We welcome applicants from India who would like to apply for a place here at Christ's College. It will be important to check the entry requirements very carefully, as most of our applicants from India take additional qualifications. Teachers and guidance counselors at schools in India are also welcome to get in touch if you have questions about supporting students from your school who would like to apply to Christ's College.
Depending on which qualifications you are studying for, please first of all check the qualification requirements below.
Class XII is not considered to be suitable preparation for a competitive application to the University of Cambridge on it's own (this is the same for all exam boards).
If you are performing very highly in Class Xll and are considering an application to Christ's, please also take one of the following qualifications:
| Cambridge Courses this is suitable for | Qualification | Required grades | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| All courses. If you apply for Mathematics you will also need to sit STEP exams (see below). | Five Advanced Placement Tests | 5,5,5,5,5 | Please see Applying with AP's |
| Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Natural Sciences (Physical) | IIT-JEE (Advanced) | a rank of <2000 | |
Mathematics Offers for Computer Science, Engineering, and Economics may also include STEP if you are unable to demonstrate that you have achieved the equivalent of A Level Mathematics and Further Mathematics | STEP Mathematics Papers II and III | Grades 1,1 | Please see STEP page |
What do we mean by performing very highly in Class XII?
We would expect to see 95% or higher in five subjects, including any subjects that are required for the course you are applying for. To check for subjects that are required for your course, please see the subject requirements section on the relevant subject page.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma is taken at more than 200 schools in India. Our typical entry requirement is 42 points (including bonus points), with 776 at Higher Level.
If you are applying for a course that requires maths, you must ensure that you are taking Maths: Analysis and Approaches at Higher Level.
Please see our IB page for full information.
Students taking International A levels will need to achieve at least A*AA or A*A*A, depending on the course applied for. See our page for International A levels.
In some cases, if it is not possible for you to apply with the AP's, International A levels or the International Baccalaureate, we may be able to consider you with the first year of a suitable undergraduate degree at a university outside the UK.
If you are considering this option, please read the information here carefully.
In addition to the overall qualification requirements, you will need to ensure that you are taking suitable subjects to meet any course requirements. See the relevant subject page, noting that you may need to register by mid-September for any Admissions Test that is required for your course.
All offers for Mathematics include STEP II and III. Further information about STEP and preparation support is available on the Maths page.
Please also make sure you are aware of the English Language requirements if you are not a native speaker of English.
My favourite spot in College is probably the chapel [...] I have had some of my loveliest evenings there watching my friends sing in the choir, or participating in or watching concerts and recitals. It’s a beautiful, serene setting and I am always left in awe of all the talented musicians Christ’s has.
Mira is from Mumbai, India and has written about her experiences of being a Christ's student.
We recommend that you also read more student profiles, which you can find organised by course or by where the student is from.
We are often asked about scholarships for students from India and have provided information about costs and potential financial support below. You must first of all apply in September and be selected for an offer in January, before you can apply for financial support. You normally find out in March whether you have been selected for one or more of the scholarships.
When you apply, you will need to pay a £28.50 fee for your UCAS application (you can apply to five UK universities), £60 for the Cambridge application fee (you'll pay this when you complete the My Cambridge Application form), and you will also need to pay for any Admissions Test required for your course e.g. there's a £130 fee to take the TMUA for Computer Science & Economics or the ESAT for Natural Sciences, Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Do bear in mind that you may also need to pay for travel to the nearest test centre.
Whilst studying for your degree you will need to pay
There are some part-cost awards which you can apply for once you hold an offer from Cambridge if you have financial need. Please be aware that competition is high for these awards.
| Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trusts Awards | Normally £10,000 - £15,000 year |
| Christ's International Awards | £10,000 a year, and in some cases we waive the College fee |
| Sukanya Rajaratnam Commonwealth Award | £10,000 a year, and in some cases we waive the College fee |
| Christ's Awards | Help with activities whilst you are a Christ's student. |
For further information, please see financial support for international students.
Each year we run regular webinars for international applicants from February to August and an International Q&A webinar in July. See the international webinar page.
From February until August we also run our regular webinars (such as Cambridge for Beginners and Personal Statements and Competitive applications). We deliberately vary the times of these.
You will also find other online events advertised on our website.
We recommend that you apply as soon as possible once UCAS opens for applications in September. Your course may require registration in mid-September for an admissions test (depending on the subject) and then the UCAS application deadline for all courses is 15 October. Application is for entry the following October (or for deferred entry the year after). We encourage all applicants to read the information about applying on the relevant subject page, as well as the how to apply page well in advance of September, as there are a number of parts to the application procedure which may take time to organise and complete:
Do also explore our additional support pages for international applicants, and note that on 20 September Christ's publishes the current applicants section, which will support you (in detail!) through the next steps once you have submitted a valid application and chosen Christ's College in your UCAS application.
You will see if you read through our how to apply page, that we have interviews as part of our admissions process. We interview the majority of applicants, though not every applicant is selected for interview. Please see the information about interviews in the Christ's International Applicant Support section.
Christ's applicants who are selected for interview are interviewed online - the arrangements are the same for both UK and international applicants. You can have your interviews either at home (most applicants do this) or at school (if easier or if you have a better internet connection at school).
In some subjects there is a "College Registered" assessment, which means an assessment that is only taken by those selected for interview. As the name implies, there is no registration for these assessments - they will be organised by Christ's for you to sit online if you are selected for interview, and we will send you full details at the time. You can check to see if there is a College Registered assessment and (if relevant) details for this in your subject by reading the how to apply section on the relevant subject page.
Please also read the requirements for applicants from India on the Cambridge University international entry requirements page, and there is a full section for international students on the Christ's website.
We encourage you to explore the college online as there are lots of pictures to help you to get a sense of it. We have a College map and parts of Christ's are available to look at on the University Virtual Tour, where you can explore Colleges online. You may also like to look at the accommodation and facilities pages on our website.
If you read through some of the student profiles and the student life section, you'll pick up lots of detail about College life.
For your course research we recommend reading the Christ's subject page (and following links from it to the university pages too). It is essential to read this page before making your application as it also has any subject-specific requirements, advice and resources.
We have a university India Society - you'll be able to find them at the university freshers fair in the first week if you want to.
International Students / Should I apply? / How to apply / Subjects at Christ's / Application support for International Students
