Cambridge University Acceptance Rate 2026: What the Latest Data Means for Indian Students

The Cambridge University acceptance rate for 2025 entry was 16.3%. Cambridge received 22,513 undergraduate applications, made 4,893 offers, and accepted 3,669 students, according to its official Undergraduate Admissions Statistics for the 2025 cycle (published May 2026). This is the latest data available in 2026.

The rate has stayed in a narrow band for five years:

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Cambridge makes more offers than it has places, because most offers are conditional on final exam results. The offer rate (21.7% for 2025 entry) counts everyone who received an offer. The acceptance rate, which Cambridge calls the "success rate," counts only students who met their conditions and took up a place (16.3%).

Many Indian portals quote 21% as the Cambridge University acceptance rate. That figure is the offer rate. When comparing universities, compare like with like.

Cambridge publishes its results by country of residence, so you can work out the Cambridge University acceptance rate for Indian students directly. For the 2025 entry, 370 applicants living in India applied, 38 received offers, and 25 were accepted. That is a 6.8% success rate, less than half the overall figure.

Three things pull the number down. First, Class 12 qualifications are accepted only for some courses and Colleges, so many applicants from India apply without a qualification Cambridge treats as competitive. Second, many of the most popular courses, such as Engineering, Computer Science and Economics, are also among the hardest to get into. Third, most courses need an admissions test and an academic interview that Indian school exams do not prepare you for.

Counselor insight: Students who get in from India usually have more than board marks. They have AP scores, A Levels or the IB, a strong admissions test result, and a course choice that matches their qualifications. If Cambridge feels too narrow, apply to a spread of options alongside it, including UK universities with higher acceptance rates.

Across all applicants living outside the UK, Cambridge received 8,300 applications for 2025 entry and accepted 890. The Cambridge University acceptance rate for international students was 10.7%.

The gap between countries is wide. For Indian families, the lesson is simple: the qualification you hold shapes your odds as much as your marks do.

Your course matters more than the university-wide figure. The table below shows the Cambridge University acceptance rate for high-demand courses (all applicants, 2025 entry), with the 2027-entry international tuition fee converted to INR.

Now called Environment, Law, and Economics. Fees exclude the annual College fee. INR figures use £1 = ₹126.5 (October 2026); check the current rate before you budget. Sources: Cambridge Undergraduate Admissions Statistics 2025 cycle, Table 1.1; Cambridge international tuition fees for 2027 entry.

• Engineering: 10.3%. It is Cambridge's most applied-for course, and applicants sit the ESAT.
• Law: 14.0%. Applicants sit the LNAT.
• Psychology (Psychological and Behavioral Sciences): 12.9%.
• Medicine: 17.6%, with applicants sitting the UCAT. The graduate Medicine course was 16.3%.

Computer Science is the hardest course to get into, at 7.4%. Applicants sit at the TMUA.

Trinity is the most applied-to College. It received about 1,420 first-choice applications for 2025 entry and accepted 199 students, a success rate of roughly 14%. College choice matters less than most applicants think, because strong candidates who miss out at their first College can be picked up by another through the Winter Pool.

Cambridge updated its India guidance in March 2026. This is the rule most competitor pages still get wrong.

CBSE Class 12 is accepted only for these courses: Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic; Archaeology; Architecture; Asian and Middle Eastern Studies; Classics; Design; Education; English; Environment, Law, and Economics; Geography; History; History and Modern Languages; History and Politics; History of Art; Human, Social, and Political Sciences; Law; Linguistics; Linguistics and Modern Languages; Modern and Medieval Languages; Music; Philosophy; Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion; and Veterinary Medicine. It is accepted only at 20 Colleges. The minimum offer is A1 in five relevant subjects.

Applying with ISC, a state board, or for Engineering, Computer Science, Maths, Natural Sciences or Medicine? Cambridge strongly recommends further study. Accepted routes include A Levels, the IB, five AP tests at score 5 alongside A1 grades in Class 12, or possibly the first year of a degree at a university outside the UK.

English language: IELTS Academic, normally 7.5 overall with 7.0 or above in each band. C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency are also accepted.

Admissions tests: ESAT (Engineering, Natural Sciences, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Veterinary Medicine), TMUA (Computer Science, Economics), LNAT (Law), and UCAT (Medicine). Book early: Cambridge applicants must sit them before or around the October UCAS deadline.

For postgraduate study, Cambridge received 39,923 applications for 2024/25, made 10,279 offers (25.7%) and admitted 5,663 students (14.2%).

The Cambridge University acceptance rate for Masters is higher than the undergraduate rate. The Cambridge University acceptance rate for PhD applicants from India is much tighter because places depend on supervisor capacity and funding. India sent the third-highest number of doctoral applications, after the UK and China.

Funding drives postgraduate success. Most scholarships, including the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, are tied to the University funding deadline, not the later course deadline. A sharp, research-focused SOP for UK universities matters, and it helps to shortlist backup options among the top UK universities for Master's.

See what our counselors say about Cambridge Master's GPA cut-offs.

Harvard's headline rate is far lower, but it receives more than twice as many applications. Cambridge and Oxford applicants are more self-selected, because you cannot apply to both in the same UCAS cycle.

For Indian applicants, Oxford's three-year rate is lower than Cambridge's. If you are considering both, check out our guide on getting into Oxford from India.

1. Choose a course your qualification fits. A CBSE student with A1 grades applying for Law at a College that accepts CBSE is in a stronger position than the same student applying for Engineering without APs.
2. Treat the admissions test as the main event. For ESAT, TMUA, and LNAT courses, a strong score helps you stand out at shortlisting.
3. Prepare for a subject interview, not a personality interview. Tutors test how you reason through unfamiliar problems.
4. Plan a year ahead. Tests, the UCAS form, and the My Cambridge Application all fall within a few weeks in September and October.

For the step-by-step process, read our guide on how to get into Cambridge University from India.

International tuition for 2027 entry ranges from £30,798 (about ₹39.0 lakh) a year for humanities courses to £70,554 (about ₹89.3 lakh) for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. Overseas students also pay an annual College fee, which varies by College. Living expenses are in addition to both.

Compare these figures with the wider cost of studying in the UK, and check Cambridge University scholarships for Indian students before you rule anything out.

1. Plan around the India figure, not the headline one. Cambridge accepts 16.3% of all applicants but only 6.8% of applicants living in India.
2. Match your qualification to your course before you apply. CBSE alone works only for listed courses at listed Colleges; for STEM courses, add APs, A Levels, or the IB.
3. For Master's or PhD study, submit before the University funding deadline (8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027) so you are considered for scholarships.

The Cambridge University acceptance rate for Indian students is just 6.8%, so your course choice, admission test score, and interview prep all need to be strong. Book a free session with a LeapScholar counselor to check where your profile stands and plan your Cambridge application for the next cycle.