Studying for an undergraduate degree can be costly, so it’s important that you’re equipped with the information about these costs in advance.
Costs fall into three main categories:
- Tuition fees
- Maintenance costs
- College charges
Student Finance at Cambridge University
Tuition fees
- You will pay your Tuition fees annually for each year of your course.
- The amount that you pay depends on your fee status and on whether you have studied at degree level before.
- Your fee status depends on your nationality, where you live and how long you have lived there.
- Your fee status will be assessed during the admissions process. If you are made an offer, your offer letter will outline whether you have been assessed as having home fees status or overseas fee status.
View the comprehensive guide from the UK Council for International Student Affairs which contains all the situations where a student is considered to have home fees status.
Fee status
Home Fee Status
- Tuition fees are determined by the UK Government.
- The fee is £9,790 per year for those studying their first degree (2026-2027 academic year). This will rise to £10,050 for the academic year 2027-2028.
- The fee is £13,842 per year for those studying for an additional degree (2026-2027 academic year) in addition to the College fee of £13,440 (2026-2027 academic year).
- If you are taking a second undergraduate degree in Architecture or Medicine, you will pay the standard home fee which is currently £9,790 per year (2026-2027 academic year) and will increase to £10,050 per year (2027-2028 academic year).
- The fees for all courses are subject to inflationary increases in future years.
Overseas Fee Status
- Your tuition fee will depend on the course you are studying. Up-to-date figures can be found on the University of Cambridge Tuition fees Undergraduate Study page.
- Overseas students will pay an additional £13,440 College fee (2026-2027 academic year)
Maintenance costs
Maintenance costs, or living costs, are the expenses that you are likely to incur while living in Cambridge studying for your degree.
The University of Cambridge recommends that an undergraduate student budget £1,305 for living expenses each month. This includes money for food, rent, social activities, study costs and personal items. If you’re staying in Cambridge for term time (approximately nine months), you would need around £11,745 for the year. If you’re staying for the full year, including during vacation time, you would need around £15,660.
A detailed breakdown of likely expenses can be found on the University of Cambridge living costs page.
