argument. 

We recommend that you prepare for your interviews at Lucy Cavendish by:

• watching videos on the University website

• doing a practice interview with someone you do not know well

• discussing aspects of your chosen subject, informally, with friends or family

• engaging in supracurricular activities

• reading interview advice and stories from current students

Our interviews are intended to be challenging but their primary purpose is to show us how you think, not whether you can offer an immediate, polished answer. Remember that interviews are only one element in the selection process.

Interviews take place in early to mid December. Some candidates who have been placed in the Winter Pool by their first preference college may be invited for a single, additional interview in January.