Guides · Updated 3 November 2026

My Cambridge Application (MCA): Deadlines, Questions and Requirements for 2027 Entry

My Cambridge Application is a mandatory additional online form for undergraduate applicants to the University of Cambridge. According to the University of Cambridge undergraduate admissions pages, you will receive an email link within 48 hours of submitting your UCAS application, and most applicants must submit the form by 6pm UK time on 22 October 2026 (or 20 January 2027 for mature students applying in the January round). AdmitMock is an AI mock interview app for Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and US college alumni interviews: an AI interviewer asks the questions out loud, follows up, and shows you what to fix.

What My Cambridge Application Is and Who Must Complete It

My Cambridge Application is an additional online form that you must complete if you are applying for an undergraduate degree at Cambridge. Once you submit your UCAS application, Cambridge sends you an email within 48 hours containing instructions and a personalised link to your form. Because the form is personalised, it only asks the questions that apply to your specific application.

The form takes about one hour to complete, though you should not leave it until the final day because you need to prepare information in advance and upload a photo. Your answers save automatically as you go. You can sign out, return to complete your form, and edit your answers at any point before you submit it.

If you are applying to the Foundation Year, you should check the Foundation Year website for what happens after your UCAS submission. By our calculation from the official Cambridge application dates timetable, there are exactly 7 days between the main UCAS deadline on 15 October 2026 and the My Cambridge Application deadline on 22 October 2026 (and the same 7-day gap in the January mature round between 13 January 2027 and 20 January 2027). Submitting your UCAS form early gives you much more than 7 days to gather your documents and check your answers.

Deadlines for 2027 Entry (October and January Rounds)

You must meet both the UCAS deadline and the My Cambridge Application deadline for your application to be valid.

Important Rule for 2027 Entry: UCAS Document Uploads Are Not Reviewed

For 2027 entry, Cambridge will not download or review any additional documents that you upload to UCAS. Even if you or your school have already uploaded a high school transcript or university transcript through UCAS, Cambridge will not see it there.

You must provide all documents required for Cambridge directly through My Cambridge Application, or via the College you applied to if you are unable to upload them to the form. Do not assume that an upload on your UCAS Hub covers your Cambridge requirement.

What You Need Before You Start the Form

Because the form asks for academic history, document uploads, and a photo, you should gather your files before you open the link. Depending on your residence, qualifications, and course, My Cambridge Application will ask for the following items:

• A digital photo of yourself to upload to the form.
• £60 for the application fee if you are applying from outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man (some applicants are exempt from this fee).
• A high school transcript and/or a university transcript, if required for your qualifications.
• Details of the topics you studied at high school, if you are leaving school this year or left last year. For some courses, you may be asked to discuss these topics at your interview.
• Scores and dates of any English language tests you have taken, such as IELTS.
• Scores and dates of your SATs, if they are required qualifications for your entry route (for example, if you are applying from the USA where Cambridge usually asks for a combination of AP tests and the SAT and/or ACT). If you took the SAT alongside qualifications that are sufficient for entry on their own, such as A levels or the International Baccalaureate (IB), you do not need to declare your SAT results and they will not be considered.
• Details of how your studies will be funded, if you are an international student.
• Whether you are currently eligible for Free School Meals, or have been eligible in the last 6 years (for UK applicants, which adds a contextual flag to your application).
• An optional Cambridge-specific personal statement of up to 1,200 characters.

Who Needs to Upload a Transcript (and File Rules)

When you fill in My Cambridge Application, the form will tell you automatically whether you need to provide a high school transcript and/or a university transcript. Because getting an official transcript from your school, college, or university can take several weeks, ask for it as early as possible.

You must upload your transcript through My Cambridge Application by 22 October 2026 (or 20 January 2027 in the mature January round). You cannot upload a transcript through the portal after you submit the form. Here are the exact triggers and technical rules from Cambridge's transcript guidance:

• High school transcript triggers: You will be asked for a high school transcript if you do not have 6 or more GCSEs/IGCSEs (or 5 or more Scottish National Qualifications), OR if you took your GCSEs/IGCSEs or Scottish National Qualifications more than 3 years (36 months) ago, OR if you do not have and are not currently studying AS or A levels, Scottish Advanced Highers, or the International Baccalaureate. For example, IB students who did not take at least 6 GCSEs/IGCSEs or 5 Scottish National Qualifications must provide a high school transcript.
• University transcript trigger: You will be asked for a university transcript if you have already completed 1 year or more at another university.
• Time period covered: The transcript must cover your most recent 2 years (24 months) of study at school, college, or university up to the point when you apply.
• What to include and exclude: It should be an official document with a watermark, stamp, or letterhead showing your full name, date of birth, subjects taken, grades achieved, and exam dates (plus coursework or non-exam assessments). Do not include predicted grades or exam results you are still waiting for, as those belong on your UCAS application. Do not edit the transcript in any way.
• Language and translation: Cambridge only accepts transcripts in English. If yours is in another language, you must not translate it yourself. It must be translated by your school, college, university, or an official translation service and authorised with a stamp, watermark, or signature.
• File format and size: Each file must be a PDF of up to 5 MB. You can upload up to 5 PDFs in total. If you only have a printed copy, a clear scanned image saved as a PDF is accepted, though your College may ask to see the original later.
• What to do if your transcript is late: You must still submit My Cambridge Application by the deadline, even if your transcript is late or unavailable. If you do not submit the form on time, your application will be invalid. You or your school can email a late transcript afterward to your chosen College (or to applicationhelp@ug.admin.cam.ac.uk for an open application) with your full name, UCAS personal ID number, and course, though it is up to the College whether to consider a late transcript.

How to Write the Optional 1,200-Character Cambridge Personal Statement

My Cambridge Application gives you the option to write an extra, Cambridge-specific personal statement of up to 1,200 characters. Cambridge does not expect your main UCAS personal statement to be aimed at Cambridge alone, and leaving this extra box blank will not disadvantage you if you have nothing Cambridge-specific to add.

However, Cambridge recommends that you write this additional statement if the course you are applying for at Cambridge is significantly different from your other UCAS choices, or if the course is only offered at Cambridge. Keep these official rules in mind while drafting:

• What to include: Highlight what interested you in the specific Cambridge course you are applying to, explain why you want to study a course that is only offered at Cambridge, or share ways you have been exploring your subject interests if you could not cover them fully in your UCAS personal statement.
• What NOT to include: Do not repeat information that you already included in your UCAS personal statement. Do not use the statement to explain why you applied to a particular Cambridge College.

Worked Example: 1,200-Character Cambridge Personal Statement

To show you how a focused draft fits comfortably inside the 1,200-character limit without repeating a UCAS statement or naming a College, here is an example for an applicant applying to Natural Sciences at Cambridge alongside single-honours Chemistry courses elsewhere.

Example answer written by our team. The applicant is invented.

"My other UCAS choices are single-honours Chemistry degrees, so my UCAS statement focuses on organic synthesis and spectroscopy. I am applying to Natural Sciences at Cambridge because the Part IA structure lets me study Physics and Materials Science alongside Chemistry before specialising. While investigating solid-state battery electrolytes this autumn, I found that the questions that interested me most sat right on the boundary between physical chemistry and crystallography, especially how lattice defects govern ionic conductivity. Studying Materials Science and Physics initially would give me the mathematical and crystallographic grounding to model phase transitions and defect chemistry properly, rather than treating the solid state purely from a synthetic angle. Since submitting my UCAS form, I have worked through the introductory chapters of Callister's Materials Science and Engineering on crystal structures and diffusion, and compared how point defects are treated thermodynamically versus kinetically. I want to use the broad initial foundation at Cambridge to test whether to specialise in Chemistry or Materials Science in Part IB."

Notice that it fits well within the 1,200-character cap, explains why the Cambridge course structure fits the applicant's academic curiosity, adds a specific piece of reading done after the UCAS submission, avoids repeating the UCAS statement, and never mentions a College.

Step-by-Step Checklist from UCAS Submission to 22 October

Use this checklist written by our team to make sure nothing blocks your submission between sending your UCAS form and the deadline on 22 October 2026:

• Step 1 (Before submitting UCAS): Request your high school or university transcript from your school or university office if you meet any of the transcript triggers, and arrange an official stamped translation if it is not in English.
• Step 2 (Day of UCAS submission): Add applicationhelp@ug.admin.cam.ac.uk and no-reply@apply.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk to your email contacts or safe sender list so your invitation link does not land in spam.
• Step 3 (Within 48 hours of UCAS submission): Open the personalised link in your email. If 48 hours pass without an email, check your junk folder and then email applicationhelp@ug.admin.cam.ac.uk.
• Step 4 (First login): Check whether the form flags a transcript requirement for you, upload your photo, and enter your high school topics (if leaving school this year or last year), test dates and scores, and funding details (if international).
• Step 5 (Drafting): If your Cambridge course differs from your other UCAS choices, draft your optional Cambridge statement in a plain document first, check that it is 1,200 characters or fewer, and remove any mention of your College choice or points already in your UCAS statement.
• Step 6 (Final check and submission before 22 October 2026): Check that every section says 'completed' and every question has a tick icon next to it, upload your transcript PDFs (up to 5 files, max 5 MB each), pay the £60 fee if required, and submit the form.

Troubleshooting Links, Passwords and Post-Submission Errors

If you are not receiving emails from Cambridge, first check your junk or spam folder and make sure both applicationhelp@ug.admin.cam.ac.uk and no-reply@apply.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk are saved in your contacts. If you forget your password, use the password reset option on the sign-in page and wait a few minutes for the reset email to arrive.

If the form will not let you click submit, check every section on your dashboard. Completed sections are marked 'completed' and completed questions display a tick icon next to them. A single unticked question will block submission.

You should email applicationhelp@ug.admin.cam.ac.uk directly if you do not get your email within 48 hours of submitting UCAS, if the link in your email does not work, if you lose the email containing your link, or if you cannot complete the form online for any reason. If your email address or contact details change, update them in the UCAS Hub or by contacting UCAS customer services.

If you spot a mistake in the information you gave after you have already submitted My Cambridge Application, email your chosen College (or the College you have been allocated to). If you made an open application and have not yet been allocated to a College, email applicationhelp@ug.admin.cam.ac.uk. In your email, you must include your full name, your UCAS personal ID number, and the course you applied for.

What Happens Next: Preparing for Your Cambridge Interview

Once your My Cambridge Application is submitted, shortlisting begins. Most interview invitations are sent in November, with some arriving in early December, and the main interview window runs from 7 December to 18 December 2026. You can read our complete guide on what to expect at your Cambridge interview to see how your College will run the day, or check the setup requirements in our Oxbridge online interview guide.

Remember that Cambridge states on the application page that for some courses, you may be asked at interview to discuss the high school topics you listed on your form, alongside your personal statement and new academic problems. To start preparing early, follow our Oxbridge interview preparation plan and browse Cambridge interview questions by type (or our subject guide for the Cambridge Maths interview). After December interviews conclude, main-round decisions and winter pool outcomes follow in January, which we cover in our guide to Cambridge decision day and the winter pool.

Practise your interview out loud on AdmitMock.

Practice question

Question in this style (written by our team): On your My Cambridge Application, you listed the topics you have covered in school so far this term. Pick a topic you studied recently and explain an assumption or limitation in the model you were taught.

Example written by our team. The applicant is invented. "In physical chemistry last month we derived the ideal gas law and used it to calculate molar volumes, which assumes gas particles have negligible volume and experience no intermolecular forces. That works well at low pressures, but when I compared it with high-pressure data for carbon dioxide, you have to introduce the van der Waals terms to account for finite molecular size and attractive forces."

Cambridge notes that for some courses you may be asked at interview to discuss the high school topics you listed on My Cambridge Application. Naming a specific recent topic and immediately identifying the boundary condition of the school model gives the interviewers a clear starting point for a deeper academic conversation.

AdmitMock is not affiliated with Oxford, Cambridge or any other university.