For details on references, please see our Academic References page.
If you are a referee, please see our Referee FAQs for more information.
Q. Who should I nominate as an academic referee?
| You are | Your First Referee | Your Second Referee |
|---|---|---|
| Currently studying (or recently finished studying) at undergraduate level | A tutor from your undergraduate degree course | A second tutor from your undergraduate degree course |
| Are currently studying or have recently finished studying (up to 3 year ago) at postgraduate level | A tutor or supervisor from your postgraduate degree course if appropriate (if they are able to sufficiently comment on your academic ability); alternatively, a tutor or supervisor from your undergraduate level | A tutor from your undergraduate degree course OR present postgraduate tutor (if appropriate) |
| Have not recently studied (more than 3 years ago) AND you are unable to nominate two academic referees from your previous studies | A member of academic staff from your most recent higher education course | Your employer or another person who can testify to your academic ability in a formal context |
| If you believe that a different referee (other than those mentioned above) is more suitable for your application and course, please contact your respective Department for further advice. | ||
Q. Who should I give as an academic reference if my previous education was some years ago?
If you have not recently studied (more than 3 years ago) AND you are unable to nominate two academic referees from your previous studies, please provide the following references:
- A member of academic staff from your most recent higher education course
- Your employer or another person who can testify to your abilities in a professional context
Q. Can I change my referees?
Yes. This can be done through the ‘Manage References’ section in the Applicant Portal.
Q. Can I upload additional references?
It is not possible to upload additional references to your application. You should only provide the number of academic references specified in the list of supporting documents for your course (and a personal reference if applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.)
If, however, you have exceptional circumstances that you think necessitate additional references, you may contact the relevant department directly and ask if they would be willing to consider receiving them. If the department agrees, the references should be sent to the department directly.
Q. My referee hasn’t received the request email.
Please ask your referee to check their junk or spam folder. If the email hasn’t been received, this may be due to the firewall settings for the email address. Your referee should therefore email postgrad.reference@admin.cam.ac.uk to ask for the request email to be sent to them manually.
Q. Do my referees need institutional email addresses?
Institutional email addresses are preferred. Other email addresses can be used, and are sufficient at the application stage, but we would need to take extra steps to verify such references when we make an offer. This might include asking for the reference to be sent again, if authenticity cannot be confirmed by other means.
Q. I entered an incorrect email address for my referee. What do I do?
You can change the email address through the ‘Manage References’ section in the Applicant Portal.
Q. How can I send in a paper copy of a reference?
If your referees are unable to submit your references using the electronic email referencing system, please contact us at postgrad.reference@admin.cam.ac.uk to discuss your case.