Cambridge August Reconsideration Pool 2026
A space for any student who has been told they meet the criteria for the Cambridge August Reconsideration Pool in 2026 after a unsuccessful initial application. 
You should have been told if you are eligible for the reconsideration pool alongside your rejection on decision day, but you can check the criteria here.
You should have been told if you are eligible for the reconsideration pool alongside your rejection on decision day, but you can check the criteria here.
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Reply 1
Hi , I got rejected from winter pool can I still apply for summer pool at cambridge?
Also no invitation is stated in my rejection email of cambridge w.r.t summer pool or August reconsideration pool
Also no invitation is stated in my rejection email of cambridge w.r.t summer pool or August reconsideration pool
Reply 2
If you weren’t told you were eligible for the august reconsideration pool you cannot enter it. You don’t meet the criteria.
Reply 3
I think people who narrowly miss their offers get put in the summer pool, and the August Reconsideration pool is for people who were interviewed, rejected, and hit the wider participation flags...that would have been flagged in their original application.
Original post
by AnonymousHi , I got rejected from winter pool can I still apply for summer pool at cambridge?
Also no invitation is stated in my rejection email of cambridge w.r.t summer pool or August reconsideration pool
Also no invitation is stated in my rejection email of cambridge w.r.t summer pool or August reconsideration pool
Hi there! I've oved your post and the replies over to the ARP thread
You can only apply for the ARP if you meet the eligibility criteria (linked in the OP) and you have achieved at least the standard offer for the course you'd like to do. The other summer pool is for applicants who have a Cambridge offer and narrowly miss it, and might be accepted at a different college to the one their offer was for.
Reply 5
Thanks for making this thread Fez!
I was accepted through the ARP last year so if anyone has any questions about the process let me know x
I was accepted through the ARP last year so if anyone has any questions about the process let me know x
Reply 6
Be brutally honest, what's the likelihood that I'd receive an offer through ARP considering I wasn't put in the winter pool 😭 for context I applied to medicine but rejected ofc
Reply 7
Original post
by AnonymousBe brutally honest, what's the likelihood that I'd receive an offer through ARP considering I wasn't put in the winter pool 😭 for context I applied to medicine but rejected ofc
Hello! I'm sorry you were rejected I know it can be heartbreaking and sorry you weren't pooled either - for some reason I feel like it was a super competitive year for Cambridge Med although that's just a hunch, but in general I'm sure you're aware Medicine is such a competitive course and Cambridge such a competitive uni so even very strong candidates do find themselves rejected.
I'm sure this is frustrating to hear but no one can tell you whether you will be accepted or not for certain. In general, I would advise against banking on an ARP offer, @Scotney described it is a lottery ticket and I would agree - it is just a chance.
Not being put in the winter pool might indicate that the college you applied to did not consider your application strong enough to meet the standard at other colleges if they didn't have space for you. This could be based on interview performance, UCAT or grades as they consider all holistically. Many of these things you cannot change, you will have the same interview performance and UCAT in the ARP, so that might be a case of tempering expectations.
I will say HOWEVER that the best chance you have to get an offer is by having achieved grades which are as high as possible. You need to get at least A*A*A (minimum offer) but having A*A*A* as a WA applicant would put you in stronger standing - often with WA applicants I honestly believe there are issues with predicted grades and universities having confidence in their ability to achieve such grades. I know for a fact that it was not clear on my application I was predicted A1s instead of just As (I'm a Scottish applicant) so having A1A1A2A2 on results day DID mean my reapplication had substantially new and compelling data than my original.
This is what I would focus on as it's the only thing you can control. Try and get the best grades you can, firstly because you are capable of them to make yourself proud, but also because this will probably be the thing that makes the difference in the ARP.
The last thing I will say is be prepared for there not to be spaces on results day for Medicine. I was lucky last year there were spaces and I could apply and when I was e-mailing with an adviser at the university she did advise that normally there are spaces for medicine but of course this is not guaranteed. Medicine is a competitiveness subject and lots of people will have received offers, it's not necessary enough of these people will miss them to justify the subject being in the ARP. For example, last year there were no spaces for chem eng if I remember right, so even if you were eligible for the ARP you would not have been able to apply as enough people simply hadn't missed their offers.
Hope that makes sense. Stay hopeful but also focus on the things you can control and don't make Cambridge the be all end all. Let me know if you have any more questions x
Reply 8
Hi, I was rejected by Emmanuel for medicine (but was put in the pool). Do you know whether, if my A-levels go well and I am lucky enough in the ARP, college’s would prioritise people who applied to them originally? So hypothetically, if I was a pretty strong ARP candidate and Emmanuel + other colleges had spaces, would I be more likely to get a place at Emmanuel?
No worries at all if you don’t know.
No worries at all if you don’t know.
Reply 9
Original post
by medschlplsHi, I was rejected by Emmanuel for medicine (but was put in the pool). Do you know whether, if my A-levels go well and I am lucky enough in the ARP, college’s would prioritise people who applied to them originally? So hypothetically, if I was a pretty strong ARP candidate and Emmanuel + other colleges had spaces, would I be more likely to get a place at Emmanuel?
No worries at all if you don’t know.
No worries at all if you don’t know.
Hello, unfortunately I am not really sure.
If anything, I think you might be less likely to get in (heartbreaking ik) as that was the college that originally thought your application wasn't good enough to offer so having the grades now might not make a difference to them. Because if they thought the rest of your application was good enough they could have just given you the condition to meet on offer day - does that make sense?
This is just a hunch based on that reasoning - and the fact that it is official Cambridge advice to apply to a different college if you take a gap year and reapply as they say the fact that the college has already seen you once and rejected you might influence their decision a second time, so I am drawing on that to say it might the same in the ARP - but I don't have any data to back it up really.
You don't even find out what colleges have space on results day, so all you can do is send your application off and hope!
The only thing might be that some colleges have higher requirements, for example for Medicine a lot of colleges require an A* in chemistry (which I didn't get) so I wouldn't have been eligible for them. So if you are thinking you want to be eligible for a certain college double check the grade requirements, whether that's a particular subject, etc. Either way try your best that's always the best policy I think x
Reply 10
Original post
by MaryamMajickHello, unfortunately I am not really sure.
If anything, I think you might be less likely to get in (heartbreaking ik) as that was the college that originally thought your application wasn't good enough to offer so having the grades now might not make a difference to them. Because if they thought the rest of your application was good enough they could have just given you the condition to meet on offer day - does that make sense?
This is just a hunch based on that reasoning - and the fact that it is official Cambridge advice to apply to a different college if you take a gap year and reapply as they say the fact that the college has already seen you once and rejected you might influence their decision a second time, so I am drawing on that to say it might the same in the ARP - but I don't have any data to back it up really.
You don't even find out what colleges have space on results day, so all you can do is send your application off and hope!
The only thing might be that some colleges have higher requirements, for example for Medicine a lot of colleges require an A* in chemistry (which I didn't get) so I wouldn't have been eligible for them. So if you are thinking you want to be eligible for a certain college double check the grade requirements, whether that's a particular subject, etc. Either way try your best that's always the best policy I think x
If anything, I think you might be less likely to get in (heartbreaking ik) as that was the college that originally thought your application wasn't good enough to offer so having the grades now might not make a difference to them. Because if they thought the rest of your application was good enough they could have just given you the condition to meet on offer day - does that make sense?
This is just a hunch based on that reasoning - and the fact that it is official Cambridge advice to apply to a different college if you take a gap year and reapply as they say the fact that the college has already seen you once and rejected you might influence their decision a second time, so I am drawing on that to say it might the same in the ARP - but I don't have any data to back it up really.
You don't even find out what colleges have space on results day, so all you can do is send your application off and hope!
The only thing might be that some colleges have higher requirements, for example for Medicine a lot of colleges require an A* in chemistry (which I didn't get) so I wouldn't have been eligible for them. So if you are thinking you want to be eligible for a certain college double check the grade requirements, whether that's a particular subject, etc. Either way try your best that's always the best policy I think x
Thanks, that makes a lot of sense. Of course I’ll absolutely apply if I can, and would be incredibly happy if I’m lucky enough to get an offer no matter the college. I guess no use worrying over it, I’ll see how things go on results day. Very appreciated for your advice!
Reply 11
Original post
by medschlplsThanks, that makes a lot of sense. Of course I’ll absolutely apply if I can, and would be incredibly happy if I’m lucky enough to get an offer no matter the college. I guess no use worrying over it, I’ll see how things go on results day. Very appreciated for your advice!
No worries, and best of luck!
Reply 12
Original post
by MaryamMajickNo worries, and best of luck!
Thanks!
Original post
by medschlplsHi, I was rejected by Emmanuel for medicine (but was put in the pool). Do you know whether, if my A-levels go well and I am lucky enough in the ARP, college’s would prioritise people who applied to them originally? So hypothetically, if I was a pretty strong ARP candidate and Emmanuel + other colleges had spaces, would I be more likely to get a place at Emmanuel?
No worries at all if you don’t know.
No worries at all if you don’t know.
I also don't know but would be surprised if it made much difference either way – I doubt Emmanuel would be blacklisting you just because they sort of got it wrong and underestimated you back in the winter, but also there are lots of colleges and statistically you'd be more likely to end up at a different college rather than back at Emma.
Reply 14
Original post
by MaryamMajickThanks for making this thread Fez!
I was accepted through the ARP last year so if anyone has any questions about the process let me know x
I was accepted through the ARP last year so if anyone has any questions about the process let me know x
Hi, what was your UCAT, A Level and GCSE, also have you been in winter pool before ARP?
Reply 15
Original post
by AnonymousBe brutally honest, what's the likelihood that I'd receive an offer through ARP considering I wasn't put in the winter pool 😭 for context I applied to medicine but rejected ofc
Which college? And what is your UCAT and Alevel ?
Reply 16
Original post
by AnonymousHi, what was your UCAT, A Level and GCSE, also have you been in winter pool before ARP?
Keep in mind these things change year on year so a candidates stats are not necessarily the best indicators of success (I just say that because I see people asking for stats very very often, and I get its nice to contextualise things, but I think we all need to, for better or worse, accept a lot of this is down to luck as well).
Anyway, my UCAT was 2780 (I think this was 80th percentile so that would be 2100 with the new system) B2. I applied from Scotland so I didn't do GCSEs or A Levels (another complicating factor you see) but I had achieved National 5s (roughly speaking a little easier than GCSEs) and Highers (a little harder than GCSEs), and predicted Advanced Highers (equivalent to A Level, although some people say they're harder but obviously I don't know). These qualifications are all done in one year (say the equivalent of Y11 (N5), Y12 (Highers), Y13 (Advanced Highers)) rather than GCSEs or A Levels which are done over 2 years.
I had 7 A1s (A*s) at National 5, 6 A1s at Higher and I was allegedly predicted 4 A1s at Advanced Higher (in Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology) but I think they just put down "A" in actuality which could have been A1 or A2.
I was put in the winter pool in January. My actual grades when applying to the ARP was A1A1 in Maths and Biology and A2A2 in Chemistry and Physics.
Hope that helps x
Reply 17
Original post
by Saracen's FezI also don't know but would be surprised if it made much difference either way – I doubt Emmanuel would be blacklisting you just because they sort of got it wrong and underestimated you back in the winter, but also there are lots of colleges and statistically you'd be more likely to end up at a different college rather than back at Emma.
Maybe not, but who knows. Just have to wait and see. But say there are 10 people who get taken up in the ARP. Since they’re all getting in anyway, I’m not sure if the college’s liaise at all and try to e.g. allocate people to the college they wanted to go to originally, or whether the pool is kind of just a first come first served applicant buffet. Sounds like a bit of a mystery (and one that doesn’t really matter to think about), but that’s sort of what I was thinking about
Reply 18
Original post
by AnonymousMaybe not, but who knows. Just have to wait and see. But say there are 10 people who get taken up in the ARP. Since they’re all getting in anyway, I’m not sure if the college’s liaise at all and try to e.g. allocate people to the college they wanted to go to originally, or whether the pool is kind of just a first come first served applicant buffet. Sounds like a bit of a mystery (and one that doesn’t really matter to think about), but that’s sort of what I was thinking about
(Strange, not sure why I’m anonymous all of a sudden, I don’t get student room😭)
Reply 19
Original post
by medschlpls(Strange, not sure why I’m anonymous all of a sudden, I don’t get student room😭)
Neither do I its okay 😅
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