Eligibility criteria for the August Reconsideration Pool

As part of our continued commitment to outreach and access, Cambridge will offer some applicants the opportunity to put themselves forward for the August Reconsideration Pool. 

Eligibility criteria

The August Reconsideration Pool (ARP) is open to UK domiciled first-degree applicants who meet all of the following criteria:

• applied in the 2025-26 admissions cycle and were interviewed by a Cambridge College
• are studying at a UK school or college and still have qualifications due to be completed in summer 2026
• qualify for the lower 'Home' regulated fee capped by the UK government (applicants must be eligible for the home fee by no later than 13 August 2026) - see the fee status website for details
• submitted an application that was flagged as meeting one or more of our widening participation criteria (A, B, C, and D below)

These criteria are defined as:

A) Those who meet three or more of the following six contextual flags, of which a maximum of 2 are counted from flags 1 to 3; an applicant will not be ARP-eligible if they only have flags 1 to 3:

1. Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) – measures produced by regional governments within the UK that identify relative deprivation. Areas within each region are assessed according to a series of indicators – such as income, crime, and healthcare – and then ranked against each other and placed into deciles. Applicants are given a flag if their home postcode indicates they live in an area that is ranked in the bottom 40% of their region by these measures.
2. Output Area Classification (OAC2021) – a classification of areas produced by the Office of National Statistics using data from the 2021 census (or 2022 census for Scotland). Cambridge has conducted research into how these classifications interact with underrepresentation at Cambridge and other indicators of socio-economic disadvantage. This research allows us to flag applicants whose home postcodes indicate they are resident in areas with less advantaged socio-economic characteristics and/or low progression to the University of Cambridge.
3. Socioeconomic Index for Small Areas (SEISA) – a relatively new measure produced by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) using data from the 2021 census (or 2022 census for Scotland), which ranks areas of the UK according to the level of relative deprivation faced by the inhabitants (specifically, in terms of the proportion of residents in each area with below degree-level qualifications and the proportion of residents not professionally employed). Applicants are given a flag if their home postcode indicates they live in an area that is ranked in the bottom 50%.
4. When an applicant declares on their UCAS application that they consider themselves estranged from their parents (i.e. they are not in contact with or supported by their parents).
5. Attending a school/college for post-16 education where fewer than five students have been made an offer by the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge over the past five years.
6. Attending a maintained sector school/college post-16.

B) When an applicant declares on their UCAS application that they have lived in public care or as a looked-after child in the UK, including:

• with foster carers under local authority care
• in a residential children's home
• being 'looked after at home' under a supervision order
• formal kinship care under a special guardianship order

Proof of which, where requested, must have been provided at the point of application. See information for care experienced students on the UCAS website. 

C) When an applicant declares in My Cambridge Application that they have been eligible for government-funded Free School Meals at a UK school or college at any time in the last 6 years (proof of which, where requested, must have been provided by 30 June 2026), or data verified by UCAS indicates that an applicant has been eligible for government-funded Free School Meals in the last 6 years. See the UK government website for information on Free School Meals.

D) When an applicant declares on their UCAS application that the UK government has granted them refugee status or humanitarian protections within the UK. Proof of which, where requested, must have been provided at the point of application.

Applicants who acquire UK refugee status and qualify for the lower 'Home' regulated fee capped by the UK government during the application cycle should contact ARPool@admin.cam.ac.uk to discuss their eligibility further.

Mature applicants from widening participation backgrounds will be considered on a case-by-case basis by their interviewing College and nominated for consideration in the scheme; such applicants will be notified. 

In addition to the widening participation criteria, applicants must also have achieved at least the minimum Cambridge offer for the course to which they applied.

What to do if you think you might be eligible but haven’t been contacted by us

Eligibility is based on the address we have for you when decision letters are sent (January 2026). If your address changes after you receive your decision letter, your eligibility will not change.

You should contact us (ARPool@admin.cam.ac.uk) for guidance if:

• you applied to Cambridge this year

and

• you have significant extenuating circumstances and can show that the address provided on your application does not reflect your usual living situation (for example, if you are homeless)

For more information, see Applying for Reconsideration in August 2026.