Applying for Engineering at Oxford and Cambridge means choosing one of the two universities on the UCAS form, sitting the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) in Year 13, and preparing for interviews built around maths and physics. Oxford offers Engineering Science and Cambridge offers Engineering, and both ask for A-level Mathematics and Physics and for the ESAT modules Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics. The two courses share a broad foundation in the first two years, so the choice usually turns on how each department teaches and assesses.
The ESAT is run by UAT-UK, a collaboration between Imperial College London and the University of Cambridge, and is sat at Pearson test centres. It replaced the ENGAA at Cambridge and has its own format and content, so papers from the earlier test are not a match for it. Entry grades, registration windows and interview arrangements are set each year, which makes the Oxford and Cambridge course pages the place to confirm each detail before the UCAS form is submitted.
What engineering courses do Oxford and Cambridge offer?
Oxford offers Engineering Science as a four-year MEng, and its first two years cover core topics that the department considers essential for all engineers. The first year, Prelims, takes in mathematics, electrical and information engineering, structures and mechanics, and energy, together with practical work. The second year, Part A, continues those subjects, and its marks affect progression into the fourth year and the final classification.
Specialisation at Oxford starts in Part B in the third year, with option papers chosen at the end of the second year, and the choice of branch can be deferred until then. Part B also includes engineering computation, engineering in society and a group design project. In Part C, the fourth year, students choose six specialist options. Branches include Biomedical, Civil and Offshore, Information, and Thermofluids and Turbomachinery, and the department's degree pages give the full list.
Cambridge teaches its first two years, Part IA and Part IB, as broad engineering fundamentals across five core papers: Design and Data-Centric Engineering, Electrical and Information Engineering, Materials and Civil Engineering, Mechanical and Thermofluids Engineering, and Engineering Mathematics. The second year adds two topics chosen from engineering disciplines or a language option, and an integrated design project has teams build robot vehicles that are tested against each other.
Specialisation at Cambridge begins in Part IIA in the third year, where students take ten papers from a choice of over forty, usually six of them from one discipline, or follow General Engineering. The optional fourth year, Part IIB, leads to the MEng and centres on a major individual project. Branches include Aerospace and Aerothermal, Bioengineering, Electrical and Electronic, Information and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical. Cambridge also asks for at least six weeks of industrial experience by the end of the third year.
What are the entry requirements for Oxford and Cambridge engineering?
Both universities ask for A-level Mathematics and Physics. At Oxford the A* grades in the standard offer may be earned in Mathematics, Physics or Further Mathematics, and Further Mathematics is not itself required. Cambridge strongly encourages Further Mathematics where a school offers it, and many Cambridge colleges set expectations for Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Physics or another science, with some colleges setting higher offers than others.
Both pages also set out requirements for Advanced Highers and the International Baccalaureate, and the exact grades are best read directly on the Oxford and Cambridge sites for the relevant entry year. For the IB, Oxford asks for Higher Level Mathematics and Physics, and Cambridge expects Analysis and Approaches, with applicants advised to contact their college if it is unavailable. Cambridge does not accept T-Levels for this course.
Oxford reads GCSE results in context alongside other evidence, and applicants with mitigating circumstances are asked to state them in the application so that admissions tutors can take them into account. Applicants whose first language is not English may need to meet Oxford's English language requirements.
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Enquire about this tutorWhich admissions test do engineering applicants take?
Applicants to Oxford Engineering Science and to Cambridge Engineering sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT), using the modules Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics. The test is run by UAT-UK and sat at Pearson test centres, and applicants register in advance. Oxford and Cambridge engineering applicants use the October sitting.
Oxford's department states that guidance on test dates, registration, booking and preparation is published on the UAT-UK website (esat-tmua.ac.uk), which is the page to check for the entry year in question. The ESAT is a different test from the ENGAA it replaced at Cambridge, so preparation is best built around its own modules.
Oxford states that shortlisting and final decisions use all the available information, with no set weighting for any one part, and it lists qualifications, personal statement, reference, grades, ESAT performance and interview. A tutor can help the student practise the three modules and prepare for the format of the test.
How does the application process work?
Applications for engineering at both universities go through UCAS under the course code H100, by the October deadline that covers Oxford and Cambridge, and an applicant can apply to only one of the two in the same cycle. The student writes a personal statement, a school or college provides the reference, and the ESAT is registered for separately with UAT-UK.
Both universities teach through colleges. Oxford applicants choose a college or make an open application, which assigns one at random, and Cambridge states that colleges make all undergraduate admissions decisions, so questions go to the admissions office of the college being considered. Cambridge publishes each college's interview arrangements on its website.
Oxford states that no written work is required for Engineering Science, and Cambridge states that applicants usually do not need to submit written work. Shortlisted applicants are invited to interview. Cambridge states that not everyone interviewed receives an offer, whilst everyone who receives an offer has been interviewed, and an Oxford offer is either conditional on exam results or unconditional where the applicant already meets the academic requirements.
What happens at an engineering interview?
Engineering interviews at both universities are academic conversations that include maths and physics questions on topics from school. Oxford applicants have two interviews: a morning interview of about thirty to forty-five minutes at the allocated college, which covers why they want to study engineering and why Oxford, and an afternoon interview of about thirty minutes at another college, which may cover only maths and physics. The department states that both interviews include maths and physics questions and that interviews are online.
Oxford's department describes the questions as asking the applicant to explain the physics of a scenario and then work through simple maths with the interviewers' help. Oxford states that the interview tests how an applicant understands, develops and explains new ideas, so reviewing school notes is sensible and cramming is not needed. Asking the interviewer for help when stuck does not count against the applicant.
Cambridge describes interviews as academic conversations in which applicants discuss topics with two or three interviewers, apply knowledge to new problems and sometimes share their workings for maths or science questions. Most applicants have one or two interviews totalling between thirty-five minutes and an hour, held online or in person depending on the college. Cambridge assesses understanding of the subject, readiness for study, critical and independent thinking, curiosity and enthusiasm, and its engineering preparation page links an example engineering interview video.
How can you prepare with super-curricular work?
Super-curricular work is reading, watching, listening and project activity that extends the subject beyond the syllabus, and Cambridge states that the applicant's experience of these activities and reflections on them matter more than the number pursued. Cambridge also states that extra-curricular activities such as sport or an instrument are not taken into consideration during its application process.
Oxford's department gives examples of engineering interest to draw on in a personal statement: building a robot, learning to programme, work experience and attending UNIQ summer schools. It also advises applicants to be ready to discuss anything they mention, since interviewers may ask about it. A tutor can help the student practise explaining ideas aloud and working through unfamiliar maths and physics problems.
Cambridge's improve-your-application page lists these engineering resources:
- Book: There Is No Planet B
- Websites: Want to Study Engineering, Isaac Physics and the Royal Academy of Engineering
- Competitions and activities: School Science Competitions, Arkwright Engineering Scholarships and Greenpower
- Coding practice: Learn Python 3 and Python For Beginners
- Subject competitions named elsewhere on the page: the UK Mathematics Trust and the British Physics Olympiad
How do the two courses differ, and how do you choose?
Oxford Engineering Science and Cambridge Engineering differ mainly in how they are organised after the foundation years, in the degree awarded and in interview format.
Applicants choosing between them, or between either and other universities, can compare course structures, visit open days to see the departments and colleges, and read each department's pages for requirements. Oxford suggests visiting a few shortlisted colleges to compare facilities and atmosphere. For any other university, applicants should check that university's course page for its admissions test and entry requirements, since these are set by course.
- Degree: Oxford is a four-year MEng; Cambridge leads to a BA with an optional fourth year for the MEng.
- Core years: Oxford uses Prelims then Part A; Cambridge uses five core papers across Part IA and Part IB.
- Specialising: Oxford students choose option papers at the end of the second year and can defer the branch choice until the third year; Cambridge students take ten papers in Part IIA from over forty choices.
- Interviews: Oxford holds two online interviews, one at the allocated college and one at another; Cambridge usually holds one or two, online or in person depending on the college.
- Pathway: Oxford offers an Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Management pathway, run with Saïd Business School, which students can apply for at the end of the second year.
Related guides
- Oxbridge application support
- University application tutors
- ESAT tutors
- University admissions test tutors
- ESAT guide
- Oxford and Cambridge admissions tests
- Super-curricular activities for engineering
- Oxford interview preparation
- Cambridge interview preparation
- Oxford or Cambridge: how to choose
- Complete Oxbridge application guide
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Frequently asked questions
- Can candidates apply to both Oxford and Cambridge for engineering?
- UCAS materials state that an applicant can apply to only one of Oxford and Cambridge in the same application cycle. Both universities use the same October UCAS deadline, so the decision between them is made before the form is submitted. Comparing the course structures, the interview formats and the colleges on each university's website is the usual way to reach that decision.
- Is Further Mathematics required for Oxford or Cambridge engineering?
- Oxford does not require Further Mathematics, although its standard offer allows the top grades to be earned in Mathematics, Physics or Further Mathematics. Cambridge strongly encourages Further Mathematics where a school offers it. Both universities ask for A-level Mathematics and Physics, so students whose school does not offer Further Mathematics are still able to apply.
- Which ESAT modules are sat for Oxford and Cambridge engineering?
- Both universities ask engineering applicants to sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Test with the modules Mathematics 1, Mathematics 2 and Physics. UAT-UK runs the test, which is sat at Pearson test centres after registering in advance. The ESAT replaced the ENGAA at Cambridge, so older papers do not follow its format.
- Will candidates be asked maths and physics questions at an engineering interview?
- Oxford's engineering department states that both of its interviews include maths and physics questions on topics from school, and the afternoon interview may cover only those subjects. Cambridge describes applying knowledge to new problems and sometimes sharing workings for maths or science questions. Both universities say that asking for help when stuck is acceptable.
- Is written work required with an engineering application?
- Oxford states that no written work is required for Engineering Science, and Cambridge states that applicants usually do not need to submit written work for this course. The personal statement, the reference, the ESAT result and the interview carry the application, so it helps to be ready to discuss any project or reading mentioned in the statement.
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