Thank you for applying to Sidney Sussex College in 2024. This web page contains a lot of important information and advice for the next stages in the application process.
Communication Information
All information will be sent out by email, but we are including it here for easy reference too. Please make sure that the admissions email address (admissions@sid.cam.ac.uk) is added to your 'safe senders' list and remember to alter your email address with UCAS if your email address changes.
If you email the Admissions Office with questions, please include your full name, subject and UCAS Personal ID.
Important Forms
We have compiled information about important forms and deadlines here for your information. The links to complete these forms will be sent to you by email.
- My Cambridge Application
You will be sent a link to complete the My Cambridge Application Form (MyCApp). You can find useful information to help you complete it here: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/how/cambridge-application
The deadline for this form is the 22nd of October, 2024 (6pm UK time).
- Extenuating Circumstances Form
If you have experienced education or personal disruption, you may wish to submit an Extenuating Circumstances Form (ECF) alongside your application. The ECF helps Admissions Tutors by providing, first, context against which they can judge the academic record of an applicant, and, secondly, information useful in assessing an applicant’s performance at interview.
Guidance about submitting an ECF can be found at: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/our-decision/extenuating-circumstances-form
The deadline for submitting this form is the 22nd of October, 2024 (6pm UK time).
- Written Work/Portfolio
Applicants in certain subjects will be asked to submit some written work or a portfolio of work alongside their application. We will contact these applicants directly with further information. Please see our website to see if your subject will require written work: https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/apply/subjects
The deadline for submitting written work will be the 6pm (UK time) on the 4th of November 2024.
- Adjustments/Allowances at interview
We wish to ensure that, wherever possible, we can make any appropriate adjustments/allowances if you are invited for interview, and that your interviewers are aware of any information you have provided which may be relevant in the context of the interview.
We will be sending out a form separately to all applicants to fill in regarding any adjustments at interview they may require.
Please note that we welcome disability disclosure from any students who have a disability, long term health condition or neurodivergence, even if you do not normally identify as disabled.
The deadline for this form will be 6pm (UK time) on the 4th of November 2024.
- Admissions assessments
Applicants who are required to sit a pre-registration required assessment will have already registered to take the assessment, and you can discover more about how to prepare on the Cambridge Assessment Admissions Testing website.
Applicants who are required to sit a Cambridge College registered assessment are not required to take any action at this stage, and will be registered automatically. The assessments will take place between the 19 – 21 November 2024, and details will be communicated with you. You can learn more about how to prepare on the University of Cambridge website.
Interview Information
Please see our webpage here for more information about interviews at Sidney Sussex and here for more general information about Cambridge interviews. We have also included an FAQ with answers to commonly asked questions below.
- Q. Where will interviews take place?
In 2024, all shortlisted applicants will be interviewed virtually using Zoom. Details will be provided to candidates selected for interview.
- Q. When will interviews take place?
The majority of interviews will take place between 5 December – 18 December 2024. Full information about interviews (and any pre-interview reading or Cambridge College registered assessments) will be provided to candidates selected for interview. We aim to schedule all interviews between 8am and 6pm in your local time zone. If we need to reschedule your interview, these interviews may happen outside the timeframe mentioned above.
- Q. When will I find out whether I have been selected for interview?
We aim to give all candidates at least two weeks’ notice of the interview date, and in all cases will let you know as soon as possible. We aim to send invites to interview from mid November. All applicants will be informed by email if they have/have not been selected for interview.
- Q. Will I need any specific equipment for my online interview?
Candidates in certain subjects will be asked to use a digital tablet & stylus in their interview. These candidates will be informed beforehand. If you do not have a digital tablet & stylus, please contact the Admissions Office to discuss this. For students in the UK who receive Free School Meals and do not have a tablet, the College can supply these candidates with a drawing tablet. Please get in touch with the Admissions Office as soon as possible if you are in this position.
- Q. If I am selected for interview, when will I find out the outcome?
Candidates will be informed by email of the decision on the 30th of January 2025. Discover more about the decision process on the University website: https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/after/application-decisions
