Computer Science

Study the increasingly essential theoretical underpinnings and practical tools for constructing, analysing and verifying the behaviour of complex systems. Combine this with the latest developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning and natural language processing. Computer Science at Cambridge gives you the knowledge and skills to revolutionise technologies of the future.

Overview

Ucas code

G400

Campus code

X

Typical offers made per year

7

Typical Undergraduate cohort

13

Minimum offer level

A Levels: A*AA

IB: 42 points (776 at Higher Level)

Other qualifications: check what other international qualifications are accepted at Cambridge

STEP (SIXTH TERM EXAMINATION PAPER)

COURSE DURATION

3-year full time BA (Hons) course or 4-year full-time MEng course

Essential subjects

A-level Mathematics or IB Higher Level Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches). A-level Further Mathematics is essential if this course is available to you. If your school does not offer Further Mathematics, you can still take it using the Advanced Maths Support Programme. If A-level Further Mathematics is unavailable, we advise you to do as much additional pure maths and decision maths as possible. For example, you might study Further Mathematics to AS Level or use online resources covering advanced material.

Desirable subjects

An A-level or IB Higher Level in Physical Science is highly desirable.

ADMISSIONS ASSESSMENT

All applicants for Computer Science must take the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA). The test is a pre-registration requirement. Find out further information here.

Why Choose St John's for Computer Science?

Our teaching Fellows are leading research at the cutting edge of key dimensions of machine learning and AI.

With a cohort of around 15 undergraduates and many postgraduates in the subject calling St John’s home, you’ll join a genuine and broad community of interest in the College. Interdisciplinary entrepreneurial ideas flourish in this setting.

St John’s academics have shaped computing from its earliest days, from Professor Max Newman developing early computing technology at Bletchley Park to Dr Eben Upton’s innovative Raspberry Pi computers. Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Maurice Wilkes did more than anyone to establish Cambridge’s status as a trailblazer in Computer Science.

The Maurice Wilkes Society, exclusively for St John's computer scientists, organises events, talks and socials, bringing together undergraduate and postgraduate students to share their interests and experience.

Watch the video to learn more about Computer Science at Cambridge.

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Our academics

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Dorian Gangloff

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Nic Lane

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Robert Mullins

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Martin Richards

Fellow

Course structure and information

In this exciting Tripos industry involvement is key, and there’s the option of a fourth-year Masters in which you’ll complete a substantial research project.

Find out more about the course structure and what to expect when studying at St John's College.

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Supporting your studies

Undergraduate Academic Research Project (UARP) Awards

St John's offers a number of grants to undergraduates who want to pursue academic research projects or Summer School courses related to their subjects at a University (including Cambridge) or other approved academic institution during the Long Vacation.

In addition to a general fund which covers all subjects, several subject-specific funds are also available. The Peter Munn Fund is dedicated to supporting Engineering projects. The Parsons Fund provides grants towards projects with links to Greece (Modern or Ancient) or the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as funding music-related projects. The Robert Tong Bursary offers free accommodation and access to the Library at Queen Mary, University of London during a set period.

All undergraduate students, including finalists, are eligible to apply for these awards.

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Every year, applications from students of St John's are invited to apply for Travel Exhibitions and Grants, for the promotion of travel.

Travel Grants

There are currently more than 20 travel grants available to students of St John's, made possible by generous donor funding. These funds are available to help students extend and develop their subject knowledge by, for example, travelling to archaeological sites abroad, further international understanding, undertake adventurous travel and much more.

Exchange Programmes

St John's is proud to collaborate with a number of great institutions to provide exciting cultural and academic exchanges. Our current exchange partners include Caltech Scholars exchange, Collegio Ghislieri di Pavia University Exchange, Heidelberg University Exchange, Nagoya University Exchange Scheme and NUS Research Exchange Programme.

Discover student life

meet our students

One of the founders of Raspberry Pi is our Director of Studies in Computer Science at St John’s - it's incredible

Samuel, Computer Science, undergraduate

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One of the founders of Raspberry Pi is our Director of Studies in Computer Science at St John’s - it's incredible

Samuel, Computer Science, undergraduate

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Computers are my passion, I knew from the age of 11 that I wanted to code, and my London state school had good subject teachers. I always aimed high and Cambridge is the place to be for Computer Science. I researched St John’s Fellows after visiting on an open day and found out they are all leaders in their fields.

Our Director of Studies has been our lecturer too and he’s great, he always makes time for us. We’re a small cohort but we have a joint society with Peterhouse and Girton and we all benefit from the exchange of support and ideas.

Applying

We expect Computer Science candidates to have a strong mathematical ability. When available in their school, applicants who have studied Further Mathematics perform particularly strongly.

Take up opportunities to develop your skills in Mathematics, such as by participating in Olympiads or using the online resources in the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme.

There is freely available practice material to help you prepare for the TMUA, the pre-interview assessment, and you can find out more here.

We want to know what motivates you to study Computer Science at Cambridge – in your application, describe your genuine personal reasons rather than what you think is our expected reason for applying.

Completing a project is a good way to learn about the subject beyond the examination curriculum that you are following at school/college. Try to choose a project that needs you to solve interesting problems, rather than simply following a step-by-step guide, as this will help you to demonstrate your ability to overcome challenges and apply Computer Science techniques.

If you are invited to interview, we will begin with a brief introductory discussion about your interest in the subject and any relevant projects you have undertaken. The majority of the interview consists of multi-step problem-solving questions.

We want to understand what you have learned from your independent exploration of a problem. In preparation, you could think about what problems you overcame, what Computer Science techniques or concepts you used and ultimately what you learnt. We recognise that not all applicants will have completed a project, as some may have developed an interest in Computer Science only recently, so you might think about a relevant example which can evidence your approach more generally.

The interviewers will guide you through these problems, which are designed to assess logical reasoning and problem-solving skills. Our questions will be loosely based on ideas from computer science, but we are not testing specific knowledge of Computer Science and you are not expected to have encountered these problems before. As the interview focuses on problem-solving rather than subject-specific knowledge, no particular preparation is required or recommended. However, you may find it helpful to practise working through multi-step problems in an interview setting.

Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA)

All applicants for Economics must take the Test of Mathematics for University Admission (TMUA). Further information about this pre-registration required assessment in the link below.

Learn more

Life after St John's

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Our societies

Wilkes Society

Computer Science students from St John’s, Peterhouse, and Girton Colleges are brought together in the Wilkes Society.

Our society is named after the mathematician and technologist Sir Maurice Wilkes (1913-2010), an alumnus of St John’s and Cambridge professor who invented the first stored-program digital computer and microprogramming.

Throughout the academic year the Wilkes Society organises talks and social events to give Computer Science students the opportunity to meet and get to know each other outside the classroom.

Find out more Visit society's website

Johnian Entrepreneurs society photograph

Johnian Entrepreneurs Club

We are passionate about spreading entrepreneurial opportunities to help unlock students’ full business potential.

We aim to inspire the great minds of St John’s to act on their brilliant ideas by supporting their talent and growth and providing the resources and opportunities vital for their success.

We believe the leadership and critical thinking skills learned from working and engaging in entrepreneurship are integral to success in many fields and roles.

Through projects, discussions, networking opportunities and real-world learning experiences with entrepreneur alumni, we aim to build a powerful entrepreneurial ecosystem emanating from St John’s.

Find out more Visit society's website

Discover all societies

Notable alumni

Dr Eben Upton

1996

Computer technologist

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

Raspberry Pi co-founder and CEO Eben Upton first noticed the decreasing number of Computer Science applications when he was Director of Studies at St John’s and realised that it was due to the lack of good quality programming platforms. As well as creating Raspberry Pi computers to make computing accessible and affordable for everybody, he has also been instrumental in improving Computer Science education through the Raspberry Pi Foundation, which provides world-leading resources to support the teaching and learning of AI literacy.

Sir Maurice Wilkes

1931

Computer technologist, Mathematician

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

A pioneer of computing, Wilkes helped to set up Cambridge's Computer Laboratory in 1937. He designed the EDSAC (Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator), the world's first programmable computer, which successfully ran a significant program on 6 May 1949. He soon realised that he would now spend hours looking for the errors in his own programs. He co-wrote the first programming textbook The Preparation of Programs for an Electronic Digital Computer and was the first winner of the Kyoto Prize, computer science's most prestigious award.