University admission

There are 31 Colleges affiliated to the University of Cambridge and all students must become a member of a College in order to be registered for a postgraduate degree.

For the majority of Cambridge postgraduate courses applications are made online to the University’s Postgraduate Admissions Office and go directly to the University Department or Faculty which will manage the course.  Application papers are only sent to Colleges once a conditional offer of admission has been recommended by a Department or Faculty and set by the University Postgraduate Admissions Office.

Information on courses, including entry requirements and application deadlines can be found through the Postgraduate Admissions Office Course Directory.  If you have specific questions about course requirements you may wish to contact the Faculty or Department responsible for the course for further details.

The Cambridge MBA and Master in Finance courses offered by the Judge Business School, PGCE courses offered by the Faculty of Education and some courses offered by the School of Clinical Medicine follow different application processes.

University Postgraduate Open Day

The annual Postgraduate Open Day event takes place online during the first two weeks of  November. The event is open to all those seeking to apply for postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge. For further details please visit Postgraduate Open Day.

College admission

Trinity admits 130-140 postgraduate candidates each year, with some of these applicants being former Trinity members returning for a new degree.  The College aims to admit applicants whose research interests are varied, who come from different backgrounds and who have achieved academic excellence in their current or previous studies. The College generally only admits students who are intending to take research-orientated courses, so students applying for vocational courses, such as the MBA, will not normally be admitted.

When submitting an application, candidates are invited to make two preferred College choices.  Trinity must be a preferred College choice for any candidate who wishes their application papers to be considered at Trinity.  This is the case for both new candidates and continuing or returning Trinity members.

Current and former Trinity members should also refer to Postgraduate Admissions Policy for Members.

Current or former Cambridge University students should be aware that it is the College’s policy not to accept applications from candidates who have matriculated at another College, or who have been given an offer of membership by another College.  The only exceptions to this policy are made when a candidate has been admitted to another College but must become a member of Trinity in order to take up an offer of funding through a Trinity  studentship or bursary.