How to Apply to Engineering at Cambridge: One Engineering Course with a Three-Year BA or Four-Year MEng, a Broad First Two Years, the ESAT, the October UCAS Deadline, and Entry Requirements for UK, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

At the University of Cambridge, undergraduate Engineering is taught by the Department of Engineering. The course is simply called Engineering; the degree is a BA (Hons), with an MEng on completing a fourth year, and the UCAS course code is H100. Cambridge is collegiate: you apply to a College (all Colleges admit for Engineering), and admissions decisions are made by the Colleges, while teaching is shared between the Department and Colleges. Below is what Cambridge’s official pages say, for UK applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer applicants. Computer Science is a separate course at Cambridge and has its own article on this site.

1. The course

• Length and degree: three years full-time for the BA (Hons), or four years for the MEng. You receive the BA after third year; completing and passing the fourth year earns the MEng as well. Progression to fourth year depends on assessments; currently you must reach at least a 2.ii in either second or third year.
• Year 1 (Part IA): five papers—Design and Data-Centric Engineering; Electrical and Information Engineering; Materials and Civil Engineering; Mechanical and Thermofluids Engineering; and Engineering Mathematics—plus coursework and projects in computing, product design, laboratory work, drawing and CAD, and communication. Teaching is around 22 hours a week in first year.
• Year 2 (Part IB): five core papers at a more advanced level plus two topics from seven engineering disciplines (emphasising design and introducing third-year specialisation), or a language option. A highlight is the integrated design project in which teams design and build robot vehicles. Cambridge says the broad first two years let you make an informed choice of specialism.
• Year 3 (Part IIA): professional specialisation begins. You take 10 papers from over 40 choices, usually six associated with one discipline: Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering, Bioengineering, Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Electrical and Information Sciences, Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Information and Computer Engineering, Instrumentation and Control, or Mechanical Engineering; or you can choose General Engineering with fewer restrictions. You also take an Extension Activity and complete two projects.
• Year 4 (Part IIB, optional MEng): eight papers from around 80 options and a major individual project that takes about half your time, often linked to Department research and industry.
• Accreditation: the four-year course is accredited by the Engineering Council and the major institutions, including IMechE, IET, ICE, IStructE, InstMC, IHE, CIHT, IPEM and RAeS; Cambridge says accreditation depends on the papers you take.
• Industrial experience: you must complete at least 6 weeks of relevant industrial or equivalent experience by June of Year 3, for example by deferring entry for a placement or using vacations. You cover any costs, though paid placements count, and the Department has an Industrial Placement Co-ordinator for UK and overseas placements.
• Year abroad: a small number of students can spend third year at École Centrale Paris or the National University of Singapore on exchange.
• Teaching and assessment: lectures, practicals, projects and small-group supervisions; assessed each year by coursework and written exams, and resits are not usually possible.
• Course costs listed for Engineering: an approved scientific calculator (about £27) and drawing instruments (about £23); printing is charged only above a free quota (£2 in Year 1, £3 in Year 2, £7 in Year 3, £9 in Year 4); optional language-course trips about £350.
• Changing course: rare, needs College and department agreement and is not guaranteed; you may face an interview, test, written work or starting again. Engineering students can apply to change to Management Studies at the Judge Business School or to Manufacturing Engineering, usually in second or third year. Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology is a separate course and is not covered here.

2. Entry requirements (2027 entry or deferred entry in 2028)

• Minimum offer: A-Level A*A*A; IB 41–42 points with 776 at Higher Level.
• Required subjects: Mathematics and Physics at A-Level or IB Higher Level (or equivalent), plus Further Mathematics to AS or A-Level if your school offers it. IB Mathematics should be Analysis and Approaches; contact your shortlisted Colleges if your school does not offer it. If Further Mathematics is not available, contact the Colleges before applying and study as much additional pure mathematics and mechanics as you can.
• College conditions: Colleges usually require A* in Mathematics and/or Further Mathematics and often A*/7 in Physics or another science. Cambridge lists most Colleges as usually setting offers at the minimum level, while Churchill and Selwyn often make higher offers; for IB, Churchill, Corpus Christi and Selwyn usually make offers above the minimum. Peterhouse applicants may also be asked for grade 2 in STEP II.
• Vocational qualifications: every College except Downing, Trinity and Corpus Christi welcomes A-Level Mathematics with a suitable vocational qualification such as a BTEC Higher National Diploma in an engineering discipline, expecting the highest possible grades in both. T-Levels are not considered appropriate preparation and are not accepted. Applicants with the Single Award Applied A-Level in Engineering or the Advanced Diploma in Engineering must also take A-Levels in Mathematics and Physics.
• Admissions test: all applicants take the ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test): Mathematics 1 (compulsory for everyone), Mathematics 2 and Physics, each a 40-minute multiple-choice module. You must register in advance and test at an authorised centre. There is no pass mark and no penalty for wrong answers. Written work is not usually requested.
• Competition: in the 2025 cycle there were about 10 applications per place and 335 students were accepted.
• GCSEs: Cambridge says there are no GCSE (or equivalent) requirements; offers are based on A-Levels and other Level 3 qualifications.

3. The ESAT and the 2027-entry timeline

• October sitting: 12–16 October 2026; applicants at the 15 October deadline had to take this sitting. In mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau you could only test on 12 or 13 October. Registration opened on 20 July 2026 and closed on 28 September; there is an entry fee.
• January sitting: 4–8 January 2027, only for mature applicants (21+) in the January round, booking by 21 December.
• 15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time: UCAS deadline (passed). 22 October 2026, 18:00: My Cambridge Application and transcript deadline (passed); transcripts mainly apply to international applicants and depend on qualifications.
• November 2026: interview invitations; the first three weeks of December are when most College interviews take place.
• January 2027: October applicants hear whether they have an offer; those interviewed in the main December period hear on 27 January. A College may share your application with other Colleges if it likes it but has no place.
• May–June 2027 exams, August results: final decisions are confirmed in August; Michaelmas term for 2027–28 starts on 5 October 2027.
• So the main 2027-entry deadlines had already passed when this was written. The pages we read only state dates for 2027 entry (or deferred 2028 entry); application dates for 2028 entry were not published on those pages, so check the dates page. Mature applicants can apply in the January round (13 January 2027) for “some courses”; whether Engineering is one is not stated.

4. UK applicants

• A-Levels: most applicants take 3 to 4; offers are usually based on three A-Levels taken together in Year 13, and a fourth does not normally help, though strong STEM applicants usually take Further Mathematics as a fourth subject. Science practical assessments are usually expected to be passed.
• Scottish Highers and Advanced Highers: courses with an A*A*A minimum generally require A1, A1, A2 in Advanced Highers. Where A-Level Mathematics is required, Advanced Higher Mathematics is required; where Further Mathematics is required, an additional Advanced Higher in Mathematics of Mechanics or Statistics may be required. Highers meet AS-level subject requirements and Advanced Highers meet A-Level requirements. Most applicants take three Advanced Highers; those who can only take two for reasons outside their control may be considered with an additional Higher, case by case. The Engineering pages do not set out separate rules for England, Wales and Northern Ireland beyond treating A-Levels and equivalents alike; contact the Colleges.
• Home fee: £10,050 a year for 2027 entry, a single amount shared between the University and Colleges, rising with inflation (you are told by June before the next year). Home students can take a government tuition fee loan, repaid only after leaving and earning above a threshold.
• Support: UK students can apply for the Cambridge Bursary (details are on the Cambridge Students website, not on the Engineering page). The Formula 1 Engineering Scholarships support Engineering students from underrepresented backgrounds, covering tuition and a maintenance grant for the four years; Cambridge lists 2 new scholarships for 2026-27, with applications usually opening in August (2026 applications are closed). Conditions include Home fee status, a confirmed place for a first undergraduate Engineering degree, applying for government student loans for an income assessment, and strong motivation for a career in Formula 1 or motorsport, plus the gender and ethnicity criteria listed on the page.
• Offer data: Cambridge does not publish acceptance data by home nation on these pages.

5. International applicants

• Qualifications: Cambridge mostly states requirements in A-Levels and the IB; other international qualifications are listed country by country on the international entry requirements page. If your national qualification alone is not enough, you are usually expected to add A-Levels, the IB or APs.
• AP / SAT / ACT: at least five AP Tests at score 5, normally within two years and with the latest results within two years of starting, plus a high pass mark in your school qualification and a high SAT or ACT. For Engineering as a science course, that means SAT 1500 or more with at least 750 in Mathematics, or ACT composite 33 or more with a Science score of at least 33. For courses asking for Mathematics and Further Mathematics, Cambridge strongly prefers AP Calculus BC; for Physics it prefers the two Physics C tests. All SAT and ACT sittings, including retakes, must be disclosed.
• English: to take part in an interview, Cambridge recommends at least IELTS Academic 6.5 with no element below 6.0 when you apply, and you need not have a score yet. The minimum for admission is normally IELTS Academic 7.5 overall, usually with 7.0 or above in each element, or Cambridge C2 Proficiency 200 (no element below 185), or C1 Advanced 193 (no element below 185) with other evidence of competence in English. The College that makes your offer sets the exact condition.
• Tuition (2027 entry): Engineering is in fee group 4, £46,872 a year for international students, fixed for the duration of the course; a year abroad is charged at 50%. Fees for 2028 entry will be published by 1 October 2027.
• College fee: international students pay an additional College fee that varies by College. The 2027–28 undergraduate tuition fees document lists figures from £12,500 to £15,950 a year (Trinity’s fee is £21,063, or £14,745 after a 30% bursary); look up your target College in that document.
• Funding: Cambridge says support for international undergraduates is limited, with few full scholarships; most is partial and means-tested, from the Cambridge Trust and College awards. You can only apply to the Cambridge Trust after a College offers you a place. The Formula 1 scholarship requires Home fee status, so it is not open to international students.

6. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: Cambridge says most Colleges consider the Gaokao suitable preparation, but requirements fall into three groups, and applicants for courses where an admissions test is part of the standard process (ESAT for Engineering) must sit it. The Ambright Aptitude Scholastic Tests (AST) are not required, but scores are used if available.
  • Top 0.1% in your province, usually with extra academic achievement such as science Olympiads or APs: Churchill, Clare, Downing, Emmanuel, Girton, Homerton, Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish, Magdalene, Peterhouse, Queens’, Trinity and Wolfson.
  • 90% in each of three relevant core subjects, or the top 1–3% of your province; applicants with only the Gaokao are also recommended to take ASTs in up to three relevant subjects: Fitzwilliam, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Pembroke, Robinson, St Catharine’s, St John’s and Trinity Hall.
  • Gaokao alone is not accepted; you need A-Levels, the IB or five or more APs at 5: Christ’s, Corpus Christi, Gonville & Caius, Jesus, King’s, Selwyn, Sidney Sussex and St Edmund’s. Applicants with fewer than three A-Levels, a partial IB, or APs without SAT/ACT would also be expected to rank in the top 0.1% in their province (or to have completed the first year at a university outside the UK); those with three or more A-Levels, the full IB or APs with SAT/ACT are considered on those qualifications only.
• International school students: A-Level and IB as in section 2; the AP route is in section 5 (five APs at 5 plus SAT 1500 / ACT 33, with Calculus BC and the two Physics C tests preferred).
• Transcripts: international applicants normally submit a transcript and My Cambridge Application about a week after the UCAS deadline (22 October 2026 for 2027 entry).
• Foundation programmes: the Engineering page describes no foundation route. Cambridge’s Foundation Year is for the arts, humanities and social sciences and does not include Engineering, and whether other foundation programmes are accepted is not published; ask your target College or overseas@admin.cam.ac.uk.

7. Transfer applicants

• Cambridge does not normally consider applicants currently enrolled at another UK university, unless you are in the final year and applying for a second undergraduate degree; you are completing a standalone Foundation Year or credit-bearing courses with the Open University or similar; you have exceptional circumstances; or you want to change discipline. In the last two cases you may need a letter of support from your course director or tutor, and you may be asked to show you can fund the Cambridge degree.
• You must start from the beginning: unless you apply as an affiliated student, a transfer means starting the Cambridge course in first year, and credit cannot be transferred.
• For students outside the UK spending an initial period at a local university, Cambridge asks you to check your College’s guidance and does not recommend an Open application.
• You must declare previous undergraduate study on your UCAS application; not doing so is treated as fraud and the application may be cancelled.

Checklist

UK applicants:

• A-Level A*A*A including Mathematics and Physics, and Further Mathematics if your school offers it; or IB 41–42 (776 HL, Analysis and Approaches); Scottish Advanced Highers A1,A1,A2
• Check each College’s subject conditions (Churchill and Selwyn often set higher offers)
• Take the ESAT (Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2, Physics); UCAS deadline 15 October
• Look at the Cambridge Bursary and the Formula 1 Engineering Scholarships

International applicants:

• Five APs at 5 (Calculus BC advised) plus SAT 1500 (Mathematics 750) or ACT 33 (Science 33); or A-Levels / IB
• IELTS 7.5 (7.0 each) for admission; tuition £46,872 a year plus the College fee

Applicants from China:

• Choose a College by its Gaokao group (top 0.1% / 90% or top 1–3% / needs other qualifications)
• In mainland China the ESAT was only on 12 or 13 October; transcripts and My Cambridge Application were due 22 October

Transfer applicants:

• You start from first year with no credit transfer; read your target College’s guidance on prior university study

Sources: University of Cambridge undergraduate admissions, Engineering course page; ESAT; Application dates and deadlines; Qualifications we accept; International entry requirements; Entry requirements and English; Transferring or applying from another university; International fees and costs; Undergraduate tuition fees 2027-28; International financial support; Tuition fees; Formula 1 Engineering Scholarships. Information is for 2027 entry or deferred 2028 entry. Check Cambridge for the latest details.