Minimum offer A*A*A, or IB 41–42 with 776 at Higher Level
The minimum offer is A*A*A at A Level, or 41–42 IB points with 776 at Higher Level. Some Colleges set higher offers.
Undergraduate · Cambridge Economics
Cambridge Economics: entry, Further Mathematics and the TMUA
Cambridge's Economics requirements look like one list, but they work as several separate decisions: what mathematics you need, whether Further Mathematics is a requirement or only a description of past entrants, which College to apply to, and what the interview involves. This guide keeps those decisions apart and is written for families planning 2028 entry. Everything cycle-specific in it was last verified for 2027 entry, because Cambridge has not yet published requirements or dates for 2028 entry.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
What Cambridge asks for in Economics
Taken from Cambridge's official Economics, TMUA, interview and key-dates pages and last verified on 19 October 2026. The requirements apply to entry in 2027 or deferred entry in 2028 from a 2027 application. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement and date below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change.
Mathematics for everyone; Further Mathematics at six Colleges
Mathematics is required. IB applicants take Analysis and Approaches; if it is unavailable, contact the Colleges you are shortlisting. Christ's, Churchill, Corpus Christi, Magdalene, St John's and Sidney Sussex also require Further Mathematics.
The TMUA is compulsory for every applicant
Every applicant takes the TMUA at an authorised assessment centre. In the 2027-entry cycle the sitting was 12–16 October 2026 (15 or 16 October in China, Hong Kong and Macau), and applicants at the 15 October UCAS deadline had to take this first, October, sitting. That sitting has passed.
Interviews: online or in person by College; 7–18 December 2026 in the 2027 cycle
Your College decides whether the interview is online or in person, and the format usually cannot be chosen. In the 2027-entry cycle the main interview period is 7–18 December 2026, and most invitations are sent in November. Most applicants have one or two interviews totalling 35 minutes to an hour.
2027 cycle: UCAS deadline passed; December-interview results on 27 January 2027
In the 2027-entry cycle the UCAS deadline was 15 October 2026 and has passed. Applicants interviewed in December hear the outcome on 27 January 2027.
The course: three years, UCAS L100, at every College except Newnham
Economics is a three-year BA (Hons), UCAS code L100, taught at all Colleges except Newnham. Year 1 has five compulsory papers: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Quantitative Methods in Economics, Economics and applied social science, and Economic History. Year 3 includes a compulsory 7,500-word dissertation.
Official sources
- University of Cambridge — Economicsundergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk
- University of Cambridge — International entry requirementsundergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk
- University of Cambridge — Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA)undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk
- University of Cambridge — Cambridge interviewsundergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk
- University of Cambridge — Application dates and deadlinesundergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk
Checked on 19 October 2026 against Cambridge's Economics, TMUA, interview and key-dates pages. Cambridge can update these pages, particularly during the interview period, so confirm the details with your own College.
Planning for 2028 entry
Planning for 2028 entry: what carries over and what is awaiting publication
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules Cambridge has not yet published. Deferred entry in 2028 from a 2027 application is different: it follows the 2027 cycle's rules. Each item below carries one of two labels. Last verified for 2027 entry means Cambridge published it for the previous cycle and it may change. Awaiting publication for 2028 entry means the 2028 value is not yet published.
Offer, subjects and TMUA format: last verified for 2027 entry
The minimum offer, the Mathematics and Further Mathematics requirements and the TMUA format in the official information above are the best guide to what to prepare. Cambridge has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Deadline, TMUA dates and booking, interview period and results date: awaiting publication for 2028 entry
Cambridge has not yet published these. Do not move this year's dates forward by a year, and check Cambridge's Economics and TMUA pages for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
Subject choices
What is a requirement and what only describes past entrants
Mathematics is a requirement for every applicant, and Cambridge names six Colleges that also require Further Mathematics. Cambridge also publishes figures about past entrants. They describe who has been admitted, not what the course asks of you.
Description, not requirement
Of A Level entrants who started in 2018, 2019 and 2023, 80% achieved at least A*A*A*; 93% had studied Economics, 93% Further Mathematics and 90% both. Most IB entrants achieved at least 44 points. These are Cambridge's figures about entrants, not entry requirements. In the 2025 cycle there were 10 applications per place and 164 students were accepted.
If Further Mathematics is not available to you
Avoid the six Colleges that require it when you choose where to apply. The entrant figures are a separate question: they show how common Further Mathematics has been among entrants, not what any College asks for.
TMUA
The TMUA: format and how Cambridge advises preparing
The format and the advice below are last verified for 2027 entry. TMUA dates for 2028 entry are awaiting publication.
Format
The test lasts 2 hours 30 minutes in two parts: Applications of Mathematical Knowledge and Mathematical Reasoning. No calculator or dictionary is allowed. There is no pass or fail, and scores count correct answers, so no marks are lost for wrong ones.
How Cambridge advises preparing for the test
Read the test specification and the notes on Logic and Proof, and use the free practice materials.
Interviews
The interview: how it works and how to read an invitation
Interviews are online or in person depending on the College. Cambridge sets a main interview period for each cycle, and applicants must keep it free: Cambridge reschedules interviews only in exceptional circumstances, and an applicant who does not attend will not be considered. Cambridge also says that sharing admissions assessment or interview questions is strictly prohibited. Everyone who is made an offer has been interviewed.
Reading the invitation
Cambridge says the timing of your interview does not reflect your perceived strength as a candidate, so an early or late slot carries no signal.
What is assessed
Among other things, critical and independent thinking, curiosity and enthusiasm for the subject.
How Cambridge advises preparing for the interview
Cambridge suggests rereading your personal statement, reading around the subject in books, videos and podcasts, and practising talking about it, including in a practice interview with a teacher or someone who does not know you well. If something is unclear, you can ask the interviewers to explain it.
If you are placed in the winter pool
Winter-pool applicants are not told in advance. The news arrives as an offer from a College they did not apply to, a rejection after the pool or, only occasionally, a further interview.
What to decide now
Three decisions you can make before the dates are published
Nothing in this section depends on a 2028 date.
Mathematics and Further Mathematics
Check early whether your school can teach Mathematics, with Analysis and Approaches if you take the IB, and whether Further Mathematics is available, because six Colleges require it.
Colleges
Use the Further Mathematics list as a first filter, then read each shortlisted College's own page, because some Colleges set offers above the minimum.
The TMUA
Work through the specification, the notes on Logic and Proof and the free practice materials, and treat the 2028 sitting as awaiting publication.
If you are in the 2027 cycle
If you have already applied for 2027 entry
For 2027 entry the UCAS deadline and the TMUA sitting have passed, interviews take place in December 2026 and results follow on 27 January 2027.
Applied for 2027 entry
The application is in and the TMUA has been sat. The next steps are the invitation and the interview.
Deferring to 2028
The requirements on this page apply to deferred entry in 2028 as well, because a deferred applicant follows the 2027 cycle.
How Avandy supports Economics applicants
Mathematics, the TMUA and the interview within one plan
Avandy is a specialist academic and university admissions advisory organisation. Economics candidates are supported through the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model. A Strategic Admissions Consultant keeps the strategy consistent with the whole application, a PhD-level Academic Mentor oversees academic quality, and a Subject-specific Tutor takes the candidate through the discipline. Experienced advisers and doctoral-level specialists tailor the plan to the candidate's course and profile.
College and course strategy
The Further Mathematics requirement, College offer levels and the intended year of entry are weighed together within one advisory plan.
Personal statement
Personal statement development focuses on academic positioning, built on what the candidate has already done.
TMUA preparation
Preparation for the TMUA sits inside the same plan and is calibrated to the candidate's mathematics.
Interview preparation after the invitation
Once an invitation arrives, academic interview preparation is calibrated to the candidate's profile and to the format the College has given.
One recorded case
Avandy's case library records one verified, anonymised Cambridge Economics case from the 2026 entry cycle: an A Level applicant supported by Avandy received an offer. The preparation recorded was personal statement positioning, TMUA preparation and interview preparation after the invitation. It is one applicant's outcome, not a success rate or a prediction, and an offer is not an enrolment. IB and other applicants should read the requirements above for their own qualification.
Questions
Questions applicants ask
Has Cambridge published the requirements and dates for 2028 entry?
Not yet. Everything cycle-specific in this guide was last verified for 2027 entry. The 2028-entry deadline, TMUA dates, interview period and results date are awaiting publication.
Do I need Further Mathematics for Cambridge Economics?
Mathematics is required for every applicant. Cambridge names six Colleges that also require Further Mathematics: Christ's, Churchill, Corpus Christi, Magdalene, St John's and Sidney Sussex. Cambridge's figures show that 93% of the A Level entrants it reports on had studied Further Mathematics, but those figures describe entrants, not entry requirements.
Is the TMUA compulsory?
Yes. Every Economics applicant takes it at an authorised assessment centre. The sitting for 2027 entry was 12–16 October 2026 and has passed; applicants at the 15 October UCAS deadline had to take it in October. Dates for 2028 entry are awaiting publication.
Can I choose between an online and an in-person interview?
Usually not. Your College decides whether the interview is online or in person, and the format usually cannot be chosen.
Will I be asked to submit written work?
Applicants will not usually be asked to submit examples of written work.
Do these requirements apply if I defer to 2028?
Yes, if you apply for 2027 entry and defer: they apply to entry in 2027 or deferred entry in 2028. If instead you plan to apply for 2028 entry in 2027, Cambridge has not yet published the requirements, so treat them as last verified for 2027 entry.
Students and families
Talk to us about Cambridge Economics
Tell us about the student's curriculum, their Mathematics and Further Mathematics, the intended year of entry and whether the TMUA has been taken or booked. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare. Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Cambridge or any College, and no outcome is promised.