Deferred entryis where a candidate plans to take a year out between school and university, so applies in October for entry in the October two years later.
The College’s policy is to treat every case on its merits. No subject excludes deferred entry as an option.
In general, the Teaching Fellows conducting admissions interviews will attempt to understand your motives for seeking deferred entry and your plans for your year out.
They will want to assess its educational benefit and to reassure themselves that, at least for part of the year, you are pursuing activities that will keep you in touch with your proposed degree subject.
We will consider candidates for deferred entry on the same basis as those applying for direct entry.
However, in order to plan our student numbers, we do need a firm commitment to a particular year of entry and you have to indicate your choice on your.
Please be aware that it is very unlikely we would amend a year of entry after an offer has been made, although we would consider it in very exceptional cases.
If you are considering the possibility of taking a gap year, you should mention it at interview.
You must meet the , and evidence of English language capability may be required. Email us if you have any questions about whether you will need to provide evidence.
A mature student is as a student over the age of 21. At St John’s we take only a small number of mature ĢƵذ each year.
There is no specific quota of places for mature applicants, and they are judged individually on their merits, alongside our more conventional school-leaver applicants. Because of the intense competition for places at Cambridge (with about five well-qualified candidates for every undergraduate place) we demand high academic standards from our mature applicants.
You will be asked to produce evidence of high academic ability and recent study (eg educational qualifications achieved within the last two years).
Many mature ĢƵذ prepare for entry by taking two or more A-levels, Open University credits, an Access Course or other qualifications at a higher level.
You should also bear in mind that whilst an Access Course, for example, is likely to satisfy the minimum UniversityMatriculationrequirements, we would usually look for evidence of higher-than-average achievement on the course, and some element of assessment by examination. This is because end-of-year exams play such an important part in the CambridgeTripos.
Applications will be considered from mature ĢƵذ in all subjects. However, in Medicine and Veterinary Medicine the length of the course and of subsequent professional training, together with the particularly intense competition for a rigidly controlled quota of undergraduate places, mean that places can only exceptionally be found for mature ĢƵذ.
In judging an application from a mature student, we focus on three key questions:
In considering the first two points, we are guided by references from the applicant’s recent employers and/or teachers, by the results of any examinations taken recently or in the past, and by interviews with the AdmissionsTutor, the Tutor handling the applications in the subject concerned, and with the relevant Director of Studies.
We also find it helpful to see written work prepared in the course of the applicant’s employment or part-time study.
Although formal application is by the usual application deadline of 15 October for a place in the following year, we encourage those thinking of applying as mature ĢƵذ to discuss their plans with us informally well before this closing date.
We may also be able to offer advice on possible further study that many strengthen your application. It is important that mature applicants appreciate fully that Cambridge is a residential university, and that the University Statutes require all undergraduates to live in Cambridge for the whole of eachFull Termin order to qualify for a degree. It is also important to consider the full costs of the proposed course, and to explore possible sources of finance.
If you’ve already taken your A-Levels and have achieved high grades that meet the standard offer grades, we will be pleased to consider your application as a post A-Level candidate.
Although the formal closing date for all applicants is the same, if you are applying as a post A-Level candidate and are hoping to spend your ‘year out’ abroad, you should ensure that your gap year plans do not clash with the interview period in early/mid-December.
Candidates should note that they will still be required to sit the relevant admissions assessment/test if required by the subject they are applying for.
Please see the entry requirements on the relevant subject page for further details. Applicants for subjects requiring a pre-registration required assessmentshould also make sure they are in a position to sit these assessments.
Prospective candidates who have taken examinations other than GCE A-Levels are also most welcome to apply. We regularly make offers based on performances inother public examinations systems, including the Scottish Advanced Highers, the German Abitur and the International Baccalaureate.
If you hold, or expect to hold, a Bachelor’s degree of Honours standard from another university, and wish to follow a further undergraduate course at Cambridge, you may apply to become an.
Affiliated ĢƵذ are full student members of the University and differ from others taking undergraduate courses only in that they commence studies in year two, completing their course one year earlier than standard entry ĢƵذ.
At St John’s we take only a small number of such ĢƵذ each year. Applicants are assessed individually on their merits, in competition with other applicants for entry at undergraduate level. Because of the intense competition for places at Cambridge, at all levels, we demand high academic standards from our Affiliated ĢƵذ.
In cases where the student’s first degree is classed, we might expect a First Class or at least a very high Upper Second. Attention is also paid to performance in the relevant school-leaving examination, where applicable. A strong academic reference is also essential.
Applications can be considered from potential Affiliated ĢƵذ in all subjects except Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Architecture.
Applicants need to provide evidence of their academic suitability and potential to study the subject for which they are applying, and for many subjects considerable prior knowledge is essential in order for a student to be able to enter the ordinary undergraduate course at an intermediate point (as an Affiliated student effectively does).
Affiliated ĢƵذ often study the subject in which they have already taken their first degree, or a similar subject in which their previous education will be helpful to them.
Some subjects may be better pursued after a first degree by taking a Master’s degree or diploma course than by following a second undergraduate course as an Affiliated student.
Further information about admission to these courses can be found on the .
Application for admission as an Affiliated student is made viaUCAS and is subject to the standard UCAS deadline.
Full instructions can be found on our Undergraduate application process page.
Any offer of a place will be conditional on satisfactory evidence of financial support, in addition to any other offer conditions.
Affiliated applicants may be eligible for the John Crook Scholarship at St John's.
Choral Scholars are undergraduates who sing in the . While there are normally vacancies for all voice parts, candidates are strongly advised to check with theDirector of Musicbefore applying and he is always happy to meet candidates on an informal basis before the voice trials. The Choral ĢƵذhips are open to all offer holders, and the College is also keen for candidates to apply for deferred entry.
St John's (in common with all Cambridge Colleges) has high academic standards and will not admit ĢƵذ who will find it difficult to read successfully for an Honours degree.
Organ Scholars are at the heart of the Choir, and several of today’s best known organists received their training at St John’s. St John’s has two Organ Scholars at any one time. Their duties are both to accompany the College Choir and to assist in the training of the Choristers, alongside their studies at the College.
