Cambridge Admissions Statistics By College & Course

Cambridge University is very open about its application statistics, but they can be difficult to interpret. Last year alone, 21,445 students applied to Cambridge.

In this article, I’ll explain some key trends and stats which will help you in your application to Cambridge.

Top 5 Cambridge Admissions Statistics 

• In 2023, the four courses with the greatest number of applicants were all STEM subjects, with Law being very close in fifth (Engineering, Natural sciences, Computer science, Medicine)

• Of all the undergraduate courses last year, computer science had the fewest successful applicants – only 7.6% of students who applied to the course were accepted

• Students applying to smaller colleges, such as Murray Edwards, in 2023 had double the chance of acceptance when compared to their peers applying for the largest colleges, such as Trinity

• From 2014 to 2023, the proportion of successful applicants at Cambridge who described their ethnicity as ‘Black’, ‘Asian’, ‘Mixed’ or ‘Other’ increased from 20% to 34%

• Natural sciences, economics, computer science, mathematics and engineering have the greatest percentages of male students and these percentages are largely unchanged from 2014

Cambridge Admissions Statistics: By College

Below is a table of acceptance rates and number of 2023 applicants, with acceptance rates calculated from Cambridge’s own application data:

Cambridge Admissions Statistics: By Course

The table below shows the acceptance statistics for courses offered at Cambridge in 2023::

Key Trends From 2023

1. Larger colleges have lower acceptance rates

The four colleges that had the highest acceptance rates were Trinity, St. John’s, Downing and Pembroke. The acceptance rates for these colleges ranged from 12 to 14%. Smaller and average-sized colleges had acceptance rates as high as 26%.

2. The most popular courses are STEM courses

The courses with the highest number of applicants are STEM subjects. This does not mean that Cambridge is biased towards the sciences; rather, there are just more arts and humanities courses available. This means roughly half of the students at Cambridge study arts and humanities. 

3. The proportion of white students at Cambridge has decreased over the last decade

In 2014, 80% of successful Cambridge University applicants identified as white. In 2023, this statistic dropped to 66%. This could be a result of incentives to promote greater diversity in Cambridge’s student population and challenge unequal opportunities.

4. Applicants from the South East of England and Northern Ireland have the highest success rates

The South East has a very high population density and also has a high concentration of independent schools. Applicants from independent schools perform better in Cambridge applications, so this is one possible explanation. 

The Corpus Link Area Summer School could explain the higher success rate in Northern Ireland. This Summer camp is open to students from Northern Ireland specifically and could improve chances of a successful application.

5. South East students outnumber the North, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

More successful applicants came from the South East of England (579) than Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West combined (496). It’s not clear whether the population difference alone can explain this difference. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Percentage of Applicants Get Into Cambridge?

In 2023, 16.6% of applicants were accepted onto their chosen course. 21.2% of applicants were made an offer, so 4.6% of all applicants received an offer but did not achieve the required grades or chose not to accept the offer.

What Is the Hardest Subject to Get Into at Cambridge?

Computer Science is the hardest undergraduate course to get into, with an acceptance rate of just 7.6%. Graduate Medicine, however, had a success rate of just 7.3%.

Which College Is Hardest to Get Into at Cambridge?

Both Pembroke and Downing had an acceptance rate of 12% in 2023. These are large colleges, however. Wolfson college accepted just 50 students last year.

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References

• Application statistics | Undergraduate Study

• Workbook: Cambridge Undergraduate Admissions Statistics

• Undergraduate Admissions Statistics - 2023 cycle