University of Cambridge · Undergraduate
BA (Hons) Natural Sciences Bachelor's degree at the University of Cambridge
BA (Hons) Natural Sciences at University of Cambridge. Natural Sciences at Cambridge is built around choice: rather than committing to a single discipline before you arrive, you study science broadly across fields such as biology, chemistry and physics before narrowing your focus.
BA (Hons)
Award
3
Years
Full-time
Study mode
83%
in work/study (15m)
About this course
Study science, choosing from fields including biology, chemistry and physics. Explore broadly, or specialise in an area such as genetics or astrophysics. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Natural Sciences is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at the University of Cambridge. It runs 3 years, studied full-time.
For Biosciences graduates from this provider, 83% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 86% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £32,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for General Studies, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
8.9
/ 10
Excellent
3 of 3 official measures
Student satisfaction
What students say in the National Student Survey
Excellent85
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Graduate outcomes
In work or further study 15 months after graduating
Excellent83
Limited evidence Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 83% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Continuation
Students who continue past their first year
Exceptional98
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 98% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
- Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
- Astronomy
- Biochemistry
- Chemistry
- Earth Sciences
- Genetics
- History and Philosophy of Science
- Materials Science and Metallurgy
- Pathology
- Pharmacology
- Physics
- Physiology, Development and Neuroscience
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
Across the three years, the course is structured to take you from foundational understanding through to independent scientific work. Early study concentrates on core theory, giving you the grounding needed across the natural sciences before you specialise. This is paired with research & methods teaching, so you build the practical and analytical skills scientists rely on, and applied practice, where ideas are tested against real problems rather than left abstract. As you progress, specialist options let you tailor your studies towards particular fields such as genetics or astrophysics, while an independent project gives you the chance to pursue a question of your own in depth. Professional skills teaching runs alongside this, helping you develop the habits, communication, teamwork, rigour, that carry over into further study or employment. The degree carries professional recognition in several directions: it is accredited by the Institute of Physics for fully meeting the educational requirement for Chartered Physicist status, by the Royal Society of Chemistry for fully meeting the academic criteria for Chartered Chemist (CChem), and by the Geological Society for partially meeting the experience requirement towards Chartered Geologist status. This means that, depending on the path you take through the course, your degree can count directly towards recognised professional standing in physics, chemistry or geology.
Who it's for
This course will suit you if you're genuinely curious about how the natural world works and aren't yet ready to rule out biology, chemistry or physics in favour of just one. You'll likely enjoy the early breadth, being pushed to think across disciplines rather than narrowing too soon, and feel comfortable with a workload that expects strong quantitative and analytical reasoning from the start. If you're the sort of person who likes evidence, careful argument, and testing ideas practically rather than taking them on trust, the applied and research-based elements will suit your temperament. Studying this at Cambridge will feel intensive: it draws students who are used to performing well academically, arrive with a solid grounding (most accepted students have A-levels or equivalent, and the typical incoming UCAS tariff is above 240 points), and are prepared to commit fully to a demanding, research-oriented environment. You should also be someone who's comfortable making a real choice partway through your studies, deciding whether to stay broad or specialise into something like genetics or astrophysics, rather than wanting everything mapped out in advance.
Careers & job market
Nationally, Graduate Outcomes data for General Studies courses shows that around 85% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after finishing, and about 65% of those in work are in roles classed as highly skilled. Earnings figures from the same national data (not specific to this university or guaranteed to any individual) show starting salaries 15 months after graduation typically ranging from £24,000 to £30,000, moving to between £20,825 and £29,400 after three years, and £25,075 to £35,400 after five years. These figures reflect the general graduate population in this broad subject area and should be read as context rather than a promise of what any particular graduate will earn. Given the professional accreditations attached to this course, with the Institute of Physics, Royal Society of Chemistry and Geological Society, graduates who specialise accordingly may also have a more direct route towards chartered status in physics, chemistry or geology.
University & format
The University of Cambridge is a public, research-intensive university and a member of the Russell Group, founded in 1209 and home to 18,977 students. It was and received a Gold rating for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023. The BA (Hons) Natural Sciences is studied full-time over three years, entirely in person at the University of Cambridge. Around 85% of students continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed their studies, which gives some indication of how manageable students generally find the transition into this style of degree.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Application timelineWhat happens next
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryEarly equal-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Entry & how to get in
Most entrants held A-levels or equivalent90% of accepted students came in with A-levels or equivalent (entrants over recent years).
Typical UCAS tariff: More than 240 pointsThe most common UCAS tariff band among accepted students. This is what entrants had, not a stated requirement.
Professionally accreditedAccredited by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for the purpose of fully meeting the educational requirement for Chartered Physicist
Professionally accreditedAccredited by the Geological Society for the purpose of partially meeting the experience requirement for Chartered Geologist
Professionally accreditedAccredited by the Royal Society of Chemistry for fully meeting the academic criteria for Chartered Chemist (CChem)
Entry requirements are set by the universityGrades, subjects and contextual offers vary. Check the University of Cambridge's official course page for the current offer.
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 90% |
| a Baccalaureate | 7% |
| Other | 2% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Competitive entry
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Your UCAS points0
▾
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Add your grades to see where you land
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
Apply by15 October 2026, 18:00 UK timeearlier deadline for this course
Typical gradesA*A*A*+A-level equivalent admitted students held
UCAS codeBCF0quote this on your application
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code BCF0). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 15 October 2026, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Sit any admissions test & interview
Courses with the October deadline often need an admissions test (e.g. UCAT, BMAT or a subject test) and interviews, register early and prepare.
- 5Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 6Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
💡 Many universities make a contextual (reduced-grade) offer, for example based on your school’s results, time in care, or where you live. Ask University of Cambridge whether you’re eligible before you apply; it can lower the grades you need.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Homeup to £9,790 / yr
Internationalset by the university
Standard capped home fee at English providers (2026/27); Scotland, Wales & NI differ.
Check fees at University of Cambridge →For students who normally live in England
illustrative Maintenance Loan per year
£9,790tuition used per year, illustrative full-time England fee-cap scenario
illustrative borrowing over 3 years
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Funding matched to this course
All University of Cambridge funding →Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
Named awards published by the university. Compare the eligibility and application route before budgeting for one.
Amounts, exclusions and deadlines can change. An award is not guaranteed unless the university confirms it.
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Career quizApplication walkthroughSalary & CV check
Careers & earnings
What General Studies graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £32,000 | £28,000 – £38,500 | 15 |
| 3 years after | £35,000 | £29,000 – £49,000 | 130 |
| 5 years after | £46,500 | £34,500 – £64,000 | 155 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
83%
in work or further study 15 months on
86%
in highly skilled work or study
98%
continue past their first year
83%
find their work meaningful
78%
say work fits their future plans
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in general studies · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs General Studies nationally
Starting (15 months) HESA GO
£32,000
£24,000 – £30,000After 3 years LEO
£35,000
£20,825 – £29,400After 5 years LEO
£46,500
£25,075 – £35,400national rangethis course’s medianaxis £19,000 – £48,500
National figures for General Studies graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
83 of 100
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
48% working8% working and studying28% in further study86% in highly skilled work or study
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Limited evidence. Published sample: 15; treat comparisons cautiously. Cohort 2022-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 5-year median earnings compare with General Studies courses at the same study level.
This course £46,500Peer median £29,000Middle 50% £25,000–£34,500
100th percentile
Compared with 207 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Natural and social science professionalsSOC 2020 211 · 18% of published destinations · ASHE median £44,243
- Information Technology ProfessionalsSOC 2020 213 · 13% of published destinations · ASHE median £55,357
- Business, Research and Administrative ProfessionalsSOC 2020 243 · 12% of published destinations · ASHE median £48,746
- Finance ProfessionalsSOC 2020 242 · 11% of published destinations · ASHE median £47,173
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 405; response rate: 56%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How General Studies graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
85%
in work or further study 15 months after graduating, across General Studies courses nationally.
Graduate Outcomes65%
of working graduates are in highly skilled work or further study.
highly skilled85%
of students continue past their first year (still enrolled or completed).
continuationHow AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where General Studies graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Employers across sectors
- Public sector
- Corporates & charities
- Startups
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit General Studies graduates.
General PractitionerMatchMedicsGeneral ManagerParkside RecruitmentGeneral ManagerThe Management Recruitment Group (MRG)General ManagerBite TalentGeneral ForemanCONTRACT SCOTLAND LIMITEDGeneral PractitionerFlexzo AiLive from the StudySmarter job board · as of 2026-08-01.See all matching jobs
Is this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
💷
Student finance
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years.
📈
Where graduates go
83% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £32,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
🎯
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
⭐
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.9 out of 10: NSS 84.7% · in work or study 83% · continued 98%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Cambridge
All students22,565
International32.2%
Aged 25+25.1%
Combined and general studies across the UK
Students39,200
Aged 25+62.2%
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around University of Cambridge
1,779 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Violent Crime 453Shoplifting 372Anti Social Behaviour 253Bicycle Theft 147Other Theft 114
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is General Studies right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Cambridge from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Cambridge; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check University of Cambridge’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with University of Cambridge and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Cambridge
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
Entry is competitive. Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. The most common tariff band among recent entrants was More than 240 UCAS points. Use the calculator on this page to see where your predicted grades would put you; many universities also make lower contextual offers.
What are the entry requirements?
Set by the University of Cambridge. Most accepted students held A-levels or equivalent. Check the university's course page for the exact offer.
What do graduates go on to do?
For Biosciences graduates from this provider, 83% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 86% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £32,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
What will it cost me?
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years. See Fees & funding on this page to work out your numbers.
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