Applicants from Slovakia

We welcome applicants from Slovakia who would like to apply for a place here at Christ's College. We also welcome teachers and guidance counselors at schools in Slovakia to get in touch if you have questions about supporting students from your school who would like to apply to Christ's College.

Entry requirements

Typical offers for Christ's applicants taking the Vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške require the majority of subjects at grade 1.0 (vyborny), with a minimum of grade 2.0 (chvalitebny) in all subjects. Your scores in written examinations should be 85% or above.

Students taking the International Baccalaureate would normally need to achieve 42 points overall (including bonus points), with 7,7,6 in Higher Level subjects. If you are applying for a course that requires Maths at Higher Level in the IB, make sure that you take the Maths: Analysis and Approaches option at Higher Level. See the page for IB students.

Students taking International A levels will need to achieve at least A*AA or A*A*A, depending on the course applied for. See our page for International A levels.

Some courses require an Admissions Test, which you will need to register for by mid-September (the exact registration dates vary from test to test, but please be extremely careful with these deadlines - they are before the UCAS application deadline). If you are looking for information about the format and content of a test, look out for the specification and sample questions, which you can access by clicking on the entry requirements tab on the relevant Cambridge Admissions website course page and scrolling down to the assessment information.

Offers for Mathematics also include STEP II and III, which are additional exams that you would normally take in the same summer as the Vysvedčenie o maturitnej skúške (or equivalent). Further information about STEP and preparation support is available on the Maths page. 

Mathematics advice for courses that require Further Mathematics

Any course that requires A-level Further Mathematics is likely to expect applicants to have advanced knowledge of mathematics that differs in places from the mathematics that you cover in the Slovakian system. If you are applying for one of these courses, you should ensure that you familiarise yourself with a Further Mathematics syllabus (example) and mention the fact that you are “topping up” your mathematics, in your personal statement. Some online resources are available to non UK students via the Advanced Maths Support Programme, and Mark Warner and Anson Cheung's book, A Cavendish Quantum Mechanics Primer is especially helpful for those considering Engineering and Physical Natural Sciences, and further resources are available on the relevant subject pages.

If you're planning an application for Mathematics at Cambridge, the Advanced Maths Support Programme website contains a range of resources, including problem sheets, test materials and links to other sites. Getting involved with Mathematics competitions and programmes is a great way to stretch your wings mathematically, and many successful applicants to Cambridge participate in regional Mathematics Olympiads or even the International Mathematics Olympiad. If your maths is very strong, you might also wish to practice past papers for STEP, the advanced examination used by Cambridge, Warwick and a few other universities to test mathematical aptitude. Christ's offers for Mathematics usually include STEP 2 and STEP 3, and Cambridge University provides a free online STEP Support Programme.

Academic Competitions

Many successful applicants have participated in Maths and Science competitions (including international Maths and Science Olympiads), and doing well in such competitions can be a good way to demonstrate that your mathematical and/or scientific knowledge and skills are at the required standard, particularly if you have not taken A levels. Taking part in any form of competitive academic activity will also emphasise your commitment to the subject involved.

Here at Christ's College, students from Eastern Europe and the Baltic States who have won individual medals at selected International Science Olympiads and perform strongly in our interviews and assessments will be considered for adjusted offers, that is, offers set at a lower level than would be the case for non-medalists.

If you are applying for an essay subject such as History, English, Philosophy or Classics, a number of Cambridge Colleges hold essay competitions which you might find helpful and enjoyable. See, for example the Fitzwilliam Essay Competitions and the Trinity Essay prizes. There is no obligation to take part in these, but they can offer good opportunities to explore a relevant topic and write in English, and if you do well, this will be an achievement that you can tell us about in your application.

English Language requirements

If English is not your first language, we will look at your grades for English at school and also assess your language skills during the various elements of the Cambridge application process. We may include an English requirement in an offer if a candidate's English seems variable at interview, or in an admissions assessment. This is more common in essay-based subjects.

If you are given an English Language condition, the standard requirements are on the university website, and you would have about seven months to meet the condition after your offer is made in January.

NB. Some UK universities do routinely include TOEFL, IELTS and comparable qualifications in offers to students from Slovakia, so if you already hold such a qualification, you should mention it in your UCAS application.

The application deadline

For applicants from Slovakia applying in 2024 (for 2025 entry or deferred 2026 entry) the application deadline is 15 October 2024.

It is very, very important to check whether your course has a test that requires registration, as you will need to check the deadline for this. Depending on your subject you may need to register some time before the October UCAS application deadline. See the application process section below.

The application process

We recommend that you apply as soon as possible once UCAS opens for applications in September. Your course may require registration for an admissions assessment in September (depending on the subject) and then the UCAS application deadline for all courses is 15 October 2024.  Application is for entry the following October (or for deferred entry the year after). We encourage all applicants to read the information about applying on the relevant subject page, as well as the how to apply page well in advance of September, as there are a number of parts to the application procedure which may take time to organise and complete:

1. If you have a test that requires registration (needed for some of the courses), you will need to make sure you are registered for this by the relevant deadline. Details are updated on the Admissions Tests page by July each year for students applying the following October. You will be able to search for the test centres in Slovakia.
2. There is more than one application form. You first make a UCAS application and then you complete an additional form called My Cambridge Application.
3. You will need a referee who can provide a reference and predicted grades for any exams that you have not yet taken.
4. You will also need to arrange for your school to provide a transcript, which you upload as part of My Cambridge Application.

Do also explore our additional support pages for international applicants, and note that on 20 September Christ's publishes the current applicants section, which will support you (in detail!) through the next steps once you have submitted a valid application and chosen Christ's College in your UCAS application.

Finance

Students from the Slovakia are encouraged to have a look at our finance section for details of the costs and financial support available. In addition to the university-wide awards from the Cambridge, Commonwealth, European and International Trusts, you'll see that at Christ's we have Christ’s College International Awards and Christ's Awards. The Christ's College International Awards awards are worth £10,000 per annum and may be accompanied by a full or partial waiver of the College Fee (currently £11,300 a year). More information is available on our page on international financial support and do also read the notes for EU students.

Where can I find out more?

Do explore the international students section in particular, and make sure you read the relevant subject page as this has the details and requirements for your specific course, as well as student writing and helpful resources for your preparation.

We encourage you to attend our Christ's International Webinar. This takes place each year in July.  See our International webinar page. We also have online College Open Days in October, February and September as well as regular webinars.

Please also feel free to email Kristy, Fran and Ellie in Christ's Admissions Office (admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk) with any questions. We're here to help you and we'll be pleased to hear from you, so please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Links

• Cambridge University Czech & Slovak Society (CUCSS)
  • Experience Cambridge
• Project Access 
   

International Students / Should I apply? / How to apply / Subjects at Christ's / International application support