students

Application Timeline

Applications to study as a postgraduate at Cambridge are made via the Applicant Portal first to the Department or Faculty, then the Degree Committee and the Postgraduate Admissions Office.

students

Processing your application

Submit your application and supporting documents via the Applicant Portal.

The Department or Faculty reviews your application and may decide to offer you an interview.

Either you are recommended by the Department or Faculty, or you are declined and notified by email.

Next the Degree Committee reviews your application.

Either you are recommended by the Degree Committee, or you are declined and notified by email.

Finally, the Board of Graduate Studies (Postgraduate Admissions Office) reviews your application. If you satisfy minimum requirements for admission, you are offered Conditional Admission on behalf of the University, or you are declined and notified by email.

A formal Conditional Offer will be sent to you by email.

Timeline

The majority of offers of admission are made in February and March. If you applied before the general funding deadlines in December, you should receive notification of the outcome of your application during these months.

If your application is unsuccessful, you may receive notification of the outcome earlier. This is not because your application was not fully considered; this is because the process for establishing all the components of an offer is time-consuming.

The Departmentor Faculty decision is typically the longest part of the admissions process and the most variable in terms of length; it can take up to several months. Some departments wait until the course deadline has passed before considering all applications together, while other departments consider applications as soon as they are received.

For information on how a particular department processes applications, please check the relevant departmental website or contact the department directly.

It may take approximately seven days from departmental approval for your application to be considered by the Degree Committee.

It may take approximately seven days from degree committee approval for your application to be considered by the Board of Graduate Studies.

The Postgraduate Admissions Office makes the official offer of admission by email.

Documentation uploaded or sent by post, to meet the conditions of admission required by an offer, must also be considered and processed. This takes time, but generally no more than two weeks from arrival at the Postgraduate Admissions Office. Unfortunately, due to the volume of post received by the Postgraduate Admissions Office each day, they are unable to confirm receipt of documents until they have been fully processed.

The responsibilities of each party in the admissions process are listed in the Postgraduate Admissions Policy: Departments, Degree Committees, and the Board of Graduate Studies.

Your Place at Wolfson

We will not receive your application to College until a formal offer of admission has been made by the Postgraduate Admissions Office. On average, it takes two weeks for a College decision to be made.

Funding Decisions

Please check the Application and Funding Deadlines page for the expected date of award for the University-wide funding competitions. For College funding, see our Fees & Funding pages. Please note that not all funding competitions will notify unsuccessful applicants.

Term Dates 2022-2023

MICHAELMAS TERM 2022 LENT TERM 2023 EASTER TERM 2023
Tuesday 4 October-
Friday 2 December
Tuesday 17 January-
Friday 17 March 
Tuesday 25 April-
Friday 16 June