Undergraduate fees at Cambridge vary depending on where a student is permanently resident. Each student is classified as one of (1) Home or (2) International / Overseas.
Tuition fees for students qualifying for Home fee status are regulated and capped by the Government.
Cambridge's current policy is to charge fees at the maximum level permitted. Tuition fees for standard Home fee status students starting their first undergraduate degree in 2025 will be £9,535 for all courses.
You can find complete information about University Tuition Fees, and any inflationary rises, on the University of Cambridge website.
If your course includes a year abroad, the tuition fee for that year is different.
Currently, the fee for a Home student on a full year abroad is set at 15% of the tuition fee for that year in Cambridge.
Further information can be found on the University of Cambridge website.
Tuition fees for International students (including students from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man), vary depending on the course you are studying.
Further information on international fees and costs
College fees contribute towards the cost to St John's of providing various educational and domestic services as well as other support.
Subject to a fee status check, the College fee for Home undergraduates who are on their first undergraduate course is included in the University fee and does not constitute an additional charge.
Home students who are eligible for public support do not normally have to pay an additional College fee, unless they are studying for a second degree.
There are different regulations for ELQ (Equivalent or Lower Qualification) students, who study for a degree which is equivalent to, or at a lower level than, a qualification they already possess when they commence their course.
For those ELQ students being admitted in 2025-26 the College fee will be £12,650.
The College Fee for International students admitted in 2025-26 will be £12,650.
Undergraduates at St John’s normally live in College accommodation for all three (or, in some cases, four) years leading up to the BA Degree. The room licence normally runs from October to June.
Students will incur certain maintenance charges. These vary from case to case, but the following estimates offer a guide as to how much you might expect to pay in the academic year 2024-25.
Rooms and service in College: £2,020 - £3,065 per term
In addition, you will need to budget for meals, clothes, books, travel, entertainment and other lifestyle costs. This usually brings the total maintenance figure up to around £11,000 - £12,000 per academic year.
The University of Cambridge offers extensive financial support to all Cambridge students. In particular, the Cambridge Bursary Scheme enables any student to meet the cost of his or her education, regardless of circumstances.
Bursaries are available to students studying for their first undergraduate degree who are eligible for UK Government funding and have a residual household income of up to £62,215.
The bursaries are worth up to £3,500 per year and are assessed based on household income.There is no limit on number of bursaries awarded, so every eligible student can receive one.
In addition to the Cambridge Bursary, students who have been eligible for free school meals (funded by their local authority) will receive the Educational Premium which is an additional non-repayable bursary of £1,000 per year.
The Cambridge Trust administers various awards for students with international / overseas fee status.
Most of the awards are part-cost awards and only students in financial need are eligible.
Visit the Cambridge Trust website for further details regarding eligibility and the application process.
In addition to the support offered by the University, St John's also offers lots of extra financial assistance for students who are eligible for UK Government funding.
Not all financial problems can be anticipated – sometimes students unexpectedly need extra support with tuition fees and living expenses. If this happens, your Tutor is here to help, both by offering advice and, if necessary, pointing you in the direction of College and University financial support.
Crucially, any such funding is designed to help you to do more than “get by”; the aim is to ensure that you can get the most out of your Cambridge experience free from financial worries.
There are many undergraduate scholarships, bursaries and prizes offered by St John's College.
Our friendly College Admissions Office are always happy to answer any questions that you might have about covering the cost of your education at St John’s. You can find contact information here.
For further help and information about student finance, you can also contact one of the following organisations:
Students from England
Directgov Student Support Helpline
Telephone: 0845 300 5090
Students from Northern Ireland
Student Finance NI
Telephone: 0845 600 0662
Students from Scotland
Student Awards Agency for Scotland
(SAAS)
Telephone: 0845 111 1711
Students from Wales
Student Finance Wales
Telephone: 0845 602 8845
Students from the EU
Student Finance Services European Team
Telephone: +44 (0) 141 243 3570
Students from outside the EU
The University of Cambridge website contains useful information
Students from the USA
Students from the USA might be able to apply for a Federal Loan to study at the University of Cambridge.
US loans
