Welcome to Lucy Cavendish College
We are delighted to have been able to make you an offer, and we very much look forward to working with you as an offer-holder over the coming months and to hopefully welcoming you to our College in the autumn
Who we are and what we do
Lucy Cavendish College is a modern College of the University of Cambridge. We welcome students of all genders and ages, and we pride ourselves in having the most diverse student body in Cambridge.
We are uniquely committed to widening participation, aiming to admit a majority of students from backgrounds that are either disadvantaged or underrepresented at Cambridge, and admitting over 90% of our UK students from maintained sector schools. Our community is also truly global, with students from over 80 countries represented, and we have a long history of admitting and supporting international students to excel at Cambridge. Whoever you are and wherever you are from, we guarantee that you will find a home-from-home and a vibrant, welcoming community at Lucy Cavendish.
Combining the best of Cambridge’s historic traditions and world-leading education with an environment and a community that reflects modern society, we are a College that is proud to be different. We are a driving force for change - we can't wait to welcome you to our inclusive, forward-thinking College
Hear from our students Jinheum, Natalie and Eva about living and studying at Lucy.
Making the most of our offer holder page
We hope this page will allow you as an offer holder to get to know our College better, and look forward to hopefully being a member of our student community in the autumn. This page is also designed to guide you smoothly through the admissions process in the upcoming months by outlining the dates, deadlines and information you should be aware of. Please ensure that you check this page regularly, and do not hesitate to contact our admissions team on admissions@lucy.cam.ac.uk if you wish to discuss anything. We are always happy to discuss anything that you would like, and we view the offer holder stage very much as a collaborative process.
The webpage below is also full of useful information which should give you a helpful introduction to College life and facilities. If after reading this page you have any queries, you are always welcome to get in touch with the Admissions Team at admissions@lucy.cam.ac.uk.
Please ensure you start all emails with:
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Your name (exactly as you wrote it on your UCAS form, with family name in CAPITALS)
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The course you have applied for (including 'Biological or Physical' if Natural Sciences)
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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.
Important information and guidance for offer holders
Welcome to Lucy Cavendish - Introductory Zoom webinars
![]() About: Come along for a virtual welcome from Lucy Cavendish College - we will introduce you to the College, and talk you through your next steps as an offer holder. Date: February 6th, 10am and 5pm (UK time). Please see here for the recording of this webinar. The slides from the session are also available here.
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![]() About: Come along to hear about the various forms of student support available to students at Lucy Cavendish College. Date: March 17th, 10am and 5pm (UK time). Please note that we record these sessions for those unable to attend live. Please see here for the recording of this webinar. The slides from the session are also available here.
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Key dates, deadline and guidance
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 2025 - Offer Holders who may require a Visa will be contacted about next steps
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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.
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We cannot provide advice on student visas, so please contact the International Student Office on international.students@admin.cam.ac.uk
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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
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.
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.
Getting to know our College
Lucy Cavendish tour with our students Preshka and Tom
You can also explore our College through our virtual tour (navigate to Colleges and Accommodation and then select Lucy Cavendish College)
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Student Support at Lucy Cavendish College
Studying at Cambridge can be challenging: the terms are short and fast-paced and the academic standards are high. So we support students throughout their time in the College in lots of different ways, including via our full fully funded Bridging Course and comprehensive pastoral and academic support
"Lucy Cavendish is a very friendly, welcoming environment. The support is amazing, especially during times you need it the most. Everyone at the College wants the best for those who are here, and will do anything they can to help make your time here run as smoothly as possible."
-Kiera, History
"Even after just one term at Lucy Cavendish, I have thoroughly enjoyed my studies and have benefited enormously from the vast range of support available within the college and wider university."
-Roman, Modern and Medieval Languages

Bridging Course
All our new students benefit from the very best academic and pastoral support right from the start of their degrees. Our fully subsidised Bridging Course allows incoming students to get to grips with life and study at Cambridge just before the start of term. Students meet their new tutors, Directors of Studies and supervisors and hone their academic skills by producing a piece of work for a mini-supervision (in-college small group teaching sessions).
We also want students to begin to feel at home at Lucy and in Cambridge, so there is also an emphasis on meeting new friends, exploring the city and getting used to life in College.

Ongoing academic and pastoral support
We want you to get the most out of your academic studies and your time as a student with us. We run a special academic skills programme, and also offer comprehensive pastoral support thanks to our Health and Wellbeing team, who can offer support, resources, and guidance to all students.
Find out more about our comprehensive academic and pastoral support
Find out more


Lucy Cavendish offers considerable financial support to its students Find out more
Congratulations again on your offer to Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge
We can't wait to welcome you to our community!