Undergraduate · Cambridge Geography
Cambridge's Geography course is a three-year BA that spans human and physical geography, with field classes in each year and a 10,000-word dissertation in the final year. It sets no special subject requirement at most Colleges, runs an admission assessment at only some Colleges, and does not usually ask for written work, so College choice shapes the application more than the course page does. This guide is written for families planning 2028 entry. Everything cycle-specific in it was last verified for 2027 entry, so treat it as the best guide to preparation and not as the 2028 requirement.
Official information · last verified for 2027 entry
Taken from Cambridge's official Geography course page and read on 21 October 2026. For a normal 2028-entry application, made in 2027, every requirement below is last verified for the previous cycle and may change; Cambridge's 2028-entry requirements are awaiting publication.
The minimum offer is A*AA at A level, or 41-42 points with 776 at Higher Level in the IB. Some Colleges ask for specific subjects and others do not, and some may ask for higher grades or an A* in a particular subject.
There is an admission assessment at some Colleges for this course, and you do not need to register in advance. Check the College admission assessments page.
Cambridge says you won't usually be asked to submit examples of written work.
The course is a three-year full-time BA (Hons), UCAS code L700. Teaching combines lectures, practicals, laboratory work, field classes and small-group supervisions. Students won't usually be able to resit exams.
In Year 3 students take 4 papers from a choice of 13 and submit a dissertation of 10,000 words on a topic of their choice. Planning starts in the second year.
Official sources
Read on 21 October 2026 on Cambridge's Geography course page, which describes entry in 2027 or deferred entry in 2028. The 2025 applicant numbers quoted in the guide are history, not a requirement. College-level requirements and assessment formats were not read.
The course
Year 1 combines two core papers, one broadly in human geography and one in physical geography, with a third core element on geographical skills and methods. In Year 2 students take a compulsory paper, Living with Global Change, and three papers from a choice of six, and take part in field classes of 5 to 8 days. In Year 3 they take four papers from a choice of 13 and submit a 10,000-word dissertation, with data usually collected in the summer between the second and third years. The paper lists change from year to year.
Reading the offer
Cambridge's minimum offer is A*AA, or 41-42 IB points with 776 at Higher Level.
Some Colleges ask for specific subjects to apply to Geography and others do not. Cambridge's page lists which Colleges do, so check it against your list.
Colleges that usually set offers at the minimum may sometimes ask for higher grades or an A* in a particular subject, and some Colleges set extra conditions for most or all offers.
Cambridge's page says most Geography students who studied A levels and started in 2018, 2019 and 2023 achieved at least A*A*A (64% of entrants), and that 99% of them took Geography. It presents this as common patterns, not favoured combinations.
Assessment and written work
Cambridge says an admission assessment is set at some Colleges only, with no need to register in advance, and that you won't usually be asked to submit examples of written work. Which Colleges set an assessment is listed on Cambridge's College admission assessments page, and details are provided by the College. That makes College choice a real part of the strategy.
Context
Cambridge's page shows 4 applications per place and 99 accepted for the 2025 cycle. Those are historical figures about a past cohort. They are not a requirement and they do not predict any individual result.
Planning for 2028 entry
Applying for 2028 entry means applying in 2027, under rules Cambridge has not yet published for that cycle. 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 Cambridge has not yet published it.
These are the best guide to what to prepare. Cambridge has not confirmed them for 2028 entry.
Check Cambridge's course page and your College's page for the 2028-entry values when they appear.
Choose subjects with the College pages in mind, build fieldwork and data skills through independent projects, and shortlist Colleges before reading assessment details.
Support
Avandy provides independent academic and admissions support. It is not affiliated with Cambridge or any of its colleges or departments. Preparation sits within the Avandy Trinity Advisory Model: a Strategic Admissions Consultant, a PhD-level Academic Mentor and a Subject-specific Tutor working within one advisory plan. Support is tailored to the student, and no outcome is promised.
Questions
A*AA at A level, or 41-42 points with 776 at Higher Level in the IB. This is Cambridge's wording for entry in 2027.
There is an admission assessment at some Colleges for this course. You do not need to register in advance, and the College page gives the details.
Cambridge says you won't usually be asked to submit examples of written work.
Yes. In Year 3 students submit a dissertation of 10,000 words on a topic of their choice.
No. Some Colleges ask for specific subjects to apply to Geography, whereas others do not.
No. They are Cambridge's wording for entry in 2027. Check the course page again when Cambridge publishes its 2028-entry requirements.
Students and families
Tell us about the student's curriculum, subjects, Colleges of interest and the intended year of entry. A senior adviser will review the academic profile before recommending how to prepare.
