Commuting to Cambridge University?

Hi! I am a prospective Cambridge University applicant for 2026 and would just like to ask a question to any Cambridge applicants, students or those who quite honestly would know a little better than me with what I can do about this situation.

I spoke to a Cambridge representative at a university fair a few days ago and found out that commuting to Cambridge is just not really a thing that happens with undergraduate students. I live around 35 minutes from the University by car and was hoping to commute daily to the university, but I have since found that this is not really possible. I understand why - with college culture and rigorous academic schedule - however this really does not take into account students who are struggling financially, which is why I am asking for a little advice or better knowledge here.

I don't get Free School Meals. My sister, who started University this academic year, received essentially the lowest Maintenance Loan there is. On paper, I should be able to finance accommodation. However, this is just not the case in my personal circumstance, with the inability to have a job at Cambridge and having hardly anything to live on with the student loan, and i'm genuinely at a loss for how to tackle such a disheartening situation.

I don't believe finance should be a barrier to anyone's education, and this is a real deterrent from applying, considering I live in a high Index of Multiple Deprivation area.

If anyone has any advice or can refer me to some sort of resource or financial support (external bursaries etc.), I would be deeply appreciative!

Reply 1

melancollege

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by Anonymous

Hi! I am a prospective Cambridge University applicant for 2026 and would just like to ask a question to any Cambridge applicants, students or those who quite honestly would know a little better than me with what I can do about this situation.
I spoke to a Cambridge representative at a university fair a few days ago and found out that commuting to Cambridge is just not really a thing that happens with undergraduate students. I live around 35 minutes from the University by car and was hoping to commute daily to the university, but I have since found that this is not really possible. I understand why - with college culture and rigorous academic schedule - however this really does not take into account students who are struggling financially, which is why I am asking for a little advice or better knowledge here.
I don't get Free School Meals. My sister, who started University this academic year, received essentially the lowest Maintenance Loan there is. On paper, I should be able to finance accommodation. However, this is just not the case in my personal circumstance, with the inability to have a job at Cambridge and having hardly anything to live on with the student loan, and i'm genuinely at a loss for how to tackle such a disheartening situation.
I don't believe finance should be a barrier to anyone's education, and this is a real deterrent from applying, considering I live in a high Index of Multiple Deprivation area.
If anyone has any advice or can refer me to some sort of resource or financial support (external bursaries etc.), I would be deeply appreciative!

I don't know of any undergrads — or even any postgrads really — that commute in from home. Not living in college as an undergrad really takes away from the Cambridge experience and I think an hour of commuting every day (there and back) would definitely start to take a toll academically and socially.

Another thing to consider is parking, which is definitely in short supply in Cambridge. Most colleges don't allow students to park in college due to lack of space and parking elsewhere in the city is expensive too.

Financial support and maintenance loans are usually based on family income. If your sister got essentially the minimum loan, that would usually be because either she lived at home or your family income was high enough not to qualify for the larger loans. In the case it is the latter, you may find you don't qualify for significant bursaries, though it is worth emailing your preferred colleges to check.

Reply 2

davros

Original post by Anonymous

Hi! I am a prospective Cambridge University applicant for 2026 and would just like to ask a question to any Cambridge applicants, students or those who quite honestly would know a little better than me with what I can do about this situation.
I spoke to a Cambridge representative at a university fair a few days ago and found out that commuting to Cambridge is just not really a thing that happens with undergraduate students. I live around 35 minutes from the University by car and was hoping to commute daily to the university, but I have since found that this is not really possible. I understand why - with college culture and rigorous academic schedule - however this really does not take into account students who are struggling financially, which is why I am asking for a little advice or better knowledge here.
I don't get Free School Meals. My sister, who started University this academic year, received essentially the lowest Maintenance Loan there is. On paper, I should be able to finance accommodation. However, this is just not the case in my personal circumstance, with the inability to have a job at Cambridge and having hardly anything to live on with the student loan, and i'm genuinely at a loss for how to tackle such a disheartening situation.
I don't believe finance should be a barrier to anyone's education, and this is a real deterrent from applying, considering I live in a high Index of Multiple Deprivation area.
If anyone has any advice or can refer me to some sort of resource or financial support (external bursaries etc.), I would be deeply appreciative!

Just a few additional comments here - it's a long time since I was at Cambridge, so I can't give up-to-date advice, but hopefully a current / recent student can chip in with more info!

1) It's not generally allowed to commute to Cambridge - for undergraduates there's a residency requirement which I think states you must live within 3 miles of some central point whilst studying. Oxford has a similar requirement I think.
2) Colleges generally don't want to lose "good" students so there may be numerous bursaries, hardship funds available - these should be explored with the specific college(s);
3) I'm not personally aware of any (UK) student deterred from Cambridge purely on financial grounds - the general view is that with College accommodation guaranteed for 3 years it's considered one of the cheaper unis to attend. Also, shorter terms mean more opportunity for employment between terms. So you really shouldn't regard being at Cambridge as any sort of disadvantage, compared to travelling to Cambridge.

Best wishes.

Reply 3

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by Anonymous

Hi! I am a prospective Cambridge University applicant for 2026 and would just like to ask a question to any Cambridge applicants, students or those who quite honestly would know a little better than me with what I can do about this situation.
I spoke to a Cambridge representative at a university fair a few days ago and found out that commuting to Cambridge is just not really a thing that happens with undergraduate students. I live around 35 minutes from the University by car and was hoping to commute daily to the university, but I have since found that this is not really possible. I understand why - with college culture and rigorous academic schedule - however this really does not take into account students who are struggling financially, which is why I am asking for a little advice or better knowledge here.
I don't get Free School Meals. My sister, who started University this academic year, received essentially the lowest Maintenance Loan there is. On paper, I should be able to finance accommodation. However, this is just not the case in my personal circumstance, with the inability to have a job at Cambridge and having hardly anything to live on with the student loan, and i'm genuinely at a loss for how to tackle such a disheartening situation.
I don't believe finance should be a barrier to anyone's education, and this is a real deterrent from applying, considering I live in a high Index of Multiple Deprivation area.
If anyone has any advice or can refer me to some sort of resource or financial support (external bursaries etc.), I would be deeply appreciative!

It's not allowed. But there is plenty of funding available, Cambridge is one of the richest universities and money shouldn't be a deterrent to applying. Your College will have all sorts of funding available.

You only 'can't work' during the 3 x 8 weeks of term, through in practical terms, that will also include Christmas and Easter. But summer is about 3 months long, so plenty of scope for paid work then.