Applicant Information

Academic Requirements

Admission to the Engineering course at Cambridge is highly competitive, both in terms

of the numbers and quality of applicants. In considering applicants, Colleges look for
evidence both of academic ability and of motivation towards Engineering. There are no
absolute standards required of A Level achievement, but it should be noted that the
average entrant to the Department has three A* grades.

The standard minimum A Level offer for engineering is A*A*A but Colleges can and will
make different offers, occasionally including offers on 4 A-Levels depending on an
applicant's individual circumstances.

Although academic requirements are expressed here in terms of A Levels, equivalent

qualifications in other school, national and international examinations are acceptable to
all Colleges and offers of places are regularly made to applicants sitting such
examinations. Some equivalences are given in the Other Examination
Systems section below.

If you are taking examinations other than A Levels or the ones detailed in the Other
Examination Systems section below, you should check our Country-specific
Information to establish whether the qualifications you are taking are acceptable. If you
have further questions about the acceptability of your qualifications, contact
the Cambridge Admissions Office.

There are three Colleges (Hughes Hall,  St Edmund’s and Wolfson) that admit only
mature students (those over the age of 21). These Colleges tend to be more flexible
about admissions requirements, so unconventional educational profiles are not
necessarily discounted. They aim to make a careful assessment to ensure that the
mathematical ability and vocational goals of their applicants give them the opportunity
to do well in the Engineering Tripos. 

Essentials

The only absolute requirements to study Engineering in Cambridge are Maths and
Physics at A Level (or equivalent in other systems). If you have a choice of topics
within your Maths (and/or Further Maths) course, you will find mechanics and pure
mathematics most immediately relevant to our Engineering course.

Taking STEP papers is not normally required to study Engineering in Cambridge, STEP I
was previously routinely requested by Christ's College and Peterhouse. With the recent
end of the STEP I paper, Christ's College no longer uses STEP in this way. Please see the
Peterhouse subject web pages for up to date information on their approach to this
change.
Chemistry is also required for admission to read Chemical Engineering via the
Engineering route. (There is an alternative route to Chemical Engineering via Natural
Sciences.)

Maths for Engineering: Notes for School Teachers gives advice to help applicants choose
a suitable A Level Maths course and options within that course.

Third A Levels and Further Maths

All Colleges strongly prefer applicants for Engineering to be taking a third subject that is
relevant to Engineering. If your school or college is able to offer Further Maths or you
can access it through the Further Mathematics Support Programme, you are very
strongly encouraged to study this. Other suitable subjects for your third A Level include
(in alphabetical order) Chemistry, Computing, Design Technology, and Electronics.

If you realise only at the end of Y12 that you would like to pursue Engineering at
Cambridge we very strongly recommend that you take AS Further Maths in Y13 if
possible.

Fourth A Levels

There is no requirement to offer more than three A Levels, and it is recognised that not
all schools are able to accommodate students taking four A Levels. Excelling in three A
Levels relevant to Engineering is almost always preferable to performing well but not as
highly in more than three A Levels.

It is worth noting, however, that there is a high level of synergy between Maths, Further
Maths and Physics. This means that, for students who are taking this combination,
offering a fourth A Level allows an applicant to demonstrate both high achievement in
Maths and the ability to cope with a demanding workload.

Vocational Qualifications 

T-Levels are not considered appropriate preparation for the Cambridge Engineering
degree and are therefore not accepted for entry. Applicants with a mix of qualifications
should contact a College admissions office for advice.

All Colleges, except Trinity College, welcome applications from students taking A Level
Mathematics and a suitable vocational qualification, e.g. a BTEC Higher National
Diploma, in an engineering discipline. Applicants are expected to achieve the highest
possible grades in A Level Mathematics and the vocational qualification. Those taking
the Single Award Applied A Level in Engineering or the Principle Learning components of
the Advanced Diploma in Engineering must also be taking A Levels in Mathematics and
Physics.

You are encouraged to discuss the suitablility of your qualifications at an early stage
with the admissions office of the College you intend to apply to.

Other Examinations Systems

For students studying in the Scottish system, Advanced Highers can be regarded as

equivalent to A Levels and Highers as equivalent to AS Levels for the purposes of our
academic requirements.
For students studying the International Baccalaureate, Higher Level subjects can be
regarded as equivalent to A Levels and Standard Level subjects as equivalent to AS
Levels for the purposes of our academic requirements. Consequently, IB students must
offer Maths and Physics at Higher Level, and the Maths course should be Analysis and
Approaches. The standard IB offer is 41-42 points overall with 7,7,7 or 7,7,6 at HL.

For students studying the Cambridge Pre-U, Principal Subjects can be regarded as

equivalent to A Levels for the purposes of our academic requirements.

Information on typical offer levels in these and other examination systems can be

found in the Entrance Requirements section of the University's Undergraduate Study
website.

Information on typical offer levels in international qualifications can be found in

the Country-specific Information section of the University's Undergraduate Study
website.

Related links

University of Cambridge Undergraduate Prospectus

Department of Engineering

Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

Engineering Diversity

Information for International Students

i-want-to-study-engineering.org

Isaac Physics

Wired: The Game