Entrance Requirements

University of Cambridge entrance requirements

The LMB welcomes applications from highly qualified students of all nationalities. Competition for admission to our graduate programme is intense. Like all other departments in the Graduate School of Life Sciences at the University of Cambridge, we require all our graduate entrants to have:

  • At least a 2i honours degree or an equivalent standard from an overseas university (e.g. CGPA 3.5/4.0) in a relevant subject.
  • Two outstanding academic references, preferably one from senior university staff at your most recent university and one from a senior scientist who has supervised your practical research.
  • Fluency in the English language – if English is not your first language we require a recent IELTS test with an overall band score of at least 7.0 with not less than 7.0 in speaking, listening and writing, and 6.5 in reading. All non-UK nationals will be asked to upload a language certificate as a supporting document as part of the application process.

Please see the entrance requirements for the Graduate School of Life Sciences at the University of Cambridge for more detailed information.

Open University entrance requirements

To be eligible for admission to the Open University for a research degree it must be shown that the applicant is suitably prepared for postgraduate study in her/his chosen area. The Open University Research Degrees Committee will normally only approve the registration of applicants who satisfy the University’s minimum entrance requirements, which are:

  • an upper second class honours degree from a UK university or the former CNAA, or the equivalent, in a relevant subject area, or
  • a postgraduate master’s degree from a UK University or the former CNAA, or the equivalent, in a relevant subject area.

An applicant who does not meet this minimum requirement may, exceptionally, be considered if it can be shown that her/his qualifications, professional experience and/or previous research publications have provided suitable preparation for postgraduate research in her/his chosen field.

Please see the Open University Registration Guidelines (ARCS2G) for more detailed information on entrance requirements.