How to Apply to Chemistry at the University of Cambridge: No Stand-Alone Chemistry Degree, Chemistry Is Studied in Natural Sciences (Physical Sciences Stream), ESAT Required and A-Level Chemistry Needed for First-Year Chemistry; Entry for Home, International (Including Chinese) and Transfer Applicants

The University of Cambridge has no stand-alone undergraduate degree called Chemistry. On its course list, chemistry is studied within Natural Sciences (BA (Hons), three years, or a fourth year for the MSci), UCAS code BCF0, offered by all Colleges and taught by 14 departments, one of which is Chemistry. When applying you choose the Physical Sciences or Biological Sciences stream, which is used in assessment and interview allocation and does not restrict your course choices once you arrive. Cambridge also lists a separate Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology course (engineering), and Medicine and Veterinary Medicine are separate courses; these are outside this guide, so see Cambridge's course pages.

1. What the course looks like

• Degrees: BA (Hons) in three years, or a fourth year for the MSci. Chemistry is among the subjects with a fourth-year MSci option. Progression depends on year-three results; Cambridge says students are usually expected to have at least a 2.i (the year-four page says "often a class 2.1 or above in a relevant Part II subject"), and the requirements are published each year.
• Year 1 (Part IA): three experimental subjects plus one mathematics subject. Experimental options are Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology; Biomedical Sciences; Biomolecules and Cells; Chemistry; Earth Sciences; Materials Science; Physics. Mathematics options are Mathematics for Physical Sciences (versions A and B, B being faster with more material for those strong in Further Mathematics) and Mathematics for Biological Sciences. A psychology course may be possible subject to timetable and numbers, and some subjects cannot be combined because of timetable clashes. Year 1 typically has 12 lectures a week and one supervision a week per course, plus practicals; the department's teaching page says about 80 supervisions a year in year 1 and about 60 in year 2.
• First-year Chemistry: Cambridge's course description covers how molecular structure affects chemical properties and reactivity: spectroscopy for molecular shape, modern bonding theories, reaction mechanisms and equilibrium, with practicals in chemical techniques and quantitative analysis, as a foundation for biochemistry, materials science and beyond.
• Subject requirements for first-year options (Natural Sciences department admissions page, for 2026-27 entry): Chemistry - essential: A-Level Chemistry; Physics - essential: A-Level Physics or Further Mathematics including Mechanics, and you must take IA Mathematics; Materials Science - essential: A-Level Chemistry or Physics; Biomedical Sciences - A-Level Biology highly desirable; Biomolecules and Cells and Biodiversity, Evolution and Ecology - A-Level Biology recommended; Earth Sciences and the psychology course - no prior subject knowledge needed. Check the department site for any change for 2027 entry.
• Year 2 (Part IB): three courses. Chemistry options are Chemistry A (physical and theoretical chemistry: quantum mechanics, chemical bonding, structure and properties of solids) and Chemistry B (organic, inorganic and biological chemistry, including an introduction to chemical biology); you can take one or both, each with practical work. Other options include Physics A/B, Mathematics, Materials Science, Earth Sciences, Quantitative Environmental Science and biological courses.
• Year 3 (Part II): you take one subject. Chemistry covers advanced inorganic and organic synthesis, high-resolution spectroscopy, theoretical and computational chemistry, and the chemistry of life and the environment. Cambridge says you can specialise in chemical biology or chemical physics, or cover a broad range of chemistry; practical work includes open-ended experiments, and there are options to build programming skills or strengthen mathematics. A broader "Physical Sciences" course lets you choose one of Chemistry, Physics or Earth Sciences and combine it with a second-year subject not previously taken, with a dissertation. Biological third-year subjects such as Biochemistry are not covered here; see the department site. Cambridge notes some year-3 subjects have limited numbers because of laboratory space.
• Year 4 (Part III, MSci Chemistry): lectures in the mornings and research in the lab in the afternoons, with options such as synthetic biology, medicinal chemistry, energy materials, atmospheric science and quantum simulation, plus an in-depth research project.
• Accreditation: accreditation such as the Royal Society of Chemistry's is not stated on the course page or the department pages used; not given on the pages used for this guide, so check the department websites. A year in industry, placement year or year abroad is likewise not described on the course page.
• Assessment: unseen written exams, assessed practicals and coursework, experiment write-ups, literature and experimental reports, essays, oral exams and project reports and presentations. Cambridge says you will not usually be able to resit exams.
• Course costs: approved scientific calculator about £25; lab coat about £13-16; safety glasses about £4-7; the department's costs page also lists a laptop as essential (it advises against Chromebooks). The year-1 Earth Sciences field course (required) is about £120 on the course page and about £140 on the department costs page; the optional year-1 Biodiversity field course is about £50 plus travel on the course page and about £100 plus travel on the department page. The two pages differ, so check the figures for the courses you choose. Costs in years 2-4 depend on your options.
• Changing course: rare after arrival, needs College and department agreement and is not guaranteed; you can apply to switch to Management Studies at Judge Business School, usually in year 2 or 3.

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

• Minimum offer: A-Level A*A*A; IB 41-42 points with 776 at Higher Level (same for both streams).
• Required subjects: A-Level or IB Higher Level Mathematics plus two other science or mathematics subjects (Biology, Chemistry, Physics and, for A-Level only, Further Mathematics). The pages used do not say A-Level Chemistry is required to apply to Natural Sciences, but to take first-year Chemistry you need it (see above); if your third subject is not listed, contact the College. IB: for the Physical stream with HL Mathematics, Analysis and Approaches is expected (contact your College if your school does not offer it); for the Biological stream Cambridge recommends Analysis and Approaches but will also consider Applications and Interpretations.
• Which stream: Cambridge says Physical Sciences suits applicants with Physics and Mathematics A-Levels because the interview draws on what they have studied; the department says the stream does not restrict year-1 choices and some Colleges may ask about a further specialisation (for example Chemistry), so ask the College admissions office. The pages used do not say which stream a chemistry-focused applicant should choose.
• College conditions (Physical Sciences): these Colleges usually set offers at the minimum level but may ask for higher grades or an A* in a particular subject: Clare, Downing, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Gonville & Caius, Hughes Hall, Homerton, Magdalene, Newnham, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Robinson, Sidney Sussex, St Catharine’s, St Edmund’s, Wolfson. These Colleges set extra conditions for most or all offers (a higher offer or an A* in at least one of Physics, Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Chemistry): Christ’s, Churchill, Corpus Christi, Girton, Jesus, King’s, Lucy Cavendish, Murray Edwards, Queens’, Selwyn, St John’s, Trinity (requires Further Mathematics), Trinity Hall. For the Biological stream Cambridge publishes a separate College list (A* generally in at least one of Biology, Mathematics and Chemistry); check your College's website before applying.
• Admissions test: all Natural Sciences applicants must take the ESAT (see next section); you are not usually asked for written work.
• Competition and background of entrants: in the 2025 cycle Natural Sciences overall had about 5 applications per place and 576 accepted (Cambridge does not split by stream or by chemistry). For A-Level students who started in 2018, 2019 and 2023 in the Physical stream, 97% achieved at least A*A*A*; all took Mathematics, with Physics 97%, Further Mathematics 92%, Chemistry 89% and Biology 9%; 8% took all three of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, 81% took two of the sciences (98% of those Physics and Chemistry) and 10% only one (almost all with Further Mathematics). Cambridge notes the requirement is now Mathematics plus two other science or mathematics subjects. Most IB entrants had at least 43 points and/or 777 at HL. These figures are for the Physical stream as a whole, not chemistry alone.

Application process and timeline for 2027 entry

• How to apply: through UCAS (Cambridge says 2027-entry courses go live on UCAS from 28 April 2026 and applications can be submitted from 1 September 2026). Check course codes and steps on the UCAS site. Within 48 hours of submitting to UCAS you receive an email for Cambridge's own form, My Cambridge Application (about an hour, answers save automatically), which includes an optional Cambridge-specific personal statement (1,200 characters). For 2027 entry Cambridge will not download or review extra documents uploaded to UCAS; documents Cambridge needs go through My Cambridge Application or the College.
• Colleges: Cambridge is collegiate. You name a College (or make an open application and one is allocated), and all offers are made by Colleges. Mature applicants (21+) can apply to mature Colleges by 13 January 2027 for some courses; whether Natural Sciences is among them is not given on the pages used for this guide, so check the website.
• Application fee: £60 if applying from outside the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man; some applicants do not pay (who is exempt is not given on the pages used for this guide; check the website).
• Admissions test: ESAT (Engineering and Science Admissions Test) is required for Natural Sciences, Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine. It is computer-based, multiple choice, 40 minutes per module, with no pass mark and no penalty for wrong answers; there is an entry fee. For Natural Sciences you take Mathematics 1 (compulsory) plus two modules from Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics 2 (120 minutes in total). The Natural Sciences department says your module choice is not tied to choosing the Physical or Biological stream, and advises choosing the modules that best match your current studies. The main 2027-entry sitting is 12-16 October 2026 and applicants meeting the 15 October deadline must sit it; applicants from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau must take it on 12 or 13 October. Booking opened 20 July 2026 and closed on 28 September.
• 15 October 2026, 6pm UK time: UCAS deadline. 22 October 2026, 6pm: My Cambridge Application and transcript deadline. This guide was prepared on 29 October 2026, so both main 2027-entry deadlines have already passed. Dates for 2028 entry are not given on the pages used for this guide; check Cambridge's "application dates and deadlines" page.
• Interviews: shortlisted applicants mostly get invitations in November 2026 (a few in early December). The interviews page gives a main interview period of 7-18 December 2026, with "winter pool" interviews around mid to late January 2027. Interviews are academic conversations about the subject; most applicants have 1-2 interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour. Online or in person is set by each College (the page has a College-by-College table) and you usually cannot choose.
• Results: October applicants hear in January 2027; those interviewed in the main December period hear on 27 January 2027. A College may like an application but have no place and pass it to other Colleges.
• Exams and confirmation: A-Levels, IB and other exams in May-June 2027, results in August, final decisions confirmed in August. Michaelmas term 2027-28 runs 5 October to 3 December 2027.
• Transcripts: My Cambridge Application tells you whether one is needed. Cambridge says a high-school transcript is requested if you do not have 6+ GCSEs/IGCSEs (or 5+ Scottish National Qualifications), took them more than 3 years ago, or do not have and are not studying AS/A-Levels, Scottish Advanced Highers or the IB; a university transcript is requested if you have completed a year or more at another university. It must be uploaded through My Cambridge Application and cannot be added after you submit; it can take weeks to obtain, and a late or missing one may disadvantage you.
• Contextual data: Cambridge's page (updated November 2025, for the 2026-entry cycle) says personal-circumstance, area and school data are shown to assessors as "flags" but are not used to systematically lower offers; check the page for the current year.

Home applicants (UK)

• A-Levels: most applicants take 3-4; 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. For science A-Levels the practical assessment is usually expected to be passed.
• Scottish Highers / Advanced Highers: for courses with a minimum A*A*A offer, generally Advanced Highers A1, A1, A2. Where circumstances prevent a third Advanced Higher, two Advanced Highers plus a Higher may be accepted case by case; Highers results are also looked at and a Higher grade condition may be set.
• Wales and Ireland: Welsh AS/A-Levels are modular and Cambridge asks for UMS scores; the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales needs at least three A-Levels alongside it. Irish Leaving Certificate: for A*A*A courses usually H1, H1, H1, H1, H2, H2. The pages used for this guide do not separately cover Northern Ireland; contact the College.
• Not accepted: T-Levels are not accepted; VCE, Applied A-Levels, GNVQs and BTECs usually cannot replace required A-Levels; Core Maths cannot replace A-Level Mathematics.
• Fees and support: the Home fee for 2027 first-degree entrants is £10,050 a year (subject to inflationary increases, with notice by June before the next academic year). Home students can currently take a government tuition fee loan. Details of the Cambridge Bursary Scheme are on a separate website and are not given on the pages used for this guide.
• Regional admissions data: the course page gives only overall applications per place, not figures by England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland; not published on the pages used.

International applicants

• Qualifications: A-Level and IB requirements are on the "accepted qualifications" page; other national qualifications are listed by country on the "international entry requirements" page (2027 entry, updated March 2026). If you follow another country's curriculum (for example the US curriculum in China), use the entry for the country the curriculum comes from.
• IB: minimum 41-42 points with 776 at Higher Level; some Colleges may ask for more, so check College websites.
• AP / SAT / ACT: for the US curriculum, typical evidence is at least five relevant AP scores of 5, a high SAT or ACT and a high High School Diploma GPA. All AP/SAT/ACT scores, including retakes, must be declared, and tests should be taken within 2 years of matriculation. Natural Sciences is among the "most Science courses": with SAT you need a combined 1,500 with Mathematics 750 or above; with ACT a composite of 33, and science applicants should also have an ACT Science score of at least 33. AP Capstone does not usually count towards the five 5s.
• English: at application, ability equivalent to IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no element below 6.0 is recommended for interview (no test result needed yet). The minimum for admission is normally IELTS Academic 7.5 overall, usually 7.0 or above in each element; or Cambridge C2 Proficiency 200 overall with no element below 185; or C1 Advanced 193 overall with no element below 185 plus other evidence of competence. The offering College sets the exact condition.
• Tuition (2027 entry): Natural Sciences is in Group 4 of the fee table, £46,872 a year for international students, fixed for the length of the course. College fees are normally payable on top, differ by College and are listed in the 2027-28 undergraduate tuition fees PDF (the figures are not given on the pages used for this guide; check them for your College). Fees for 2028 entry will be published by 1 October 2027.
• International funding: Cambridge says support for international undergraduates is limited, few full scholarships exist, and most support is partial and means-tested: Cambridge Trust awards, some College awards and country-specific scholarships (such as the Prince Philip Scholarship for Hong Kong permanent residents). Cambridge Trust funding can only be applied for after a College offer; ask College admissions offices about College awards. Whether awards are assessed automatically is not stated on the pages used.

Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the China entry on Cambridge's international requirements page says most Colleges regard the Gaokao as suitable preparation, in three groups, and that where an admissions test is part of the standard process for a subject, it must be taken. Natural Sciences requires ESAT, and mainland China candidates must sit it on 12 or 13 October.
• Group 1: Gaokao with top 0.1% in your province: Churchill, Clare, Downing, Emmanuel, Girton, Homerton, Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish, Magdalene, Peterhouse, Queens’, Trinity, Wolfson. These Colleges typically also expect additional achievement (for example relevant science Olympiads or AP). Offers based on the Gaokao are normally conditional on a top 0.1% rank in the province, with attention to relevant subjects. Ambright Aptitude Scholastic Tests (AST) are not required but scores are used if available.
• Group 2: 90% in three relevant core subjects, or top 1%-3% in your province: Fitzwilliam, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Pembroke, Robinson, St Catharine’s, St John’s, Trinity Hall. Applicants with only the Gaokao (no A-Levels or similar) are recommended to take ASTs in up to three relevant subjects.
• Group 3: Gaokao only in combination with other qualifications: Christ’s, Corpus Christi, Gonville & Caius, Jesus, King’s, Selwyn, Sidney Sussex, St Edmund’s. A-Levels, IB or five AP 5s are needed; those with fewer than 3 A-Levels, without the full IB Diploma, or with APs but no SAT/ACT are also expected to reach the top 0.1% in their province (or possibly complete a first year at a university outside the UK); those with 3+ A-Levels, the full IB or APs with SAT/ACT are considered on those alone.
• For this subject specifically: the China entry does not list Gaokao subjects or scores by subject; the three groups are general. For subject requirements and admissions tests see the sections above; for your College's exact requirements this is not given on the pages used, so ask the College admissions office.
• Transcripts and Chinese school-leaving records: the pages used do not list Chinese school-leaving records separately; whether a transcript is needed is explained above and it is uploaded through My Cambridge Application.
• Foundation programmes: Cambridge's own Foundation Year is for applicants with educational disadvantage who are ordinarily resident in the UK, and its progression courses are arts, humanities and social sciences (English, Law, History, Education, Philosophy and similar), not natural sciences. Whether other international foundation programmes are accepted is not given on the pages used; ask the College or overseas@admin.cam.ac.uk.
• Other: interviews are in English. Cambridge also notes that fee-charging interview coaching is not endorsed by the University and that all official guidance is free on its website.

Transfer students and entry to year two

• Cambridge does not normally consider applicants currently enrolled on a degree at another UK university unless: you are in your final year and applying for a second undergraduate degree; you are on a standalone Foundation Year or credit-bearing Open University-type courses; you have exceptional circumstances that prevent you continuing; or you want to change discipline. In the last two cases you may need a supporting reference from your course director or tutor and may be asked to show you can fund the Cambridge degree.
• You start from year one and credit cannot be transferred: unless applying as an affiliated student, anyone transferring from another university starts the Cambridge course from the beginning, and Cambridge states it is not possible to transfer credit. The pages used therefore show no direct entry to year two.
• Students at universities outside the UK: Cambridge understands some students begin at a local university first; check the target College's website, and it does not recommend an open application in this situation.
• Prior university study must be declared on UCAS; not declaring it is treated as a fraudulent application and may lead to cancellation.
• Changing course after arrival: rare, needs College and department agreement, is not guaranteed, and may involve an interview, admissions test, written work or restarting from the beginning.

Checklist

Home applicants:

• A-Level A*A*A including Mathematics plus two other science or mathematics subjects; A-Level Chemistry if you want first-year Chemistry; or IB 41-42 (HL 776, Analysis and Approaches for the Physical stream); Scottish Advanced Highers A1, A1, A2
• Choose the Physical or Biological stream (the pages used do not say which suits chemistry); ESAT (Mathematics 1 plus two modules)
• UCAS deadline 15 October (passed for 2027 entry); Home fee £10,050 a year

International applicants:

• Five relevant AP 5s plus SAT 1,500 (Maths 750) or ACT 33 (Science 33); or A-Level / IB
• IELTS 7.5 for admission (usually 7.0 in each element); £46,872 a year plus College fees

Applicants from China:

• Pick Colleges by Gaokao group (top 0.1% / 90% in three subjects or top 1%-3% / other qualifications needed)
• ESAT on 12 or 13 October only; transcript and My Cambridge Application deadline 22 October (both passed)

Transfer students:

• Start from year one with no credit transfer; students at other UK universities are not normally considered (four exceptions above)

Sources: University of Cambridge undergraduate admissions site and Natural Sciences department site: Natural Sciences course page; College requirements: Physical Sciences; Natural Sciences department admissions page; Year 1 courses; Year 2 courses; Year 3 courses; Year 4 courses; Course costs; Teaching and assessment; Application dates and deadlines; ESAT admissions test; Accepted qualifications; International entry requirements; Entry requirements and English; Transferring or applying from another university; International fees and costs; International financial support; Tuition fees; My Cambridge Application; Providing a transcript; Interviews; Contextual data; Foundation Year. Information is for 2027 entry or deferred 2028 entry unless stated; check Cambridge for the latest details.