Mature student applications

The application process for mature students is the same as that for standard-age students. However, there is a second application round for some mature and affiliated students.

Application deadlines

The standard application deadline for Cambridge is 16 October. All mature applicants making an open application or applying to a standard-age College must submit their application by this deadline.

March round applications

The three mature-student Colleges (Hughes Hall, St Edmund's and Wolfson) also consider applications from mature and affiliated students in some subjects as part of a March application round, the deadline for which is 1 March (11.59pm UK time).

Applications are submitted in the standard way via UCAS, requiring the use of a UCAS course choice. For mature March round applicants, the submission deadline for My Cambridge Application is 8 March 2024 (6pm UK time).

Please note, the following subjects are excluded from the March round, and applications for these courses must be submitted by the 16 October deadline:

• Architecture
• Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• History of Art
• Medicine
• Graduate Course in Medicine
• Music
• Natural Sciences
• Philosophy
• Veterinary Medicine

You may apply to one of the mature Colleges for all other subjects in the March round, although you're encouraged to apply in the first round if possible.

If you're considering applying in the March round (or for entry in future years), we recommend that you contact the admissions office at one of the mature Colleges for advice. The March application round is not open to candidates who have already applied in the October round.

Entry requirements

We recommend that you initiate contact with one or more Colleges well before you make your formal application, in order to check their response to your academic preparation.

As a mature student at Cambridge you’re expected to be of an equal academic standard to school leavers. The nature and demands of Cambridge courses, and the requirement to produce independent work every week, means that some form of academic preparation is required. Therefore, you're expected to demonstrate evidence of recent academic achievement (usually within two years of applying) at a high level; for example, an Access to HE Diploma, A Levels, Certificate of Higher Education or an Open University course (Level 2 or above). Such qualifications also develop the essential study skills required for university courses (eg essay writing, autonomous study, and examination technique).

Guidance on the level of qualifications needed for study at Cambridge can be found in the main Entry Requirements section of this website. In particular, you may be interested in the information relating to:

• AS/A Levels
• Access to HE Diplomas

Admission Assessments

Most applicants are required to take a subject-specific written admission assessment as part of the application process. The type of assessment you take depends on which course you are applying to and whether you are applying to a mature or standard age College.

Mature applicants for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Computer Science, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Law, Medicine, and Veterinary Medicine are required to take the relevant pre-registration written assessments, whether you're applying to a standard age or mature College. 

If you're a mature student applying to one of the mature Colleges for Economics, you aren't required to take the pre-registration assessment, and will take a common format written assessment as part of the interview process instead. If you’re applying to one of the standard age Colleges for Economics, you will need to take the pre-registration written assessment.

For all other courses and for further information, see Admission assessments.