Natural Sciences (Biological)

Natural Sciences at Cambridge blurs the boundaries between the sciences, with 16 departments contributing to one extraordinary and inspiring course. You’ll study widely before deciding on your scientific focus, whether purely Biological, combining Biological and Physical, or choosing one of the exciting interdisciplinary options such as Earth Sciences, Materials, or Evolution and Behaviour.

Overview

Ucas code

BCF0

Campus code

1

Typical offers made per year

15

Typical Undergraduate cohort

48

Minimum offer level

A Levels: A*A*A

IB: 42 points, with 776 at Higher Level

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

STEP (SIXTH TERM EXAMINATION PAPER)

COURSE DURATION

3 years

Essential subjects

We take a flexible approach in the subject combinations we accept but whatever the combination it must be one that gives a sufficiently firm scientific foundation for the subjects that you would wish to take in the very broad first-year course.

Desirable subjects

If you are in any doubt about the suitability of your combination of subjects as a preparation for the Natural Sciences Tripos, please contact us well before the deadline for submission of a formal application for advice.

ADMISSIONS ASSESSMENT

Applicants for Natural Sciences will need to sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) in mid-October as part of the application to the University. You must register for pre-interview assessments so please do review this information carefully. Further information is available here.

Why Choose St John's for Natural Sciences (Biological)?

Plate from a book showing a flower, a butterfly and a caterpillar

St John's College has an illustrious and inspiring history in Natural Sciences, with countless significant contributions at the frontier of these disciplines and eight Nobel Prizes in Natural Sciences awarded to members of St John’s, including the geneticist Frederick Sanger (with two Prizes) and molecular biologist Maurice Wilkins.

You’ll be equally inspired by the outstanding academics in St John’s today. They are internationally recognised for their cutting-edge research, from pioneering work on gene regulation through RNA to mapping the cognitative architecture of the brain, and from cereal symbiosis to foetal development. This means that your College teaching comes both from leaders in their field and from newly established researchers, full of innovative ideas.

We have a thriving student community in Natural Sciences – around 100 undergraduates and a similar number of postgraduates. This vibrant academic community means that, however you choose to specialise as you progress through the Tripos, it’s likely that several students at St John's will have chosen the same track.

Our student-led Natural Sciences society, the Larmor Society, organises talks and social events – a great way to get to know students in years ahead of you and benefit from their experience.

We award academic prizes each year to our highest achieving students in Natural Sciences, recognising and rewarding their hard work and successes.

Watch this video to find out more about studying the Natural Sciences at Cambridge.

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Our academics

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Jean Abraham

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Michael Boemo

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Simon Conway Morris

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Steve Edgley

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Chris Jiggins

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Graham Ladds

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Ernest Laue

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Andrea Luppi

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Hugh Matthews

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr E Keith Matthews

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Eric Miska

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Amy Orben

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Uta Paszkowski

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Ole Paulsen

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Jeanne Salje

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor Benjamin Simons

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Professor David Stuart

Fellow

Director of Studies

Sub-Director of Studies

Dr Ian Winter

Fellow

Course structure and information

Find out more about the flexibilities of the course, with its immersion in both new and familiar sciences before you decide where to specialise. You'll find that the 'Biological' and 'Physical' division is in reality very flexible.

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

Learn more

Supporting your studies

Academic skills support

All St John's students have access to academic skills support throughout their studies. Academic skills workshops are offered throughout the academic year, and focus on a variety of topics including general study tips, essay-writing skills and revision strategies.

Some subjects hold compulsory academic skills workshops during the Michaelmas term. If you require individual support you can contact one of our Academic Skills Advisers, who each have a range of specialities, including essay writing tips, numeracy, presentation skills, prioritisation and revision skills. We have specialists in Arts and Humanities and in STEM, and in particular in Engineering.

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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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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

I’ve been supervised by a lot of great biologists at St John’s, including the University’s Head of Biochemistry, who also provided references for my internships and PhD applications

Dénes, Natural Sciences (Biological), undergraduate

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I’ve been supervised by a lot of great biologists at St John’s, including the University’s Head of Biochemistry, who also provided references for my internships and PhD applications

Dénes, Natural Sciences (Biological), undergraduate

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I’m from Hungary, and the Natural Sciences course at Cambridge is internationally recognised for its flexibility - we can focus on the areas that interest us most. I’ve also had the opportunity to complete an integrated Master’s, which isn’t always an option in other biochemistry courses.

The Larmor Society for Natural Sciences students here at St John’s is very active, and there’s a great relationship between students and Fellows, as we see them regularly - both formally and informally.

There are so many quirks I love about St John’s, like climbing the Chapel Tower to enjoy the views over Cambridge. There are lots of international students at St John’s, and plenty of opportunities to socialise with others from Hungary and across Europe - it’s a great community.

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St John’s does feel a bit like Harry Potter, I think this is the closest you can get to Hogwarts, especially with Formal Halls – it feels special every time I walk in

Flo, Natural Sciences (Biological) undergraduate

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St John’s does feel a bit like Harry Potter, I think this is the closest you can get to Hogwarts, especially with Formal Halls – it feels special every time I walk in

Flo, Natural Sciences (Biological) undergraduate

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At school, I really liked all the sciences, including maths, and so I found it really hard to pick a subject to study at degree level, but I really like the interdisciplinary aspect of Natural Sciences. You can do, for example, Earth Sciences, which I didn't think I would do as one of my modules when I applied, but I wouldn't have had the opportunity to even try it if I hadn't picked this subject.

Being surrounded by academics has made me consider research more. Reading the Fellows’ papers is really cool because it exposes you to that world

Patrick, Natural Sciences (Biological) undergraduate

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Being surrounded by academics has made me consider research more. Reading the Fellows’ papers is really cool because it exposes you to that world

Patrick, Natural Sciences (Biological) undergraduate

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My A-levels were biology, chemistry, maths and Mandarin but I couldn’t decide which science to do, and Natural Sciences at Cambridge sounded perfect. Being surrounded by academics has made me consider research more. Reading the Fellows’ papers is really cool because it exposes you to that world.

St John’s is a big college with lots of accommodation, it’s in the city centre, on the river, and very pretty. It’s weird how normal it feels now to cross the Bridge of Sighs every day, and the community feel here is what I was hoping for.

Applying

Successful applicants normally have outstandingly good GCSE results and you need a firm scientific foundation (likely to include Mathematics) for the subjects that you will take in the very broad first year of the Natural Sciences Tripos.

In your personal statement you should tell us how you’ve gone beyond your school curriculum in Sciences and Mathematics. For example, participation in subject Olympiads, the scientific books you've read and videos you've watched, perhaps online lectures or following research stories from institutions like the Wellcome Trust.

If you've had the chance to do some sort of scientific work experience you should also include this – but don’t worry if you haven’t had the chance to do this, it won't harm your application.

We expect to admit about 30 students to read Natural Sciences every year, with approximately half classed as ‘Biological’ and half as ‘Physical’ Sciences. However, these classifications are very flexible, and students often mix modules from the biological and physical sciences, or change their preferred area entirely. In our last round of applications, we made offers to roughly 25% of Biological applicants.

If you are invited to interview, you will have two interviews by the Director(s) of Studies and other teaching Fellows, each lasting 20-25 mins.

We conduct our interviews in a friendly and informal manner, and you should not feel too daunted by the prospect of them. No special preparation for the interview is necessary, or indeed desirable.

One of the interviews will be concerned with subject-related topics, but we do not expect you to have detailed prior knowledge of topics outside the areas you have covered at school. The interview is not a test of memory, but is concerned with exploring your ability to think through scientific problems. Often the problem will involve interpretation of a graph or similar scientific figure.

The other interview will set mathematical problems that are asked in the context of Biology or Chemistry. We do not use a digital whiteboard, but you should have a pencil and paper to hand.

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Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT)

Applicants will need to sit the Engineering and Science Admissions Test (ESAT) in mid-October as part of the application to the University

Learn more

Life after St John's

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Our societies

Larmor Society

Our society promotes Natural Science. We bring together natural scientists and psychologists of all year groups at St John’s and we are a close and supportive community.

Our social events include the chance to dine in other Colleges, an annual dinner and a garden party.

We organise talks by prominent speakers and support our members throughout their studies.

Every natural scientist and psychologist at St John’s is a member, though all are welcome to attend our academic events.

Find out more Visit society's website

Discover all societies

Notable alumni

Dame Louise Makin

1982

Pharma business leader

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

From 2004 Makin was chief executive officer of BTG plc, a global healthcare firm developing products for minimally invasive procedures, specialty pharmaceuticals and vascular diseases. She led BTG through a strategic repositioning and period of transformational growth. When awarded a DBE in 2014, she was cited as a role model for Women in Business and Women in Science. She is now chair of Halma plc, a group of safety equipment companies. The first ever Women’s Captain of the College's boat club, Makin has a boat named after her in College.

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Dr Frederick Sanger

1936

Geneticist

Nobel Laureate

Royal Medal winner

Academy Award winner

Pulitzer Prize winner

Olympic Medal winner

Poet Laureate

By Paul Hodgson 2006 © St John's College, Cambridge

Sanger arrived at St John's in 1936 to study Natural Sciences. His work on amino acid sequences and protein structures, particularly insulin, earned him a Nobel Prize in 1958, followed by a second in 1980 (jointly with Walter Gilbert) for his work in sequencing DNA. Regarded as the father of genomics, his research underpinned our understanding of genetics. He is one of only four people to have received two Nobel prizes, and the only person to have been awarded the prize twice for Chemistry. The Sanger Institute in Cambridge is named after him.

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