Data story · ESAT · Cambridge, 2025 entry
50 of the 102 Cambridge Engineering applicants who averaged 8.0 or more on the ESAT got no offer, while 64 offers went to applicants averaging under 5.0
Cambridge released every 2025-entry applicant's ESAT scores and outcome. Offer rates rise with the score, but no score guaranteed an offer and no published score ruled one out.
Cambridge offer rate by average ESAT module score, 2025 entry
Share of applicants in each score band who received an offer. Band = average of the three required module scores, 1.0 to 9.0.
- Offer rate, counted from the FOI rows
- Fewer than 30 applicants: count only, no rate
| Course | Group | Average score band | Applicants | Offers | Offer rate | 95% range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering | All applicants | 1.0 to 1.9 | 66 | 0 | 0% | 0% to 6% |
| Engineering | All applicants | 2.0 to 2.9 | 245 | 0 | 0% | 0% to 2% |
| Engineering | All applicants | 3.0 to 3.9 | 691 | 2 | 0% | 0% to 1% |
| Engineering | All applicants | 4.0 to 4.9 | 954 | 62 | 6% | 5% to 8% |
| Engineering | All applicants | 5.0 to 5.9 | 614 | 130 | 21% | 18% to 25% |
| Engineering | All applicants | 6.0 to 6.9 | 318 | 78 | 25% | 20% to 30% |
| Engineering | All applicants | 7.0 to 7.9 | 189 | 66 | 35% | 28% to 42% |
| Engineering | All applicants | 8.0 to 9.0 | 102 | 52 | 51% | 41% to 60% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 1.0 to 1.9 | 40 | 0 | 0% | 0% to 9% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 2.0 to 2.9 | 170 | 0 | 0% | 0% to 2% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 3.0 to 3.9 | 519 | 2 | 0% | 0% to 1% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 4.0 to 4.9 | 603 | 56 | 9% | 7% to 12% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 5.0 to 5.9 | 313 | 111 | 35% | 30% to 41% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 6.0 to 6.9 | 85 | 49 | 58% | 47% to 68% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 7.0 to 7.9 | 30 | 28 | 93% | 79% to 98% |
| Engineering | Home (UK) domicile | 8.0 to 9.0 | 6 | 6 | too few to rate (under 30) | |
| Engineering | International domicile | 1.0 to 1.9 | 26 | 0 | too few to rate (under 30) | |
| Engineering | International domicile | 2.0 to 2.9 | 75 | 0 | 0% | 0% to 5% |
| Engineering | International domicile | 3.0 to 3.9 | 172 | 0 | 0% | 0% to 2% |
| Engineering | International domicile | 4.0 to 4.9 | 351 | 6 | 2% | 1% to 4% |
| Engineering | International domicile | 5.0 to 5.9 | 301 | 19 | 6% | 4% to 10% |
| Engineering | International domicile | 6.0 to 6.9 | 233 | 29 | 12% | 9% to 17% |
| Engineering | International domicile | 7.0 to 7.9 | 159 | 38 | 24% | 18% to 31% |
| Engineering | International domicile | 8.0 to 9.0 | 96 | 46 | 48% | 38% to 58% |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 1.0 to 1.9 | 23 | 0 | too few to rate (under 30) | |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 2.0 to 2.9 | 85 | 1 | 1% | 0% to 6% |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 3.0 to 3.9 | 243 | 14 | 6% | 3% to 9% |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 4.0 to 4.9 | 385 | 61 | 16% | 13% to 20% |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 5.0 to 5.9 | 311 | 114 | 37% | 31% to 42% |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 6.0 to 6.9 | 190 | 80 | 42% | 35% to 49% |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 7.0 to 7.9 | 107 | 60 | 56% | 47% to 65% |
| Natural Sciences (Physical) | All applicants | 8.0 to 9.0 | 87 | 51 | 59% | 48% to 68% |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 1.0 to 1.9 | 22 | 0 | too few to rate (under 30) | |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 2.0 to 2.9 | 73 | 2 | 3% | 1% to 9% |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 3.0 to 3.9 | 222 | 22 | 10% | 7% to 15% |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 4.0 to 4.9 | 330 | 70 | 21% | 17% to 26% |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 5.0 to 5.9 | 229 | 91 | 40% | 34% to 46% |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 6.0 to 6.9 | 158 | 53 | 34% | 27% to 41% |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 7.0 to 7.9 | 72 | 35 | 49% | 37% to 60% |
| Natural Sciences (Biological) | All applicants | 8.0 to 9.0 | 24 | 14 | too few to rate (under 30) |
ESAT; Cambridge 2025 entry; 3,179 Engineering, 1,431 Physical and 1,130 Biological Natural Sciences applicants with three module scores; offer rate by band; counted from official FOI rows (FOI-2025-1098, FOI-2025-1026); data version 2026-09-26.1
What the data shows
There is no ESAT pass mark
Cambridge sets no minimum ESAT score, and the rows show why a single number would mislead. In Engineering, the offer rate climbed from 6% of applicants averaging 4.0 to 4.9 to 21% at 5.0 to 5.9, 35% at 7.0 to 7.9 and 51% at 8.0 and above. The lowest band with an offer was 3.0 to 3.9 (2 of 691). Offer holders averaged 6.28; half of them averaged below 6.02.
Natural Sciences is flatter
In Physical Natural Sciences, 76 of 381 offers (20%) went to applicants averaging under 5.0; in Biological Natural Sciences it was 94 of 287 (33%), against 64 of 390 (16%) in Engineering. The top band in Biological Natural Sciences holds only 24 applicants, too few for a reliable rate, so the chart shows its count alone.
Home and international applicants were not on one line
At the same average of 6.0 to 6.9, 49 of 85 Home Engineering applicants got an offer (58%) against 29 of 233 international applicants (12%). International offer holders averaged 7.28, Home offer holders 5.73. The release records declared domicile only; it does not say why the rates differ, and domicile is not fee status.
What it means for 2026 applicants
Read a band as what happened to last year's applicants with similar scores, not as a chance. Interviews, predicted grades, school references and college decisions are not in the data, and the 2026 cohort sits a test whose scores are rescaled every year.
What this does not show
- These are 2025-entry applicants (ESAT sat in October 2024 or January 2025). No release yet covers 2026 entry.
- The module average is our calculation: the mean of the three module scores each course requires. Cambridge publishes no combined ESAT score and does not say it averages modules.
- 9 of 3,188 Engineering rows and 13 of 2,574 Natural Sciences rows are left out: 14 have fewer than three module scores and 8 name no Biological or Physical route. Cambridge's own Natural Sciences totals (2,625 applicants) also include 59 records released without scores.
- No release gives interview figures, so the data cannot separate who was interviewed from who was offered a place.
- Bands with fewer than 30 applicants show counts only. The 95% ranges describe the past band, not any one applicant.
- An association between scores and offers is not the reason for an offer. Grades, interview, context and college all differ between applicants.
Cite this
ESATGenius (2026). What ESAT scores got Cambridge offers? The 2025-entry data. Published 27 September 2026, version 2026-09-27.1. https://esatgenius.com/data/cambridge-esat-offers-2025
You are welcome to quote the findings and reproduce the chart with the credit above and a link to this page. Please cite the original publishers too; their figures remain theirs. Corrections and new releases are added as new versions, and earlier numbers stay listed in the change log below.
Method and sources
- Read every applicant row from Cambridge's FOI-2025-1098 (Engineering, 3,188 rows) and FOI-2025-1026 (Natural Sciences, 2,574 rows), through their public WhatDoTheyKnow copies. Applicant ids are the release's own anonymous row numbers; none is shown here.
- Kept rows with exactly three module scores and, for Natural Sciences, a Biological or Physical route.
- Averaged each applicant's three module scores and placed them in 1-point bands (the top band includes 9.0).
- Counted applicants and offers in each band; offer rate = offers / applicants, with a Wilson 95% range where a band holds 30 or more.
- Checked the counts against the research build (Engineering 3,179, Physical 1,431, Biological 1,130) and Cambridge's FOI-2025-982 domicile means.
Sources
- University of Cambridge (FOI-2025-1098): ESAT scores and outcomes for every 2025 Engineering applicantOfficial document, public copyAttachment 'FOI 2025 1098 Smith data.pdf': 3,188 applicant rows, 390 offers. Published 2025. Checked 26 September 2026. The university's FOI release, read from its public WhatDoTheyKnow copy.
- University of Cambridge (FOI-2025-1026): ESAT scores and outcomes for 2025 Natural Sciences applicantsOfficial document, public copyAttachment 'FOI 2025 1026 Wang data.pdf': 2,574 score rows, 668 offers. Published 2025. Checked 26 September 2026. The university's FOI release, read from its public WhatDoTheyKnow copy.
- University of Cambridge (FOI-2025-982): ESAT scores of Home and overseas Engineering applicants and offer holdersOfficial document, public copyAttachment 'FOI 2025 982 Salim data.pdf': module means by domicile. Published 2025. Checked 26 September 2026. Used only to check the applicant-level release: all 12 module means match to the published rounding.
- University of Cambridge (FOI-2025-956): ESAT statistics for the 2025 cycle, by collegeOfficial document, public copyAttachment 'FOI 2025 956 Low data.pdf': the request asked for interviewed applicants; the release gives applicant and offer-holder figures only. Published 2025. Checked 26 September 2026. Cited only for the missing interview figures. Its college score summaries are not used.
Data and versions
- Cambridge Engineering and Natural Sciences applicants' ESAT scores and offers, 2025: version 2026-09-26.1, checked 26 September 2026 (historical). First published version, transcribed by script from the 26 September 2026 ESAT research snapshot.
- This story: version 2026-09-27.1, first published 27 September 2026.
Download the chart data as CSV (UTF-8, one row per chart value, no personal data).