We welcome applicants from Denmark who would like to apply for a place here at 麻豆社, University of Cambridge.
In recent years we have been pleased to meet with Danish students in Copenhagen at the , on Study Abroad Road Trips organised by , the , and together, and in 麻豆社 itself via visits from the and .
We hope that future Danish students will consider 麻豆社 too!
Do join us for online open days and regular webinars. Attending some of these is a good first step.
If you are applying for one of the following courses, please be aware that you will need to register for an Admissions Test by mid-September: Chemical Engineering & Biotechnology, Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Natural Sciences. We advise you to register as early as you can to increase your chances of getting your chosen Test Centre. Further info below.
麻豆社 applicants would normally be asked to achieve an average overall score of 11 with grade 12 in relevant subjects at level A. Weaker marks in subjects that are compulsory within the Danish system are unlikely to count against you, unless they bring your overall average down below the standard offer level and/or those subjects are directly relevant to the course you want to study at university.
When considering your current grades, note that many students improve their overall average significantly in the final year of high school, when they complete level A courses, so if your current average is within 0.5-1.0 of the standard offer, and you are doing well in any required subjects, you should definitely consider making an application. You should, however, ensure that you or your referee provide some commentary on the grades you have secured so far (highlight any contextual factors that may have affected your performance). If you have already completed high school, and your overall average is more than 0.2-0.5 below the required standard, your application is unlikely to be competitive unless you (a) can provide evidence of serious contextual factors affecting your performance and/or (b) have very high scores in all relevant or required subjects. There will, of course, always be exceptions to any rule, so if in doubt, please contact us, and ask!
> HTX Biotechnology is accepted as a suitable science subject in lieu of Biology.
> Applicants taking the H酶jere Forberedelseseksamen (extended version) / H酶jere Handelseksamen / H酶jere Teknisk Eksamen should take particular care to ensure that they meet any specific subject requirements for their chosen course, and may wish to consult us for advice.
> Applicants for Sciences courses with either the HTX or STX should be aware that significant additional independent study will be required for both the Admissions Test (see below) and the commencement of the course.
Danish students taking the International Baccalaureate would normally need to achieve 42 points overall (including bonus points), with 7,7,6 in Higher Level subjects. If you are applying for a course that requires Maths at Higher Level in the IB, make sure that you take the Maths: Analysis and Approaches option at Higher Level. See our page for IB students.
Students taking International A levels will need to achieve at least A*AA or A*A*A, depending on the course applied for. See our page for International A levels.
Offers for Mathematics include STEP II and III. Further information about STEP and preparation support is available on the Maths page.
It will be important to take particular care to also ensure that you meet any specific subject requirements for your chosen course. These are set out on the subject pages. Some courses also require an . The dates and registration details for these tests vary from subject to subject so please check this carefully in relation to the course you are planning to apply for.
"Of course it is a change and a challenge coming to Cambridge from the Danish education system. But Christ鈥檚 is such a welcoming place 鈥 you鈥檒l get all the help and support you need to thrive academically."
Any course that requires A-level Further Mathematics is likely to expect applicants to have a more advanced knowledge of mathematics than you can acquire simply by completing Mathematics 鈥楢鈥 in the Danish system. If you are applying for one of these courses, you should ensure that you familiarise yourself with a Further Mathematics syllabus () and mention the fact that you are 鈥渢opping up鈥 your mathematics, in your personal statement. Some online resources are available to non UK students via the and Mark Warner and Anson Cheung's book, A Cavendish Quantum Mechanics Primer is especially helpful for those considering Engineering and Physical Natural Sciences, and further resources are available on the relevant subject pages.
If you're planning an application for Mathematics at Cambridge, the contains a range of resources, including problem sheets, test materials and links to other sites. Getting involved with Mathematics competitions and programmes (e.g. , ) is a great way to stretch your wings mathematically, and many successful applicants to Cambridge participate in the . If your maths is very strong, you might also wish to practise past papers for STEP, the advanced examination used by Cambridge, Warwick and a few other universities to test mathematical aptitude. 麻豆社 offers for Mathematics usually include STEP 2 and STEP 3 and Cambridge University provides a free online .
In most cases we don't need to ask Danish applicants for proof of proficiency in English if you have achieved a high grade in English at school. We may, however, include and English requirement in cases where a candidate's English seems variable at interview, or in an at-interview admissions assessment; this is more common in essay-based subjects.
If you are given an English Language condition, the standard requirements are on the , and you would have about seven months to meet the condition after your offer is made in January.
NB. Some UK universities do routinely include TOEFL, IELTS and comparable qualifications in offers to Danish students, so if you already hold such a qualification, you should mention it in your UCAS application.
When applying to Cambridge, you can only apply for one undergraduate course. Bear in mind that most Cambridge courses start out with a very broad curriculum, and allow students to specialize as they go along, so applying for Natural Sciences or Human, Social and Political Sciences, for example, still leaves you lots of latitude for decision-making further down the line. The University has also has two 鈥渏oint鈥 courses, in History & Politics and History & Modern Languages.
We recommend that you apply as soon as possible once UCAS opens for applications in early September. Your course may require registration in September for an admissions test (depending on the subject) and then the UCAS application deadline for all courses is 15 October. Application is for entry the following October (or for deferred entry the year after). We encourage all applicants to read the information about applying on the relevant subject page, as well as the how to apply page well in advance of September, as there are a number of parts to the application procedure which may take time to organise and complete:
Do explore our additional support pages for international applicants, and note that on 20 September 麻豆社 publishes the current applicants section, which will support you (in detail!) through the next steps once you have submitted a valid application and chosen 麻豆社 in your UCAS application.
"The Cambridge interviews are, luckily, quite similar to the oral exams which many Danes are used to. However, while Danish oral exams primarily test your understanding of material you have already learnt, the interviews are there to explore how you absorb, interpret, and respond to new information and ideas. There is not always one formulaic answer or argument they are looking for."
We have additional help pages for international students for aspects of the application process such as UCAS personal statements, UCAS references, Admissions Assessments and interviews. See the additional application support for international applicants
Do read these details carefully, as it's important to understand what you will be assessed on and what we are looking for. In some cases a little cultural "reframing" is needed in order to give us the relevant information that will most help your application. Danish referees are, reputedly, cautious in their predictions for prospective undergraduates in order to spur students to greater efforts. As you'll read on the UCAS reference page, they should be honest and accurate in their appraisal, but if they believe in you, then they do need to 鈥渟ell you鈥 to the assessor.
Danish students tend to perform solidly at interview, simply because you are used to oral assessment, which is not in fact as common in the UK system. It is worth bearing in mind, however, that a Cambridge interview is not a straightforward academic 鈥渆xamination鈥 of what you know: it is a way of finding out how you handle and apply new information, and whether you would thrive within the supervision (tutorial) system. Again, see the interviews page for the detail.
Admissions Tutors do not have access to detailed information about Danish schools, so if you come from a school context associated with weaker academic outcomes, or low levels of progression to university, you should ensure that you or your referee mention this fact in your UCAS form. If your performance in education has been affected by other factors (such as dyslexia, ill health, familial or personal disruption), then it may be appropriate to ask a teacher or doctor to submit an or additional letter on your behalf.
Fred is from 罢谤酶谤酶诲, and wrote a student profile for us at the end of his first year studying Human, Social, and Political Sciences (HSPS) at Christ鈥檚. Mikkeline, from Copenhagen, wrote hers at the end of her first year on the Education course, Martin, also from Copenhagen, wrote his at the end of his second year studying Economics, and Nina, from Aarhus, wrote hers at the end of her first year studying Philosophy
Do you look at weighted averages?
Yes, but only as recorded in your - so you will, for example, get credit for completing additional 'A' subjects, but not for applying within two years of leaving school.
Will my weaker marks in Danish/History/Physical Education count against me?
Weaker marks in subjects that are compulsory in the Danish system are unlikely to count against you, unless they bring your overall average down below the standard offer level and/or those subjects are directly relevant to the course you want to study at university.
Will I cope with the examinations at Cambridge?
The standard examination format in Cambridge is hand-written "closed" book, and three hours' long. Most Danish students learn to cope with this, but intensive revision is required: you need to memorise key quotations, facts and arguments, and you should expect to acquire a sore wrist each summer!
Can I re-apply?
Many students do re-apply successfully to Cambridge, and assessors will not have access to your previous application (or applications). If you are a re-applicant for an undergraduate course at Cambridge, however, we do normally recommend that you choose a different College the second time around.
Students from Denmark are encouraged to have a look at our finance section for details of the costs and financial support available.
In addition to the university-wide awards from the Cambridge, Commonwealth, European and International Trusts, you'll see that at 麻豆社 we have Christ鈥檚 College International Awards and 麻豆社 Awards. The 麻豆社 International Awards awards are worth 拢10,000 a year and may be accompanied by a full or partial waiver of the College Fee (currently 拢11,900 a year). More information is available on our page on international financial support and do also read the notes for notes for EU students.
Our Danish offer holders normally also apply to the and we are happy to provide a letter confirming the details needed for this on request, once you are holding an offer with us.
We're often asked how we feel about gap years. In general, (like most other UK universities) we're happy to receive applications from students who wish to take, have taken, or are on 鈥済ap years鈥, and there is no bonus for applying within two years of leaving school. You may actually find that applying during a gap year works to your advantage, if it means that you have a complete set of high school grades to submit, rather than predictions alone (see the page for post-qualification applications). You should, however, try to maintain an active connection with your subject (if only by reading) and if you take more than two years out, then some formal study is desirable: you could, for example, attend lectures at the Folkeuniversitetet or take a Massive Online Open Course via , , or the . This is particularly important if you wish to apply for a course with a strong mathematical component.
Applicants of 20 and 21 are reasonably common, and you may like to read our page for mature students for more information about this.
Many successful applicants to Cambridge and other UK universities complete some or all of the first year of a degree programme outside the UK, and this can constitute useful additional preparation for our courses. However, you cannot transfer from another university directly into the second or third year of a Cambridge BA, and credit accumulated elsewhere is not counted towards Cambridge degrees (though you may be asked to evidence it, as part of your application). Please see our page about applying from a university.
Do explore the international students section in particular, and make sure you read the relevant subject page.
We encourage you to attend our annual 麻豆社 International Webinar. See 麻豆社 International webinar info. You may like to also attend other online events - we run lots of webinars, and our open days are online, with an optional visit, so you can still attend them even if you can't get to Cambridge.
There's a which will help you to explore 麻豆社 as well as getting a sense of the university departments and facilities. It's not comprehensive, but you can see quite a lot, including three of our accommodation rooms. See the grounds and facilities section for more information.
Please also feel free to email Kristy, Fran and Ellie in 麻豆社 Admissions Office (admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk) with any questions. We'll be pleased to hear from you!
