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Admissions interviews

We resumed in-person interviews for UK-based applicants in December 2023. Most overseas applicants continue to have online interviews

The majority of applicants for a place at Selwyn are invited to an interview. Our applicants are among the best in their school with excellent academic records, top predictions for exam results and strong support from their school. In order to assess academic potential and ability to thrive in the setting of Selwyn and the University of Cambridge, we supplement the information from the application form with interviews. Applicants are assessed in their progress in individual, course-specific interviews.

The interview is one of the components of a holistic assessment. For courses that are heavily oversubscribed we won't call for interview those whose academic profile (e.g., assessment results, prior exam marks) makes it unlikely they would be successful in gaining an offer, even if the interviews went well.

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In-person and online interviews

Applicants invited for interview who are in the UK will attend in-person interviews in Selwyn College. If you are eligible for free school meals (funded by your local authority) we will reimburse your travel costs.

The environmental and financial implications of international travel, as well as the difficulty of arranging travel at short notice (the dates of individual interviews may not be known until a relatively short time before the interview) mean that we set up online interviews for applicants who are outside the UK.  We strongly encourage our overseas applicants to accept this invitation to be interviewed online. If you would like to request an in-person interview you must contact the Selwyn admissions office after submitting your application and no later than 1 November.

There is no other difference between in-person and online interviews. The type of questions you will be asked and the level of assessment will be the same whether you are interviewed in person or online.

The College takes vigorous steps to protect the integrity of all interviews and all aspects of the admissions process. These include verifying candidate's identities, requiring interviewees to formally confirm that the content of interviews will not shared in any way (including with friends and schools) and will not be recorded, invigilation of reading or writing sessions and prohibiting the use of any external source of information during any reading, assessment or interview. If we suspect that the integrity of the process has been undermined we will take further measures, including but not limited to rescinding an offer.

In-person interviews

The following information is for those invited to in-person interviews:

We look forward to welcoming you to Selwyn. When you arrive at the porters' lodge on Grange Road you will be directed to our team of student ambassadors who will confirm with you the times and places of your interviews. They will show you where you need to go. For some courses, there is material to look at and consider before the interview begins and you will be shown the relevant place where you can review it. The student ambassadors will also direct you towards the relevant interview room.

If you are unable to make a round day-trip to Cambridge, we are pleased to offer you free overnight accommodation and meals in College. We are only able to offer accommodation to applicants, not to any accompanying parents, guardians or friends.  When you are invited to interview, if you need overnight accommodation, please let us know on the response form you will be sent with your interview invitation.

We are happy to support eligible UK students with travel costs for public transport. You are eligible for reimbursement if you are a UK school pupil and are eligible for free school meals funded by your local authority. If you are invited for interview, you will be asked to send us the details (digital receipt or photo of a paper receipt) and we will reimburse you as soon as possible. Alternatively, let us know if this is a problem and we can buy the tickets for you. We do not reimburse international travel.

Travelling to Cambridge may become difficult or impossible, for example if you are unwell on the day your interview is scheduled. If this happens to you please let us know without delay. If rescheduling is not possible we may consider switching to an online interview.

Online interviews

The following information is for applicants based outside the UK who have been invited to an online interview: 

While we strongly encourage you to accept this invitation, we will consider requests to be interviewed in person if they are made after submitting your application and no later than 1 November.  From 2 November onwards, we will not be able to switch you between online and in-person interview formats if you change your mind. If you are considering this, please bear in mind the practicalities of what it would mean to come to Cambridge for your interview: the travel time and expense and the environmental impact. Many applicants may find it difficult to arrange a visa at short notice. We don't make any judgement based on your choice of format of the interview: we do not give any preference to one group over another in decisions about admissions.

If you are having a remote interview, it will take place online using either Zoom (https://zoom.us/) or Microsoft Teams (https://teams.microsoft.com/) and you will be given instructions about which platform to use and how to join the interview.  You will need to be confident that you have access to a reliable internet connection, on a computer with a video camera, in a place where you will not be disturbed during the interview. It can be in your school, home or somewhere else - wherever you feel most comfortable and have most confidence that you will not be interrupted.  If you anticipate any problems with this, please be in contact to explain your situation.

Even with a reliable internet connection, the bandwidth used by audio, video and online whiteboard/tablet streams is often too great. If you will be in an interview that may require you to show your writing/drawing to the interviewers, a low-tech solution like a flipchart or small whiteboard is preferable to an online whiteboard/tablet. Or you can simply do your working with pen and paper and hold it up to the camera.

For the subjects that have pre-interview reading or questions, you will be given this at a specified time in advance of your interview.  

If you are invited for online interview you will be sent a URL link for each interview.  We strongly encourage you to log in for your interview(s) 5-10 minutes in advance.  You will be placed in a waiting room, and then will be let into the interview by your interviewers at the appropriate time.

 

Janet and StudentEven more interview information

The University youtube channel has plenty of material about interviews, including "The Interview" which focuses on in-person interviews - parts of it were filmed in Selwyn College. A central source for information about interviews whether online or in-person is the interviews section of the University website. We strongly recommend that you review this material before you come for interview.

In 2025 the majority of interviews will be held from 8 - 19 December. A smaller number will take place in the week from 1 - 5 December.