Lucy Cavendish College Offer Holders' Page 2025

Please ensure you start all emails with:

• Your name (exactly as you wrote it on your UCAS form, with family name in CAPITALS)

• The course you have applied for (including 'Biological or Physical' if Natural Sciences)

• Your UCAS number (a ten-digit ID number which you can find on your UCAS portal)

E.G. ‘BLOGGS, Joseph, Physical Natural Sciences, 123456789’

Please note that we prefer contact by email in the first instance. If you have not received a reply to your email, we would kindly ask for your patience, as we frequently need to manage a large amount of offer holder correspondence.

 Only if your question is absolutely urgent should you call us; you can do so on +44 (0)1223 330280.

Important:

Please understand that, in adherence to UCAS regulations, we are permitted to discuss a current application with the applicant or their UCAS referee only. We are unable to speak to parents, supporters, teachers, doctors, social workers, tutors, or other third parties without the applicant’s explicit permission in writing, and even then it is our right to decline contact with third parties if we feel it is not appropriate. 

Please see here for a breakdown of important deadlines, please read this carefully and make a note of the deadlines that apply to you:

Cambridge Trust applications

Friday 14th February- application form must be sent to Admissions Team at admissions@lucy.cam.ac.uk. (please note that there is an extended deadline of end of February for the Rowan Williams scholarship)

March- Successful applicants contacted.

Student finance funding

March- Applications for student finance in the UK are expected to open. We encourage Offer Holders who are eligible to make applications to student finance as soon as possible. Please note that when you apply you must enter your campus as Lucy Cavendish College - University of Cambridge. If you enter your campus as just University of Cambridge, your application for student finance may not be processed correctly.

Visas

Spring 2024 - Offer Holders who may require a Visa will be contacted about next steps

• Once you have met all the conditions of your offer (academic and non-academic), you will be issued your CAS (Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies) number. You can only apply for a visa once you have this number. CAS are issued from July onwards.

• We cannot provide advice on student visas, so please contact the International Student Office on international.students@admin.cam.ac.uk

• There’s lots of guidance on the International Students website, and the International Student Office will also run guidance webinars in June and July (details will be sent closer to the time). You can also access the International Student Office’s free, confidential visa advice service.

Accommodation

Accommodation preference form - sent in April, for completion by the end of June.

Please rest assured that we guarantee accommodation to all of our first year undergraduate students, so there is no need to apply for the accommodation as such. Accommodation is not allocated on a first-come, first-served basis - this form instead helps us to understand what kind of accommodation you would prefer. 
 

If you wish to find out more about accommodation on offer in College, feel free to browse our accommodation webpages.

Financial Guarantee

All Offer Holders with Overseas fee status must complete and return a Financial Guarantee, which evidences their ability to meet the costs of their course for the full duration. Providing this information also enables us to work with you and support you to fund your studies. The timeline for the Financial Guarantee is as follows:

April - Financial Guarantee form sent to students with Overseas fee status.

1-30th June- window during which form must be returned to Admissions Office.

Financial Information Form

All offer holders with Home fee status will be asked to complete a Financial Information Form. This short form will ask for information on how you plan to fund their studies. This information will have no bearing on confirmation decisions, but will be used to assist us in streamlining student support processes. 

We ask that those who are planning to use loan from the Student Loans Company please apply for this funding before completing this form.

April - Financial information form sent to students with Home fee status

30th June - deadline for completing this form

UCAS reply date

5th June - All Offer Holders must reply to their offer (accept or reject) by this date, or UCAS will automatically reject their offers for them.

Certificates for completed qualifications

1st-3st July- Please ensure you provide copies of your examination certificates relating to any already completed examinations, as referred to in your UCAS application. Examples of certificates we need to receive include:

• Your GCSE / IGCSE certificates (if you took GCSE / IGCSEs)
• Your AS level certificates (if you took AS levels)
• Your Scottish Higher certificates
• Your A level certificates (if you've already taken one or more A levels)
• Your IB Diploma certificates (If you've already taken the IB Diploma)
• Any vocational or extra-curricular qualifications that you mentioned in your UCAS application if they have been formally assessed. 

Please send scans of these certificates to admissionsdocuments@lucy.cam.ac.uk, in a single pdf where possible. In the email please include your full name, UCAS PID, and the course for which you hold an offer.

Meet your English Language condition

31st July 2025- please ensure that you met your English language condition by this point at the latest.

Meet academic terms of your offer

31st August 2025- Outstanding qualifications must be completed and final, official results received.

Bridging Course and moving in

The official move-in date for incoming first year students is expected to be September 28th (please note that this is TBC at this stage), as this is when our bridging course will begin.

Important additional information

Receiving results of your qualifications

There are a number of qualifications for which we receive the results directly. There are a number of other qualifications, however, for which the results are not automatically communicated to us. In this instance, it is essential that you inform us of the results as soon as possible, including the official certificates once you receive them. There is more information about these qualifications below.

Exams results we do receive

• AS and A-levels (including EPQs)
• Cambridge International AS and A-level, including Singapore H1, H2 and H3
• Cambridge Pre-U
• International Baccalaureate
• SQA Highers and Advanced Highers
• Welsh Baccalaureate
• Access to HE

Exam results we do not receive

• The vast majority of European qualifications (e.g. the German Abitur, the French Baccalaureate, the Romanian Baccalaureate etc.)
• English language results, including IELTS
• Advanced Placement Tests (APs) and SATs
• Canadian Diplomas
• Hong Kong Diploma
• Indian school leaving certificates
• Australian secondary school certificates
• Degree results

If you are in any doubt, then please ensure you contact us as early as possible.

Results days

• SAT results - more information here
• AP results- July 2025
• IB results- 5th July 2025
• SQA results- 5th August 2025
• A-level results- 14th August 2025

Classics- students without A-level Greek or equivalent

Students who do not or will not have A-level Greek or equivalent when they begin their Cambridge course are required to undertake 30 hours of tuition in Greek before arriving in Cambridge. In order to attain the required tuition, students are normally expected to attend the JACT Greek Summer School at Bryanston School (Sunday 27th July to Saturday 9th August 2025). Details of the course can be found at: https://www.greeksummerschool.org  
 
The Faculty of Classics makes funding available to ensure that all those eligible will receive generous bursaries from the JACT Summer School to cover all or part of the costs. 

If for unavoidable reasons you are not able to attend the JACT summer school, please a) try to make alternative arrangements, and b) contact Dr Rosanna Omitowoju (rso20@cam.ac.uk) to check that any alternative arrangements are suitable and for help or advice in facilitating them.

Classics- students without A-level Latin or equivalent

As 3 Year Classics candidate without A-level Latin (or equivalent)you are asked to attend a summer course in Cambridge running for the first two weeks of September. Please keep 31 August – 13 September 2025 free in your summer planning. The tuition, course materials, accommodation and most meals will be free of cost to you. You will be given further details of this course after the confirmation of your place after results in August. If for any reason (e.g. serious travel or visa issues) you foresee that you would not be able to attend this course then please contact the course director, Dr Charlie Weiss at cw322@cam.ac.uk.

Medicine

Please ensure you return your completed Health Assessment Form and Immunisation Record Form to Occupational Health by the date specific in your offer email.

You will be contacted directly by Student Registry with details of your DBS check.

Mathematics

Your registered test centre (usually your school/college) must register you to take STEP by the date specified on this webpage. Please ensure you check with your school/college if they are a registered test centre well ahead of the deadline. If your school/college is not a registered test centre, then they can either apply to become, or you can take the exam at another test centre local to you.

You can find key dates for STEP (including when the examinations will be held) here.

Am I guaranteed accommodation?

Yes, you are guaranteed accommodation for the duration of your course as an undergraduate student at Lucy Cavendish College.

How do I apply for accommodation?

You are guaranteed accommodation, you therefore do not need to apply as such.

Please complete our online Accommodation Preference form sent to you by the Admissions Office in April 2024. This form aims to establish certain preferences you may have for the kind of accommodation you wish to be housed in. 

How does the accommodation preference form work?

The online accommodation preference form will ask you the following:

• Your basic details (full name, contact details and course)
• Whether an en-suite or rent price point is most important to you.
• To rank which kind of accommodation you would prefer to be housed in
• Information on any disabilities/additional needs that we should take into account when allocating accommodation.
• Whether you would require all-female accommodation for religious, cultural or other reasons.

Please kindly note that we will do our very best to accommodate your preferences, but it is unfortunately not always guaranteed.

I have completed the accommodation preference form, when will I receive my offer?

You will receive an offer of accommodation towards the end of August once you have met your conditions and your offer has been confirmed.

I didn’t get my first preference accommodation, can I change?

Usually not as all rooms will most likely be allocated.

What will happen if I reject an accommodation offer?

If you decide not to take up your offer of accommodation, please let us know straight away so that the room can be offered to another student. You would then be responsible for sourcing your own alternative accommodation. If you have already accepted your occupancy licence (accommodation contract) then it will not be possible to reject your accommodation.

How will any accommodation requirements (such as for access reasons) be taken into account?

These will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis taking into account any supporting documentation provided during the Admissions process. We will endeavor to accommodate your requirements, where possible, if supported by relevant evidence.  

We will ask you to tell us about any adjustments required in the accommodation preference form.

Will I be able to select all-female accommodation?

We do have a limited amount of all-female accommodation available, and the accommodation preference form will ask if you require this kind of accommodation for religious/cultural or other reasons.

Why are contracts for nine months?

This enables you to leave all your belongings in your room and not have to pack up and move your things for each holiday period. It also means that you have the flexibility to stay in your room over the holiday if you choose. Students have found this particularly useful during the Easter holidays before exam period.

How would I know what the total rent payment is for the year?

A typical occupancy licence is approximately 37 weeks and 6 days, so you can multiply the daily charge by this to roughly work out how much you would pay over a total academic year. Until you know which accommodation you have been allocated, however, please do bear in mind these will only be rough calculations.

When and how can I pay my accommodation charges?

You will receive notification from the Finance Office after your accommodation offer has been confirmed and the rent charges are payable termly, via your College account. Rent charges are due usually by the end of September approximately but the specific date will be stated on your bill. It is not possible to matriculate unless your all charges have been paid. 

Can I ship luggage from overseas to the College ahead of my arrival?

Unless there are exceptional circumstances then we cannot accept advance shipments as we have nowhere to store them.

Can I store belongings in College over the summer?

There is a limited amount of storage available over summer, which we reserve for international students. International students can ask at the Porter’s Lodge for a form to complete when they need the storage, which will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. We would strongly recommend that you also research storage solutions with external companies, as we cannot guarantee that there will be storage available. Please also note that storage at Lucy Cavendish is used at the owner's own risk.

Do I need to empty my room over the holiday period?

Due to the continuous nature of our occupancy licences, it will not be necessary to empty your room in the holiday periods giving you flexibility over when you come and go. You will be asked for information on when you will be away from College in the holiday periods for health & safety and security reasons.

Can I stay in College accommodation over summer?

Usually not, you will almost always be required to vacate your room a week after the end of Easter term. If you are a Care Leaver, Estranged, or find yourself in exceptional circumstances, then we will work with you to arrange accommodation over the summer, in College accommodation where possible. Please get in touch with the admissions office (admissions@lucy.cam.ac.uk ) if you have any concerns or anticipated needs in this regard.

Can I bring furniture into my room?

No unfortunately this is not possible as your room is already furnished.

Where do I eat?

Breakfast, lunch and dinner is available in College via the dining hall and the Café. Please see this webpage for more information on timings and menus.

You are also welcome to cook for yourself, there is no formal requirement to eat in College facilities.

How does the gym work at Lucy Cavendish?

The College gym can be found on the ground floor in Oldham Hall and access is available from 7am until 10pm with a University ID card. Before using the gym, all users must complete a health questionnaire and undertake a health and safety session with a trained instructor.

Use of the gym is restricted to students, staff and Fellows of the College only. It contains a treadmill, exercise bike, rowing machines, a cross trainer, weights and further multi-gym equipment.

The gym is free of charge to College members.

Can I bring a car with me to College?

University Regulations

All Undergraduates, and Postgraduates under the age of 24, must obtain a University Motor Licence from the University's Senior Proctor before they can either keep a car or motorcycle in Cambridge or get a College parking permit. In order to get a University Motor Licence, students must first see their Tutor and obtain a certificate confirming that they have College permission to keep a motorised vehicle in Cambridge and confirmation that the vehicle will only be parked in approved, off-street parking spaces. It is a serious breach of University rules to own a car without permission.

College parking permits

There is no parking available for students except in exceptional circumstances for those Undergraduate students living in College accommodation and who meet the following criteria:

• Students with certified disabilities affecting their mobility who live in College accommodation
• Clinical Vets, Clinical Medics and CGCM students (undergraduates only) who live in College accommodation

To apply for a car parking permit, students must complete an online form which they will be given access to before the start of term.

Timeline for Accommodation Provision

• Accommodation form sent to offer holders – April
• Provisional accommodation sent out – End of August after offer has been confirmed
• Deposit requested – End of August
• Occupancy licences sent – Early September

General Information 

• See our Fees and Funding webpage for an introduction to funding your studies.
• Schwab and Westheimer Trust - Grants and scholarships for Refugees and Asylum Seekers.
• Scholarship opportunities for displaced students (Refugees and Asylum Seekers).

For students with Home fee status:

• If you are eligible, we recommend that you apply for Student Finance as soon as possible. 
  • Please note that you must enter your campus as Lucy Cavendish College - University of Cambridge. 
  • If you enter your campus as just University of Cambridge, your application for student finance may not be processed correctly. 
• Disabled Students Allowance - if you're eligible, apply for DSA after you've submitted your main student finance application.
• The Cambridge Bursary - to receive the Cambridge Bursary you must apply for UK Government Student Finance and be assessed, but you do not need to take out a student loan to receive the Cambridge Bursary. There is no other application process for The Cambridge Bursary. For the 2024-25 academic year, Lucy Cavendish College students who are also Cambridge Bursary holders in College accommodation will receive a £500 rent bursary.
• OCR Bursary Scheme - for students from the West Midlands. Applications are open until May 7th.
• University scholarships - applications for 2024 will open later in the year, we will email you when they are open.
• Stand Alone Guides - support for making an application for Student Finance as a student who is estranged from their parents/family. 

For students with Overseas fee status:

• Funding Opportunities for International Students - read our reference document for more details
• International Disabled Students' Fund
• Singaporean Public Service Commission (PSC) - funding and leadership programmes for Singaporean citizens 

Academic resources:

• ZNotes - Free, student-led resource that provides revision notes, videos and resources for over 30 subjects across various qualifications.
• Isaac Physics - Free online resource to support those studying Physics at A-level (or equivalent)
• STEP support programme- This free online STEP Support Programme is offered by the University of Cambridge to help university applicants develop their advanced mathematical problem-solving skills and prepare for STEP mathematics exams.

Other guidance and support:

• University of Cambridge International Student Guide
• University of Cambridge Accessibility and Disability Services - see this website for more information regarding accessibility and disability support at Cambridge.