The Student Room Group

under 18 colleges

hi!

I'm an Austrian student and I'm new. So please don't be mad at me if my questions have been posted before :smile:
Well, I haven't decided yet whether I want to go to Oxford or Cambridge, but I know for certain that I will be 17 years old when starting university ...
Does anyone know which colleges (both in Cambridge and Oxford) accept people under 18??? Or at least, which don't....

Scroll to see replies

I don't think there are college-by-college policies on this - it's on a case-by-case basis.
Reply 2
Magdalene (Cambridge) had a 15 year old this year, you should be fine
I have a friend who started at Caius at 16 :eek:
Reply 4
i dont think theres a minimum age that any colleges have.
Reply 5
alispam
i dont think theres a minimum age that any colleges have.

Apart from those classified as "mature" colleges, like Harris Manachester in Oxford. There are a couple in Cambridge as well. I believe they have a minimum age-restriction of 21 years, so most undertgrads couldn't consider them either!

Best thing would be to contact colleges you like the look of and ask.
Reply 6
Robinson made my friend take a gap year so that he'd be eighteen at the start of the course. It basically requires someone in the college to take on responsibility for your welfare, and whether they'll do this will depend entirely on the tutors and how willing they are to do that.
Reply 7
One of my friends at Magdalen was 17 when she started, due to the Scottish education system or something.
Reply 8
I remember going to an open day at Trinity, Cambridge, and a tutor who was giving a talk said something along the lines of 'to live in college, you have to turn 18 sometime in the first term'. However, I'm not entirely sure that my memory is serving me correctly, so the best thing (as already suggested) would be to contact some colleges you like and ask. :smile:
Phone up the individual college admissions offices and ask them. That's what I did. :smile:
Reply 10
The general response I got when applying to cam was that your application would have to be stronger to make an offer if you were 17 ie you couldn't be a borderline acceptance because they had to be sure you could cope with the extra work etc etc etc.
I don't think 17 would be an issue. Scotland's education system means they start uni at 17 potentially anyway, so you wouldn't be alone. I know of the 10 physics intake this year at my college, 2 were 17. I think it would only really be an issue if you were 16 or less (ie not 18 at some point during your first year). If it is liable to cause you a problem, a gap year is always a possibility. depending on the subject. They could give you deferred entry.
Reply 12
Hi, I'll be turning 18 during November (5th) this year and have been given an offer from :p: Caius. However I think that St John's doesn't allow under 18's in (on their website)
Apagg
Magdalene (Cambridge) had a 15 year old this year, you should be fine


What subject?
Reply 14
Might be a NatSci, but I'm not sure. I can ask my friend there if you like
Yeah, please do.
Reply 16
Mathmo, apparently
Reply 17
What do you reckon guys- why is it that the really young genii types always seem to study maths/sciences? Is this even really the case? Can it be put down to how success in arts subjects is much more based on maturity and experience, that a child prodigy necessarily wouldn't have, or are these people mature beyond their years as much as they are beyond their years in understanding? I know certainly i was very suprised to learn that a friend in my year in sixth form was almost 2 years younger than myself.
Reply 18
Apagg
Mathmo, apparently

:rolleyes: Bloody mathmos.
Reply 19
Scum of the earth