In Person Cambridge Interviews

Has anyone come across any information that the Cambridge Colleges (other than Trinity) would be holding in-person interviews for 2024/25 entry? Like for this year in December since that’s when the next bunch of applicants would be applying?

Over the past few years, we have interviewed applicants online. We are now considering whether to return to in-person interviews, stay online, or adopt a hybrid approach. We are keen to gain your insights, to help inform any decisions we make. Your answers will help inform the format of applicant interviews in the future, but will have no impact on applications for 2023 entry. For more details about the interview process for 2023 entry, visit our website. The deadline to complete the survey is 30 October.

Has anyone come across any information that the Cambridge Colleges (other than Trinity) would be holding in-person interviews for 2024/25 entry? Like for this year in December since that’s when the next bunch of applicants would be applying?

I hope they give opportunities to visit - I think it's an important part of applying to see where you will be studying,

Candidates can still visit on open days, even if the interview process remains online.

It's not really the same though ... the interview visit was an important part of my decision to reject an Oxford EE offer.

Interesting. Is that because the open days show a sanitised / artificial / orchestrated view of things, whilst at interview you see things in a more "real" setting?

Yes ... being there for three days amongst fellow applicants is very different ...

Genuine question - would it matter meeting fellow applicants when majority will be rejected (since acceptance after interview is said to be 13.5%), and it's almost impossible to know what kind of friends you are going to have? If I like my interviewers from my college and see that I will thrive in the Cambridge supo system, would it then matter whether I got to meet fellow applicants or not?

Genuine question - would it matter meeting fellow applicants when majority will be rejected (since acceptance after interview is said to be 13.5%), and it's almost impossible to know what kind of friends you are going to have? If I like my interviewers from my college and see that I will thrive in the Cambridge supo system, would it then matter whether I got to meet fellow applicants or not?

Hi there!

To chip in here - the University is in the process of making this decision. It will have to go through lots of committees before it is finalised and publicised. I don't quite know how long this will take. I would not expect the decision for some months yet. We are aware that applicants will, very reasonably, want to know how they might be interviewed, but we need to balance this with the need to make a decision which meets the needs of everybody involved in the process. This isn't easy. There are lots of strongly-held opinions, from prospective applicants, current students, teachers, Admissions Offices, Admissions Tutors and of course interviewers, all of whom need to be heard.

Last October they invited teachers and advisors to take part in a survey on that topic. Here's the wording they used:



I've not seen any details regarding the outcome of that process.

As an applicant from outside of the UK, I hope to see that online interviews continue. I agree that it's cheaper, quicker but most importantly more efficient. I was very happy to be interviewed directly by my college, and not by a representative sent to my country if it were to be f2f or that I have to fly to Cambridge, jet lagged and cold.

Hi there!

To chip in here - the University is in the process of making this decision. It will have to go through lots of committees before it is finalised and publicised. I don't quite know how long this will take. I would not expect the decision for some months yet. We are aware that applicants will, very reasonably, want to know how they might be interviewed, but we need to balance this with the need to make a decision which meets the needs of everybody involved in the process. This isn't easy. There are lots of strongly-held opinions, from prospective applicants, current students, teachers, Admissions Offices, Admissions Tutors and of course interviewers, all of whom need to be heard.

No - and the university is vast in size. In reality, were you to get a place, you'd make friends both in your college and other colleges, through supervisions and various clubs etc. I don't really understand why anyone would feel the need to 'meet other applicants'.

Has anyone come across any information that the Cambridge Colleges (other than Trinity) would be holding in-person interviews for 2024/25 entry? Like for this year in December since that’s when the next bunch of applicants would be applying?

im applying to gonville and Caius, and I have in person