In a recent survey, St Catharine’s College was found to be the cheapest at £179 a week, whereas Clare Hall was £230+ and Christ’s College was under £200. The price range is therefore not enormous, and it would perhaps be more useful to find out whether you can stay in college outside term times, with contracts varying from 27 to 39 weeks; how far the college is from the town centre; and whether you will be housed in a modern or mediaeval building.
Costs generally include water, electricity, heating, cleaning, internet access and basic self-catering facilities, like a shared kitchen. When it comes to food, students can buy a meal for £4-7 at college, and “Formal Halls”, three-course dinners, normally set you back £9-15 . Each college has its own requirements for the number of times a year you are expected to attend Formal Halls, and some colleges also charge a Kitchen Fixed Charge, from £195-£575 a year for the running costs of the college kitchen, whereas others factor it into the rent.
If you have specific requirements or want help choosing the right college at University of Cambridge, contact one of our specialist consultants and we will talk you through all your options and give you the additional information you need to find the ideal home from home while you are studying in England.
How to get into the University of Cambridge: filling in the UCAS form
All English universities, including Oxbridge, use the centralised admissions system known as UCAS. Deadlines for Cambridge are earlier than for the majority of other university applications, with a cut-off at 6pm on 15 October. The UCAS code for Cambridge is CAM CO5.
Registering for pre-interview assessment
If you have to sit a pre-interview assessment, you must also make sure you register by 15 October. Do not assume that you are registered simply because you have submitted the UCAS form. This is not the case. Your school or college normally registers individuals for the tests, and you will need to provide: your UCAS ID, your name as it appears on the UCAS form, gender, date of birth, which university college you are applying to /whether you are making an open application.
Filling in the SAQ
Once you have filled in the UCAS form, you will receive an email from the University of Cambridge, giving you a link to the SAQ, the university’s Supplementary Application Questionnaire, which has to be returned by 22 October .
Remember, you do not have to fill in the SAQ in one sitting, you can save the form and return to it multiple times. Before you start filling in the supplement, make sure that you have found:
- your SAQ password
- your UCAS personal ID
- a photograph
- a copy of your high school transcript
- a list of the units you are taking and any results/scores/grades.
The questionnaire is divided into sections and not all of the questions will be relevant to you. Some questions are, however, compulsory, and you will see that they are marked with an * in the section heading.
If you encounter any technical problems downloading the SAQ, Cambridge’s website suggests that you use the Firefox browser.
Note, too, that there is an Additional Information Section in the SAQ, so if you want to draw attention to any circumstances you believe impacted on your academic record (illness etc), this is the place to do it.
The SAQ fills in gaps which may still exist in your history, achievements and personal information. You will be asked about your English language proficiency, for financial information and specific facts about your academic record. Cambridge has a holistic approach to applications and wants to get a clear view of who you are and what you can do.
