Our second Postgrad Offerholder Webinar will be Thursday 19 June from 12-1 (BST or GMT+1). This will not simply be a repeat of the first one and will give you further opportunity to ask questions. Relevant members of staff will attend as well as one or two current postgraduates. Information about registering will be sent closer to the time.
Message from PAO: Processing times for uploaded documents as of 16 April
We are currently processing uploaded documents to meet offer conditions within 3 working days of applicants uploading them to their self-service account. For documents relating to the finance condition the current processing time is 9 working days.
We have now begun processing offer confirmations (MATR) for entry in Michaelmas 2025 when all conditions have been marked as completed. We have not yet begun issuing CAS for Michaelmas 2025 offer holders, we will begin issuing CAS from June onwards.
30 April offer acceptance. After the last webinar, there was some confusion around the 30 April offer acceptance deadline set by the University and whether you had to have your financial situation confirmed by that time. This is a quote from your Offer Conditions Guide (attached): “A deadline for acceptance is stated on your offer certificate. Note this is earlier than the deadline for meeting all conditions set out in 3.1. If you do not accept your offer by this deadline, it will be withdrawn. We encourage you to accept your offer and to do so as soon as you are ready. You can accept the offer even if you are still waiting for a decision about funding, including from one of the University’s internal funders, such as Gates Cambridge, the Cambridge Trust, Cambridge administered UK Research Council funding or a College. However, you should only accept if it is your firm intention to take up your place at Cambridge. If it later becomes necessary for you to cancel your acceptance, for example because you do not secure funding, you can do so by withdrawing your application at any time before your course begins (see 15.1). If you withdraw your application before registration you will not be liable for course fees (for the Master’s degree in Corporate Law there is a non-refundable reservation fee). When you accept an offer, you should withdraw from any other Cambridge offers or applications that you have. The only exception is if you are waiting to hear about funding for a course which would be your first choice. If this is the case, you can accept more than one offer. This prevents you being withdrawn from your preferred course while you wait for a funding decision (see 3.3). However, you must withdraw from other offers before your admission can be confirmed (see 3.4) and by the deadline for meeting the other conditions of your offer.” I’ve quoted the whole section as I think it’s very useful. Do take a look through the attached Guide to see if it answers any other questions.
So, the takeaway is that you can accept your offer by 30 April without worry if you intend to come in October. You do not need to have all of your conditions met by then - you have until 31 July to work on those remaining conditions (ideally get them uploaded by around 15th of July so that you will confirmed by 31 July).
Then, once you have your financial “ducks in a row” and you’re ready to submit the Financial Undertaking form to your applicant portal, then please return your College Declaration form to us. And PLEASE apply for accommodation if you hope to have some within College. Both the date of confirmation and the date of your accommodation application form will inform when you go on the College room allocation list.
Here is a very useful Postgrad Admissions information site where you may find some answers to questions you might have. Also, at the last webinar, someone asked about comparing accommodation costs across Colleges – this link is the closest University page that does such a thing.
The main Information for New Postgraduates pages, primarily for confirmed postgraduates can be found here. There, you'll see links particularly for those who are confirmed but also links to a variety of University webpages that offer guidelines and answers to more general questions about you may have now about your time ahead as a postgraduate in Cambridge, i.e. working as a postgraduate, vacations, and how to apply for things, etc.
Here's a link to the Postgraduate Accommodation pages where you can find the 25-26 Residence charges (rent and other charges) as well as a link to the accommodation application form which we ask you to complete as soon as you can to give us an idea if you have an intention to live in College. Detailed information about paying your bills and the bill schedule is at this link.
Accommodation in Cambridge - many postgraduates choose to live privately, i.e. not in College-owned accommodation. There are quite a few agencies and webpages you can check for available accommodation in Cambridge - we do ask you to use discretion when engaging with agencies, people on SpareRoom, etc. as you would normally do with anyone selling you something. Once you have been fully confirmed by the University you are also eligible to use the University Accommodation Service which can be very helpful. This past year, a UK student took the lease on a large house in Cambridge via the Accommodation Service, and, via the Girton MCR WhatsApp group (which starts up around mid-August), a number of new Girton postgrads lease rooms in this house.
Here are links to both the Postgraduate Administrator's presentation and the Accommodation Manager's slides from the webinar.
These pages will be updated regularly
Page updated: 17 April 2025
Postgraduate Offerholder Webinar #1 - 19 March 2025
Arrival and Cambridge Terms
The University Michaelmas term begins 1 October so you should plan to be in Cambridge by that date (5 January for Lent Term start and 17 or 22 April for an Easter Term start). If you are on a student visa, you will need to have your documents scanned before you start study. For those in College-owned accommodation, the College leases for Michaelmas term begin on Tuesday 23 September, therefore, the best window in which to arrive in Cambridge is between the 23rd and the 1st if at all possible, and ideally not earlier unless you are undertaking an in-person pre-sessional course.
Do read the helpful pre-arrival information courtesy of the International Student Office.
The University has a service whereby you can chat to current Cambridge postgraduates - this is University-wide not just College-wide.
Here's the University's map where you can look up Girton College/ Swirles Court and see where it is in relation to your Department/Faculty.
The standard College offer letter for Postgraduates is here. You will all have been sent one of these on offer.
The documents linked below and linked in the above letter are subject to change prior to your arrival in Cambridge and you are advised to re-read the documents nearer the point of arrival.
Now that you have received offers from both your department and the College, we would like to give you a further opportunity to let us know if you have accessibility concerns or a Specific Learning Difficulty, and whether you will require any support or advice when you come to Cambridge. You can disclose your disability, get further information and provide additional information on the ADRC’s Student Information Form. Particularly for those who are on taught courses, if you wish to apply for exam access arrangements, you will need to make contact with the ADRC and obtain what's called a Student Support Document which will outline special conditions for any exams you might have.
Some prospective students are reluctant to disclose a disability as they fear that it may be viewed negatively. We would like to assure you that the disclosure of a disability will in no way adversely affect your studies.
The earlier that we are aware of any disability, the better we are able to ensure that all the arrangements you require are in place before you start here (eg study skills support, suitable accommodation and exam access arrangements). You may also find that you are eligible for Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) or other available funding to support your requirements.
Like all the Colleges at Cambridge, we work in close cooperation with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre (ADRC). Their dedicated team of experts provide support, advice and guidance for students. With your permission, our College staff can liaise with them to create a support plan that meets your requirements. If you would like to discuss any of this further with a member of the ADRC Team, then either phone +44 (0)1223 332301 to speak to one of their Disability Advisers, or email disability@admin.cam.ac.uk.
Please also tick the consent box to give the ADRC permission to send a copy of the form to the College. Upon receipt of this form online, the ADRC will send you an email with further important information for disabled students. Information is also available on the ADRC website.
Check out Girton's accessibility at this link.
*If you have already disclosed your disability as part of your application you do not need to return the form.
Things financial
Remember to send us evidence of any funding - full, partial or loans, particularly if you initially have declared that you are self-funding. We do need proof of any sponsorship to pass on to our Finance Office. If you are on a student loan, you would be considered as self-funding.
Detailed information about paying your bills and the bill schedule is at this link.
Here's a copy of the University Financial Undertaking Form for information. The online version must be completed by all applicants and uploaded to your self-service portal ONLY when you are sure about your funding source(s). At that time, you can also sign and return the College's Declaration form to postgraduate.office@girton.cam.ac.uk.
The University has a Postgraduate Funding Search.
You may also contact the College if you would like to share specific information with us directly – i.e. about major allergies, accessibility / mobility issues. College offers comprehensive pastoral/welfare support - in addition to your Postgraduate Tutor (allocated in late September), we have a College Head of Welfare and a Health Centre staffed by three College nurses.
This will be available by 23 September for all new students living in College accommodation.