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Do any Cambridge colleges have certain GCSE requirements?

Hi All

As the title says - does any Cambridge (or Oxford) college require any minimum GCSE grades?
Mainly Kings college... but if other colleges have certain requirements (other than a-levels) let me know!! :smile:

thanks in advance :smile:

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Reply 1
In a word: no. Not officially, anyway.
Reply 2
So what are the unofficial requirements?
I went to an Oxbridge Access Summer school last week, and the admissions guy from Cambridge said "the average Cambridge applicanthad between 4 and 8 A* GCSEs." However, he said that they do accept people with significantly lower grades.

Apparently they focus more on GCSEs now as they did before as they cover more of the academic subject spectrum - basically not just subjects the student likes.

I'm not sure about individual colleges though, that's just a general answer.
Reply 4
sugaloaf
So what are the unofficial requirements?

There aren't any. The general idea is that candidates have a high standard of academic achievement reflected in GCSE, AS and predicted A2 grades, and each application is considered individually. There has been talk on here of one college in particular having their own non-publicised GCSE requirements, but it never became clear how much water those claims held. The consensus I got when I applied from the numerous people I talked to and from information on the Cambridge website and prospectus was that they want to focus a lot more on potential. Although this potential can be reflected in past achievements, they're not the be all and end all of your application. A person with straight A*s at GCSE and As at AS could come across as dogmatic and unteachable at interview and not get an offer, but a person who achieved less well at GCSE/AS and gave a great interview is more likely to get in.

Out of interest, what are your GCSE grades?

clarehistory101
I went to an Oxbridge Access Summer school last week, and the admissions guy from Cambridge said "the average Cambridge applicanthad between 4 and 8 A* GCSEs." However, he said that they do accept people with significantly lower grades.
Indeed, I hate it when they do that because it's very misleading. It's similar to the league tables that have "average UCAS points" of students attending: it's a statistic of people who go there, rather than requirements.

clarehistory101
Apparently they focus more on GCSEs now as they did before as they cover more of the academic subject spectrum - basically not just subjects the student likes.
Have you got a source on that? It sounds a bit dubious.
I think they'd require at least a B in Science, Maths and English. But basically, get as many As/A*s as possible and you'll be fine. :smile:
Reply 6
GCSEs

3A*s
6As
and a distinction which equates to 2As at gcse..
Reply 7
sugaloaf
GCSEs

3A*s
6As
and a distinction which equates to 2As at gcse..

Well if it's any consolation, I got 2 A*s and 7 As, so you already have better GCSEs than I do before the distinction, and they gave me an offer.
Reply 8
As long as you've got a few A*s, and plenty of As, you've got a shot. They're looking more at your AS grades (especially module UMS scores; the tutors I spoke to said they want as many as possible with >90%, particularly in relevant subjects) and your A2 predictions. Your grades will only form part of the application; with a stunning personal statement, a decent teacher reference, good results in aptitude tests and good interview technique, there is no reason why you shouldn't apply :smile:
Reply 9
I think each uni has its own uni wide policy on minimum GCSE requirements.
Reply 10
azhao
I think each uni has its own uni wide policy on minimum GCSE requirements.


Can you say anything more about this or where i can get more information on this?
Reply 11
sugaloaf
Can you say anything more about this or where i can get more information on this?
The prospectuses have a section about entry requirements.
grades vary so much depending on your school. basically cambridge like to see your ranking within your school. i.e if your gcses are better than the institutions average then they like you.

but if you go to a top public school exceptional grades are a norm hence you wont stand out.
Churchhill College is the only college I know of that has particularly stringent entry requirements and has 'officially' said so.

(This link is for Law, no idea what it's like for other courses)

http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduates/applying/courses/law/

Other than that, I'd go with the requirements for the automatic pooling which I THINK off the top of my head is 7 A*s at GCSE and 90% + in three relevant ASs
Reply 14
In order to maintain our academic prowess in Law, we have to apply extremely stringent standards for admission. To stand any chance of success, an applicant will have to have achieved exceptionally strong marks at GCSE level and will have to be demonstrably on the way to achieving similarly impressive marks in his or her A-levels. Virtually everyone admitted during the last decade has attained at least 9A*s at GCSE; we are very unlikely to call for interview any applicant who has fewer than 5A*s at GCSE or an average of less than 90% at AS-level across his/her three most relevant subjects. We ordinarily favour students completing 4 A-levels and normally attach a condition of A*A*AA to any offer of admission in Law. We expect IB and Scottish Advanced Higher applicants to be similarly high-achieving, and anticipate calling for interview those predicted an overall score of 41 or 42 in the IB , with 7, 7, 7 at Higher Level, or grades AAA in Advanced Highers. An applicant whose credentials do satisfy our very high minimum standards will undergo a 30-minute interview and a 45-minute written test, on the basis of which a final decision will be made. Both the interview and the written test are designed solely to test the proficiency of each applicant in analytical reasoning. We do not expect applicants to have any knowledge of law. Consequently, no preparation for the interview and the written test is necessary or even advisable.

:lolwut:
And to think I actually had a slim chance at getting in to Cambridge...Although I guess Law is one of their most competitive courses.
On the Newnham website it says "our successful applicants normally have six or more A*s at GCSE"- thus having 6A*s is not a requirement. It also says that they will consider applicants' individual circumstances.

Also for Cambridge as a whole, read 2.6.4 Assessment of GCSE scores on this website:

http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/admissions/handbook/section2/2_6.html

It's from the 2008/09 Undergraduate Admissions Handbook. It essentially says that they will take into consideration the average performance of each applicants' school and that they will do some sort of adjustment which means that "the GCSE performance of someone in one of the very poorest schools who achieved 7A would be considered as roughly equivalent to that of someone achieving 8A* at a highly selective school".
Reply 16
Silvertongue
Churchhill College is the only college I know of that has particularly stringent entry requirements and has 'officially' said so.

(This link is for Law, no idea what it's like for other courses)

http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduates/applying/courses/law/

Other than that, I'd go with the requirements for the automatic pooling which I THINK off the top of my head is 7 A*s at GCSE and 90% + in three relevant ASs


It is just for law
Reply 17
i got 5A* 8A 2B and was wondering if i got predicted 4As at As level would i get a chance with chemical eng at Cambridge ?
Smashing
In order to maintain our academic prowess in Law, we have to apply extremely stringent standards for admission. To stand any chance of success, an applicant will have to have achieved exceptionally strong marks at GCSE level and will have to be demonstrably on the way to achieving similarly impressive marks in his or her A-levels. Virtually everyone admitted during the last decade has attained at least 9A*s at GCSE; we are very unlikely to call for interview any applicant who has fewer than 5A*s at GCSE or an average of less than 90% at AS-level across his/her three most relevant subjects. We ordinarily favour students completing 4 A-levels and normally attach a condition of A*A*AA to any offer of admission in Law. We expect IB and Scottish Advanced Higher applicants to be similarly high-achieving, and anticipate calling for interview those predicted an overall score of 41 or 42 in the IB , with 7, 7, 7 at Higher Level, or grades AAA in Advanced Highers. An applicant whose credentials do satisfy our very high minimum standards will undergo a 30-minute interview and a 45-minute written test, on the basis of which a final decision will be made. Both the interview and the written test are designed solely to test the proficiency of each applicant in analytical reasoning. We do not expect applicants to have any knowledge of law. Consequently, no preparation for the interview and the written test is necessary or even advisable.

:lolwut:
And to think I actually had a slim chance at getting in to Cambridge...Although I guess Law is one of their most competitive courses.


Wow... Tbh, I wish the other colleges could be more truthful *cough* Trinity *cough*
Reply 19
G550NDH
i got 5A* 8A 2B and was wondering if i got predicted 4As at As level would i get a chance with chemical eng at Cambridge ?

No, doing 15 GCSEs just isn't enough :rolleyes:

Of course you've got a bloody chance.

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