Economics

Studying Economics at Cambridge

UCAS Code: L100
How many are admitted to Cambridge every year: 163
Minimum offer: A*A*A
Essential subjects: Mathematics
Useful subjects: Further Mathematics

The University of Cambridge was ranked Number 1 for Economics in the Complete University Guide 2024. Several members of the Faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics including Sir John Hicks, James Meade, Sir Richard Stone, Sir James Mirrlees and Amartya Sen. Faculty members advise the Bank of England, the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The course provides a sound understanding of core, pure, and applied economics. You will find yourself studying economics in considerable depth, while also using ideas and techniques from many other disciplines.

In the first year (Part I of the Tripos), everyone takes the same five modules (or ‘papers’ as they are called at Cambridge). These are: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Quantitative Methods in Economics, Sociology and Politics, and British Economic History since 1750.

In the second year (Part IIA) all students are required to study three compulsory papers, namely: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics and Econometrics. In addition, you will be able to choose one optional paper from a list that includes: Mathematics, Sociology, Economic Development and Labour Economics.

In the third year (Part IIB), all students will again be required to take two compulsory papers: Microeconomics and Macroeconomics. In addition, you would be able to choose two optional papers and write a dissertation.

The Marshall Society

As a student at Cambridge, you will have the opportunity to join the Marshall Society. It is a student-run society which organises social events and informal lectures from distinguished visiting speakers.

What can I do with a degree in Economics?

The Economics course will teach you to communicate well, understand complex arguments and analyse practical issues and data. These skills are valuable in many careers and many of our graduates go on to work as professional economists in industry, government and financial institutions. Many also progress to professional training in chartered accountancy and actuarial work or continue onto Masters’ degree courses at Cambridge and elsewhere.

For more information, please visit the University Careers Service website at: Using your degree: Economics | Careers Service

What we look for

The Economics course in Cambridge assumes that you are very proficient in Mathematics. You are presumed to have fully mastered the material in A-level Mathematics or IB HL Analysis & Approaches, including Probability and Statistics, before starting the course. The course does not presume prior knowledge of Economics. However, familiarity with its terminology and basic principles (as covered in A-level or IB HL Economics) is an advantage.

Competition for admissions in Economics at Cambridge is very strong and successful applicants tend to show academic excellence in a range of subjects. The ability to cope with a high workload is important since studying at Cambridge is intensive. The broad nature of the Economics course makes both sciences (e.g. Physics) and essay-based subjects (e.g. History) useful.

Studying Economics at St Edmund’s College

St Edmund’s is home to a small group of Economics undergraduates as well as postgraduates on a variety of Economics based MPhil and PhD courses. You will find yourself part of a ready-made community of economists where subject conversations continue beyond lectures and into the social areas of the College.

Teaching is divided between the Faculty and the College. Lectures, normally given in the morning, are provided by the Faculty. Students attend lectures with Economics students from all the Cambridge Colleges so numbers attending lectures often exceed 150. Supervisions, normally in groups of three to four students, are provided by the College and give students the opportunity to discuss topics with experts in the field. You are normally expected to submit written work in advance of each supervision. There are two or three supervisions a week, so the pace is tough!

The college offers several spaces where you can study and work on your essays including the Paul Luzio Library building, the Norfolk library, study desks in the Mount Pleasant Halls Common room, the comfortable couches of the CR, in Edspresso, our café, or the benches in our lovely apple orchards!

We also have six study rooms (2 in the Luzio building, 2 in Norfolk building, and 1 in Mount Pleasant Halls), where college supervisions typically take place, and which can also be booked by students for their private study time or group projects.

Our college also has an extremely supportive Welfare and Wellbeing Department, which is happy to lend an ear and provide support should a student feel anxious or overwhelmed with the academic year.

How to Apply

Applications for all courses are made through UCAS. You must apply by 15 October 2025 to be considered for entry in October 2026. Applications for 2025 entry have already closed.

Tests

Interviews

Deferred entry

Affiliated students

If you have already completed or are in the process of completing a first undergraduate degree, you can apply for this course as an affiliated student. This means that you will complete the course in two years instead of the standard three. (Please note that this does not mean that you can go directly into the second year of the course.)

To apply as an affiliate student, you need to have achieved or be on track to achieve a 2.1 or higher in your first undergraduate degree. International equivalents can be found on the University’s website.

The Faculty of Economics offers a nine-month taught Advanced Diploma in Economics which may be an option instead of taking the undergraduate degree as an affiliate student. This course enables students with an undergraduate degree that is not in economics or from a non-UK university to embark on further studies in economics and related disciplines such as finance at the graduate level, either at Cambridge or elsewhere. Subject to satisfactory progress, students may stay on for a further year and study towards an MPhil in Economics. In recent years, a significant proportion of students on our Diploma programme have successfully done so and gone onto important positions in industry, consulting and research (by embarking on doctoral studies at Cambridge or elsewhere)

What is a typical Term’s work

At Cambridge, nearly all of the teaching for Economics takes place in two eight-week terms. The Faculty of Economics provides around 30 to 40 hours of lectures for each paper, so all students can expect to have between 8 to 12 hours of lectures in a typical week.

In addition, your Director of Studies at St Edmund’s will organise around 10 hours of small-group teaching sessions, called ‘supervisions’ for each paper. So, you can expect to have two or three hours of supervisions every week. During these supervisions, which are typically highly interactive, your supervisor will cover whatever assignment you have been set in advance of the supervision (usually problems and/or essays), provide constructive feedback, answer any questions and engage you in a wide-ranging conversation about that week’s topic.

People

Dr Yi Wei, Director of Studies