Interviews at Cambridge can be online or in-person. They’re an academic conversation about the subject that you’re interested in studying.
We invite many applicants to attend an interview. Not everyone interviewed will be offered a place. But everyone who is made an offer will have been interviewed.
The number of interviews you have depends on how your College assesses in your subject. It is not connected to the strength of your application.
You’ll most likely have either 1 or 2 interviews with a total of around 35-50 minutes of interview time. Some candidates at some Colleges may have 3 or 4 interviews. If you receive an invitation to interview, this will include details of how many interviews you can expect. You'll always be told this information upfront. If you are put into the winter pool after your first interview(s), you may then be invited to a further interview with a different Cambridge College in mid/late January. We'll tell you about this before you receive a final decision on your application.
Find out how to prepare for your interview.
When and where interviews take place
Most interview invitations are sent in November, but some might be sent in early December. If you’re invited to interview, you’ll typically have your interview(s) in December.
Your interview invitation will include details of when and where your interview is, what you’ll need on the day, and how to attend.
If you're invited to interview, the date and time of day has no bearing on how strong a candidate the College thinks you are.
Interview format for 2025
If you’re invited to interview, you might be interviewed online or in-person. The format varies from College to College.
Interview arrangements for 2026 entry will be confirmed in May.
Support for interviews
Colleges interviewing in-person are able to provide help with travel expenses. This will be for all students currently eligible for free school meals, though some Colleges may also be able to offer assistance to other students in financial need.
Accommodation and meals may also be provided for in-person interviews. You should contact the College to find out what may be available and any eligibility criteria.
If you have a disability, you can request any adjustments you might need at interview by completing a Disability Adjustments form. The College that is interviewing you will provide you with the form. Complete the whole form as soon as you can and return it by the relevant deadline. This will help the College to support you. Find out more about support for disabled students.
Why we have interviews
Interviews give us the opportunity to get to know more about your strengths, abilities, and potential, as well as your motivation for applying for your chosen course. They also give you the chance to get to know more about us.
During the interview we’ll explore your understanding of your chosen subject area. We’ll want to see that you are:
- ready to study at a very high level
- comfortable with the learning environment at Cambridge
- able to think in a critical and independent way
- curious about the world and open to new ideas
- passionate and enthusiastic about your chosen subject
What happens in the interview
Each interview is different, depending on the course and College you’ve applied to. Most people who apply will have at least one subject-specific interview. Some people will also have a more general academic interview.
Watch our video about what happens during the interview.
Subject-specific academic interview
During your interview you're likely to be asked to:
- have a discussion with two to three interviewers
- apply your existing knowledge to new situations and discuss material, problems or scenarios that you may not have previously thought about
- explain your understanding of the vocational aspects of your course if you've applied to a vocational course such as Medicine or Veterinary Medicine
You may also be asked to:
- answer questions about why you want to study at Cambridge and how you chose your subject
- explore important developments and issues to do with your chosen subject
- discuss topics you've recently covered at school and what you said in your personal statement, if relevant to your chosen course
You may be asked to share your workings if the interviewers ask you a problem-solving question. This usually happens if you’ve applied to a Science or Mathematics course. There are several possible ways of sharing your workings. The College interviewing you will confirm arrangements in your invitation to interview.
If you're being interviewed online and are normally entitled to Free School Meals, you can speak to the College interviewing you about whether they can help you to access relevant technology. If you're being interviewed in-person and are normally entitled to Free School Meals, you can speak to the College interviewing you about whether they can help with travel expenses or overnight accommodation in Cambridge.
General academic interview
Sometimes, you'll have a more general academic interview as well as a subject-specific one.
This will still assess your ability and potential as a student of your chosen subject, but the questions might take a broader view. For example, you may be asked about your other academic interests, future plans and your interest in your chosen course. Interviewers may also be from a related discipline, rather than specialists in your subject.
What happens after the interview
In January you’ll hear from us and UCAS about the outcome of your application. Find out more about how we decide who gets a place.
Commercial services
We're aware of private companies who offer 'tutoring' on our interviews and admissions assessments for a fee. We do not support or encourage any of these enterprises. The advice they provide cannot be verified and they do not have access to any information that's not freely available from us via this website and other University sources.