Studying for a Postgraduate Degree at St Edmund’s College
St Edmund’s College is home to about 600 postgraduate students from more than 70 different countries. Our postgraduates are studying for degrees in every subject offered by the University, and comprise both Doctoral researchers and those studying for one-year Masters programmes. We believe that this wide range of interests and nationalities result in a highly stimulating and vibrant postgraduate community—one that can only help broaden students’ intellectual horizons and enhance your academic experience. 
Applying for a Postgraduate Degree
Entry Requirements
To apply for a postgraduate course, you are normally required to have achieved a 2.1 or a 1st in your undergraduate degree. Requirements for individual courses can vary, so all potential applicants are encouraged to check with their prospective departments before applying.
The equivalencies of degrees obtained outside of the United Kingdom can be found here, by selecting the country where your degree was awarded from the drop-down menu.
How to Apply
Applications for almost all postgraduate degrees are administered by the University of Cambridge’s central Postgraduate Admissions Office (PAO). To make an application, you must submit an online application through the University’s applicant portal. Your application is considered first considered by the department or faculty where you wish to study. If your department recommends that you be admitted to the University, your application is then considered by your department’s Degree Committee. If approved, your application is then passed to the PAO, who will make a formal offer of admission to the University.
It is a condition of studying at the University of Cambridge that all students must belong to one of its 31 constituent colleges. As such, once the PAO have made a formal offer of admission, your application is then passed to the colleges, one of which will then offer you a college membership. Please note that once you have received an offer of membership from a college (including St Edmund’s) then it is not possible to transfer to another college. The only exception to this rule is if you have received a scholarship or funding award from another college that is conditional on your transferring to that college.
Full-time Postgraduate Courses
The majority of postgraduate degrees offered by the University of Cambridge are designed to be studied on a full-time basis. The length of courses vary depending on their subject, but in general terms Masters degrees tend to last between 9 and 11 months and PhDs last for between three and four years. All applicants are encouraged to check their prospective department’s website for up-to-date information about their chosen course of study.
As a full-time student at St Edmund’s you will have the opportunity to book College accommodation (further details of which can be found here). Yet, regardless of whether you live ‘in’ or ‘out’ of College, you will be a full member of the College community and will be free to use the College’s facilities and be able to participate in all College events. Further details of the College and its facilities can be found here.
Part-time Postgraduate Courses
At St Edmund’s we believe that your personal circumstances should never be a barrier to education. As such, we accept students studying for postgraduate degrees on a part-time basis. We currently have 15 students studying for part-time PhDs, and 70 studying for part-time Masters courses. Most of these are studying for the Master of Studies (MSt) courses offered by the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE).
All part-time students share the same College membership benefits as full-time students. Yet, they are not entitled to book accommodation for the duration of a whole academic year in the same way as full-time students. Instead, the College reserves a limited number of student rooms that part-time students can book for short stays while they are in Cambridge for their studies.
You can apply for all of the part-time courses that are offered at Cambridge through the University’s applicant portal.
Postgraduate Degrees Offered by the Judge Business School
To apply for the Master of Business Administration (MBA), Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) or the Master of Finance (MFin) degrees, you should apply directly to the Judge Business School. Details of how to apply can be found here.
Choosing a College
When completing your application form, you will be asked to express your preference for college membership. We hope that you chose St Edmund’s College(!) but do think about this carefully and ensure that you would be happy to study at either of your preferred colleges. In some cases, where your preference colleges are full, you may be allocated to another college.
For more details, and to begin applying for a postgraduate degree at Cambridge, click here.