Study at Cambridge with IFSA
Cambridge
, England

University of Cambridge, Pembroke College Partnership

Program Overview

Founded in 1347, Pembroke College combines historic methods with cutting-edge research. Here, you can tap experts in your discipline and go deep into a subject you’re passionate about as one of two to three students in a classic supervision group. It makes for amazing academic freedom. Applications are due in March for upcoming fall and academic-year terms; apply early for this competitive program.

Details at a Glance

Application deadline

Fall: April 1
Academic Year: April 1
Spring: April 1

Minimum GPA

3.75

Credit load

24

Housing

Residence Hall/Dormitory

Instruction language

English

Prerequisites

None

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Academics

Looking for specific classes? Explore CHART, our exclusive class database — if the University of Cambridge Pembroke College Program is pre-approved at your institution, you’ll find classes recently taken by other IFSA students.

There are no traditional classes at Cambridge University. Rather, Cambridge has the supervision system, which is a weekly one-on-one, or in a small group, with your supervisor, in which you discuss your work and the topics that you are studying, ask questions, and receive feedback. Students typically take two courses, called ‘papers’ at Cambridge per semester. Each paper typically consists of eight hour-long supervisions. A course of lectures also supplements your supervisions for each paper, and your supervisor will advise you about which lectures you should attend.

Students applying for Pembroke College may study in one of the following departments:

  • Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic Studies
  • Archaeology
  • Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
  • Classics
  • Economics
  • Education
  • English
  • History
  • History of Art
  • Linguistics
  • Mathematics
  • Modern and Medieval Languages
  • Philosophy
  • Human, Social, and Political Science (Political Science, International Affairs, Anthropology)
  • Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion

If you are accepted to study at Pembroke College, you will be sent further information about how to make your paper choices and asked to submit five choices in order of preference. You will submit your preferences shortly after admission, but the two papers per semester that you have been assigned can usually only be confirmed around one month before the start of the program. Explore the course overview booklet for more information.

Withdrawal from this program after acceptance of an admissions offer is a very bad idea, as the cancellation policy is very strict. No exceptions are granted, even for illness or other unforeseen circumstances.

Lab & Field Trip Fees
Please review syllabi and course materials when registering for direct-enroll classes. Certain classes may have a one-off lab or field trip fee disclosed in the syllabus or during the first meeting of the class. These fees are not included in your IFSA program fee. You will be responsible for these fees, whether they are billed and paid by IFSA or billed to you.

Because of the highly individualized nature of the Cambridge supervision system, it takes time for your supervisions to be arranged. This is not just a matter of signing up for a class, so when you submit your paper choices these will be taken as final. It is not usually possible to make subsequent changes to your choices. You will be sent confirmation of which papers you have been assigned around one month before the start of the program.

Students can apply for more than one subject at Pembroke if you have a justification for doing so (eg. if you are a double major, or have a particularly interdisciplinary major).

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility

  • You must be at least 18 years of age. Students under 18 may be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
  • You must be currently attending or recently graduated from a U.S. or Canadian community college, technical college, two-year college, four-year college, or four-year university.
  • You must have completed at least two (2) years of study at your home institution before the beginning of the term.

Recommendation Letters
Your application to this program will require two (2) academic letters of recommendation on home institution letterhead.

Visa Requirement

  • Fall or Spring Term: Not required for U.S. or Canadian citizens. A visa may be required if you are a citizen of another country.
  • Academic Year: A visa is required for all students.

TRANSCRIPT
Upon completion of your program, IFSA will send an official Butler University transcript to your home university with your coursework converted to the U.S. semester credit hour system. You will also have access to an unofficial transcript in your IFSA Student Portal. The transcript reflects courses taken, credits attempted, and grades earned during your term abroad. This service is included in your study abroad program at no additional cost. See our Transcripts page for more information.

Excursions

Activities and excursions are designed to pull you into the communities you visit and encourage cultural connections of every kind. There’s no extra fee to participate in these optional outings—everything is included in your program fee.

Below are examples from previous terms; outings may be different for your program. We’ll make every effort to run them all, but sometimes things we can’t control, such as local regulations and health protocols, get in the way. As result, we cannot guarantee activities and excursions.

Activities

  • London Pandemics–Past and Present: This event will engage you with both an historic overview and a contemporary look at concepts of community health and global health, with a particular focus on London and the pandemic. You will attend a guest lecture at the IFSA London Flagship, followed by the John Snow Cholera Tour. This tour will take you to the nearby streets of Soho to visit important sites in the story of Dr. Snow and the cholera outbreak in 1854.
  • London Statue Walk: This walking tour includes stops at some of London’s most iconic statues as well as some of its most obscure, weaving in historical, cultural, literary, and political threads as it seeks to put the past into dialogue with the present.
  • Homelessness in London–A Dialogue: This event will explore the realities of homelessness in London from three perspectives. First, you will participate in a dialogue with guest speakers followed by a tour of Central London developed, curated, and delivered by vulnerably housed individuals through Unseen Tours.
Excursions
  • Cambridge Walking and Punting Tour: Marvel at some of the greatest examples of Gothic and Neoclassical architecture in the world. Inspiring, baffling, and downright outrageous: Cambridge is a city full of stories waiting to be told. See the rooms where Newton wrote his theory of gravity and hear the truth behind the apple tree myth. You’ll also get the chance to visit the pub where Watson and Crick announced one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. You’ll then experience Punting, offering a chance to explore the city from a different perspective. Enjoy the majesty of the River Cam on a punt tour complete with an expertly trained chauffeur who will effortlessly glide you along the water.
  • The Fitzwilliam Museum Tour: One of Cambridge’s most impressive landmarks, is widely acknowledged to be the finest small museum in Europe. Home to a world-class collection of art and antiquities spanning centuries and civilizations, there is plenty to see. Highlights include masterpieces of painting from the 14th century to the present day, drawings and print, sculpture, furniture, armor, pottery and glass, oriental art and illuminated manuscripts, coins and medals and antiquities from Egypt, the ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome.
  • Proud Cambridge Tour: Learn about the history of Cambridge’s LGBTQIA+ community, from the lives of famous Queer alumni who accomplished major political milestones, to the stories of residents who experienced the vibrant nightlife of the ’70s. Learn about the Lesbian Line, the creation of Stonewall, Cambridge’s major gay pub the Turk’s Head, and see a plethora of other sites in the city’s beautiful historic center. This is the first tour in Cambridge dedicated to Queer history, and it has been curated with the aim of paying tribute to those who have come before—suffering the effects of homophobia but also making major contributions to science, art, and the humanities.
  • Magdingley Hall and Afternoon Tea Experience: Madingley Hall has been described as a 20th century restoration of an 18th century adaptation of a 16th century Tudor manor house. It is also a story of wealth, power, decline, and enthusiastic restoration. Today it is the home of Cambridge University’s Institute of Continuing Education, and the tour guides are proud to be associated with the hall and to be allowed, by special arrangement, to take you around. A tour of the hall wouldn’t be complete without experiencing English Afternoon Tea, full of tradition, celebration, and a tremendous amount of cake.
  • Women’s History in Cambridge Tour: This tour covers the key role Cambridge played in education for women and women’s suffrage, as well as considering some of the tremendous women who have been associated with the city. Some key highlights areas include Millie Fawcett’s house, Newnham College, Senate House, and Market Square. 150 years have passed since women were first admitted to the University of Cambridge, and you’ll find out how things have since changed.

Housing and Meals

Housing

Residence Hall/Dormitory

Meals

Self-Catering

Details

You can prepare your own meals in a shared kitchen or three meals per day are offered on a pay-per-meal basis in the Pembroke dining hall.

Dates and Fees

Term

Term begins

Term ends

Program costs

Application deadline

Spring 2024

January 11, 2024

June 22, 2024

$56,575

Passed

Fall 2024

Early Sept. 2024

Early Dec. 2024

$45,575 (estimated)

April 1

Academic Year 2024-2025

Early Sept. 2024

Late June 2025

$100,150 (estimated)

April 1

Term

Spring 2024

Term begins

January 11, 2024

Term ends

June 22, 2024

Program costs

$56,575

Application deadline

Passed

Term

Fall 2024

Term begins

Early Sept. 2024

Term ends

Early Dec. 2024

Program costs

$45,575 (estimated)

Application deadline

April 1

Term

Academic Year 2024-2025

Term begins

Early Sept. 2024

Term ends

Late June 2025

Program costs

$100,150 (estimated)

Application deadline

April 1

Get Started

Apply Now
schedule time to talk
Kevin Cañas

Kevin Cañas

Admissions Counselor

Kevin Cañas

Kevin Cañas

Prearrival Counselor

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