Welcome to King's College!
Shortly after A-level results are published in the UK, all successful conditional offer-holders will receive a formal email confirming their place at King's.
We will then write separately to all students due to start their course in October with details of the practical arrangements for joining the College.
This will come in a series of approximately three, separate emails which you need to read carefully. The first email was sent on the 29 August (so please ensure you check your SPAM folders, in case you missed it). The second email will be sent to you by Monday 23 September (which will include your accommodation details), and a final and third one with any outstanding information will be sent to you about 7-10 days before matriculation week begins on Friday 04 October.
There will also be some forms to fill in and send back to us. It is very important that you send any applicable forms back to us, by the deadline that will be clearly given. These will include, but are not limited to:
Your UMS form if you took A-levels. A copy of the UMS Form will be enclosed with the information we are sending (where relevant). Note that we need the information on this form - please do not just send in copies of your results statement.
Your online accommodation form. and;
Your health questionnaire - to be sent back to the College Nurse by email (nurse@kings.cam.ac.uk).
I am afraid that we cannot give precise dates for these three emails, so please refrain from emailing the College to chase up on this information, as we will not be able to respond to, or give you the relevant information until it is ready to send out. Please also note that students who have opted to defer their entry will receive this information the following year.
However, if you have not received the first email from us by Friday 06 September, and you were expecting one, please do email Tutorial.Office@kings.cam.ac.uk, with ‘No first email received’ in the subject line, and we will check why and respond to you accordingly.
All our 2024 freshers students will need to arrive at King's for Matriculation week on Friday 04 October.
There will be a small number of exceptions who need to arrive earlier e.g. those with instrumental award auditions, and those with Classics intensive Greek language classes.
Term starts on Tuesday 08 October, and Week 1 (the beginning of lectures) will start on Thursday 10 October, as Cambridge weeks start on Thursdays.
We look forward to welcoming you to King’s!
I've Received my Exam Results - What Next?
If you have met the requirements of your offer, congratulations! In most cases UCAS Track will update on Thursday 15th August - please check this first. You will receive an email at some point on Thursday 15th, please read it carefully. In order to matriculate, there may be additional steps you have to take. These will be detailed in our email.
If you have not met the academic offer conditions set out in your January offer letter, please stay calm. As you know, we base all decisions on our judgement of your academic promise, as reflected by your application as a whole. We will be in touch with you as soon as we can.
UCAS Track is your first source of information on Thursday 15th and Friday 16th August. Please check it to see if a decision has been made on your application before contacting us. If UCAS Track has not yet updated, we are still considering your application. As soon as our decision is finalised, UCAS Track will update.
If you are an A-Level student and we are still considering your application, please scan and email us your UMS marks as quickly as possible on Thursday 15th August. If you have missed a STEP offer, please send us your UMS grades even if you have met your A-Level conditions. We are happy to receive a letter of support from your school if they have anything to add to the original UCAS reference they wrote for you. Any letters from your school should be sent by email. All emails should be sent to us a undergraduate.admissions@kings.cam.ac.uk, please include your full name, your subject and your UCAS ID.
We will email you when we can. This will normally come after UCAS Track updates. Although we will do our best to keep you informed, it may not be possible to email you straight away.
We aim to get a decision to all candidates who have missed their offers by the end of Friday 16th August where possible. Please note that this could be (very) late on Friday evening. We are doing our best for you and appreciate your patience at a difficult time.
Important Information
Before you arrive at Cambridge we advise you to read or re-read the documents for offer holders, which tell you more about the terms of admission to King's and the University. These include the rules and regulations governing undergraduate life at King's, student complaints procedures and disciplinary policies.
In the 'downloads' section you will find important information including about vaccinations and scholarships.
We do not have any set reading lists to share, but should you want to do any additional reading before you join the college this autumn, we would recommend that you look at faculty websites.
Additional Information
In this section, please find detailed information about student-led initiatives, groups and sports that you may wish to take part in.
Please note that some of these events take place before the beginning of term.
Freshers' FAQs
Why can't I have information before September?
On this page we have tried to put as much information as we can provide for freshers (the King's handbook in particular will answer a lot of your practical questions) but we do need to ask for your patience. Some offer-holders know well in advance that they will be starting at King's - exciting news and it is only natural to have questions. However, many students hold conditional offers and do not receive their exam results until mid-August in the year they start at King's. We need to wait until we have a confirmed list of freshers before we can organise things at this end. We write to everybody at the same time with the information you will need - that's the only fair way to do it and it's also the only way we could manage administratively.
We are, of course, happy to answer questions if you have a specific reason for needing to know something before September and the information is not included in the links above.
Is accommodation allocated on a first come, first served basis?
No. As long as we receive your online form by the deadline you will be at no advantage / disadvantage over other candidates. This means that there is no reason to worry if you take a bit longer to fill this in after receiving the information about accommodation, or if you are away for a few days and can't check your email.
Is there a freshers' week?
Yes! KCSU (King's College Student Union) organises a range of activities designed to help you meet people, get questions answered, settle in and try out some of the activities at King's. There are also meetings with your Director of Studies and the Senior Tutor, matriculation (when you officially become a member of the College and University) and talks to make sure you have practical information.
Does King's have College families?
Yes! You will be sent a letter from your College parent(s) who can be a useful source of information and advice before you arrive as well as helping you to settle in when you get here.
How do I join societies?
In Freshers' Week you will be introduced to the activities available in King's, and you can also attend the big CUSU Societies Fair. At this event, students from University Societies and Sports Clubs run stands so that you can go along and talk to them about activities you are interested in and sign up for their mailing lists.
Can I join a choir?
Any keen singers interested in singing in the College’s mixed voice choir, King’s Voices, can audition with the choir’s director, Ralph Woodward any time before the start of term. He is particularly keen to hear from singers with previous choral experience - the choir sings Choral Evensong each Monday during term in Chapel, preceded by a rehearsal on Wednesday, as well as touring abroad during the Lent Vacation and performing in concerts during the year - but anyone is eligible to apply. King’s Voices was founded in 1997 to give more opportunities for women to participate in the musical life of the Chapel and College. Please email Ralph on Ralph.Woodward@kings.cam.ac.uk if you are interested in applying. It may be possible to arrange a Zoom audition before you get to Cambridge, so the sooner you get in touch the better!
I'm confused - I'm an A-level candidate and I thought we only had to send in UMS grades if we had missed our offers.
We need UMS scores quickly on A-level results day from applicants who have missed their offers, but we don't want everyone sending them then as it is a very busy time. However, we do collect the UMS grades of all A-level candidates before the September deadline.
When do the accommodation costs have to be paid?
Accommodation is charged termly on College bills, which are normally issued to students a week or two after the start of each term.
Is there any storage at King's for between terms?
Yes - we have trunk rooms for students on a short accommodation contract who don't want to take things home between terms. Students who choose a long accommodation contract keep their room between terms.
