Engineering at
Oxford &
Cambridge.

Funding is limited at both universities. Build a sustainable budget without assuming a full scholarship. Check nationality, residence, financial circumstances and College or external award conditions.

Cambridge says few full scholarships are available; most support is partial and means-tested. Cambridge Trust consideration follows a College offer, but other awards can have earlier deadlines. Oxford describes its overseas undergraduate scholarships as very limited.

Register and book separately from UCAS through the official UAT UK process for a Pearson VUE test centre. Choose the correct three modules for your course. The test is not taken from home.

The published fee is £78 at UK or Republic of Ireland centres; £133 elsewhere. The test centre’s location determines the fee. Check identification requirements carefully. Arrange approved access arrangements before booking; the bursary scheme is for eligible UK applicants.

For the 2027 October sitting, China, Hong Kong and Macau had a restricted 12–13 October window. The ordinary booking and testing deadlines shown above have passed.

Not for the ordinary October-round Oxbridge application. You may take the ESAT only once per admissions cycle. January is not a general retake or a way to replace the required October sitting.

Specified mature-applicant or Foundation Year routes may have different arrangements. Confirm eligibility with the relevant University and College before relying on that exception.

Oxford: helpful, rather than compulsory. Mathematics and Physics remain required, with both A*s drawn from Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics.

Cambridge: contact your shortlisted Colleges. Take Further Mathematics to AS or A level if your school offers it. Where it is unavailable, ask whether your preparation is suitable; self-study is not an automatic replacement for a College’s formal condition.

This is qualification-specific. IB applicants need Mathematics AA HL for Cambridge, rather than an additional A-level award. AP and Singapore routes have their own requirements.

Oxford accepts Mathematics AA HL or AI HL. It requires 7 in both Mathematics and Physics, within 40 overall and 776 at HL. Cambridge requires Mathematics AA HL and Physics HL; check your College’s exact grades.

For APs, discuss Calculus BC and Physics C preparation early. Oxford expects BC where available, allows its published AB exception, and does not count AB and BC as separate subjects. Physics C Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism can count separately; other Physics combinations have restrictions.

Cambridge normally expects at least five relevant AP scores of 5, strong school results and the published SAT/ACT evidence. Check the full package, result timing and College conditions. Taking AP examinations does not require enrolment in an AP course; AP Capstone normally does not count towards Cambridge’s minimum.

Prior industrial experience is not an entry requirement. The six-week Cambridge requirement applies during the degree. What you have learned from an accessible activity matters more than its prestige or cost.

Investigate a physical system, write a small simulation, repair something or compare a model’s prediction with a measurement. Be ready to explain the assumptions, what went wrong and what you changed. Keep mathematical and physical reasoning at the centre.

Oxford’s undergraduate interviews are online. Engineering discussions ask you to reason through mathematical and physical problems, often with new information or prompts.

Cambridge’s format depends on the College. For 2027 entry, Churchill lists in-person interviews; Christ’s, Queens’, Downing and Trinity Hall list online. Check the current University table and your own invitation before booking travel.

Christ’s normally holds two academic Engineering interviews totalling 35–50 minutes, with no separate interview-day test or preparatory exercise. This is one College’s arrangement. Peterhouse may also ask for STEP II grade 2.

Book the ESAT separately. Cambridge also normally requires My Cambridge Application, with transcript or document instructions depending on your qualifications. For 2027, supporting documents follow My Cambridge Application or College instructions, rather than an extra UCAS-upload process.

Some applicants outside the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man pay a £60 Cambridge application fee; exemptions apply. Follow the official guidance for your circumstances. Main Engineering is not a general portfolio-entry course; Cambridge Design has different requirements.

The ordinary 2027 UCAS and supplementary-form deadlines have passed. Deferred entry under that cycle is different from a fresh application in the next cycle.

Where evidence is required, Oxford lists IELTS Academic 7.5 overall with at least 7.0 in each component. Cambridge normally asks for 7.5 overall, usually with 7.0 in each element. Accepted tests, exemptions and offer conditions need individual checks.

Oxford currently does not accept TOEFL tests taken from 21 January 2026 while the revised test is under review. English-medium schooling may support an exemption under the relevant University rules; it does not create an automatic waiver.

School location does not determine Home or overseas fee status. The relevant nationality, immigration and residence circumstances matter; the University assesses your position.

If you need a Student visa, you need a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) before applying. Cambridge issues a CAS only after all offer conditions have been met. Follow the University’s instructions on documents, finances and timing.

Do not assume every MEng requires ATAS. Oxford’s current undergraduate ATAS list covers Materials Science and specified Physics courses, rather than Engineering Science. Related courses, individual exemptions and Cambridge offer/CAS instructions need their own checks.