Mature and affiliated students - Entrance requirements
As a mature student at Cambridge, you’re expected to have achieved the same academic standards as those we require of school leavers. The nature of Cambridge courses, and the requirement to produce independent work every week, does need some form of academic preparation. Therefore, we would recommend a course of study such as an Access to HE Diploma, A Level(s) or Open University work to practise essay writing, autonomous study and examinations skills.
Guidance on the level of qualifications you would need for study here can be found in the Entrance Requirements section of the website. In particular, you may be interested in the information relating to:
However, for most courses we are able to offer some flexibility in terms of entry requirements. We also take the work and life experience of mature students into account when assessing these applications. Some subjects (such as Medicine, Economics, Mathematics) do require specific academic preparation, so please read the requirements in the course profiles carefully, and contact one of the mature Colleges for advice.
It’s a good idea to get in touch with one or more Colleges well before you make your formal application, to check their response to your academic preparation.