Mathematics
- Number of students per year: seven to nine
- Typical offer: A*A*A or equivalent; we accept a wide range of . We also require at least grade 1 in STEP II and III
- Essential subjects: Mathematics, A-Level Further Mathematics
- Useful subjects: Physics
777ӰԺ's Fellows in Mathematics include: Professor Natalia Berloff, Professor Carola-Bibiane Schönlieb and Dr Gareth Wilkes.
Professor Berloff is Professor of Applied Mathematics at Jesus. Her research lies in the area of quantum physics. Dr Schönlieb works in the general area of applied and computational analysis, with a focus on the mathematics of inverse problems and imaging. Dr Wilkes specialises in profinite groups and geometric group theory.
In addition to our Fellows, Mr Paul Fannon teaches first year applied mathematics and directs studies for our first years, and Dr Gareth Taylor teaches first and second year algebra and analysis courses.
Requirements
To be offered a place at Jesus you'll need to be very good at mathematics, passionate about the subject, and willing to work hard. It doesn't matter at all what background, school, or college you come from, or whether you play tennis or the violin.
What mathematics do I need?
A-Level Mathematics and A-Level Further Mathematics or an equivalent qualification are essential.
If you have a choice of modules on your Mathematics course we recommend doing as much Pure Mathematics and Mechanics as possible, as these are the most useful as preparation for the Cambridge Mathematics degree. Statistics and Decision Mathematics are much less relevant.
Do I need physics?
Our course has a significant component of theoretical physics, but it's studied from a very mathematical point of view. It won't matter if you aren't taking A-Level Physics, because our courses don't assume any prior knowledge. However, if you've also not taken Mechanics in your Mathematics course we recommend doing some preparation before arriving in Cambridge.
Our offers
If you're taking A-Levels, we normally ask for A*A*A at A-Level. Our offer will normally include a grade 1 in STEP paper II and in STEP paper III.
Depending on individual circumstances we may make an A-Level applicant an offer which will be met if they achieve either A* A* A with at least grade 1 in two STEP papers or A* A* A* with at least grade 1 in one of the two STEP papers taken.
We ask all our applicants to take a Sixth Term Examination Paper (STEP), though we will try to find an alternative way of assessing potential beyond A-Level if it's not possible for you to take STEP.
We like STEP for two reasons: first, because it's a much better indicator of success in our course than any other form of assessment, and second, because preparation for STEP is very useful preparation for the course. For help with STEP, you should visit the .
Many of our applicants find that little or no help with STEP is available from their school or college. We take this into account when deciding what offer to make and also whether to offer you a place even if you don't make these grades. In fact, across all the Cambridge Colleges, only about 170 out of our 250 students have two grade 1s or better in STEP.
If you're taking Scottish examinations, the International Baccalaureate, or another qualification, our conditional offer will be tailored to your particular course, and may involve STEP papers I and II instead of II and III.
Written assessment
You'll need to take STEP alongside your other exams, but there's no extra written assessment for you to do pre-application.
Interviews
In 2024-25, we’ll be interviewing shortlisted applicants virtually, with interviews taking place in December.
The interview process aims to assess your intellectual ability, potential, and commitment to the subject. Candidates are typically interviewed by at least three subject specialists, including the Director of Studies, and total contact time will be between 35-50 minutes in total. This could be in a single interview, or in two separate interviews. Further details will be made available to candidates closer to the time.
The interviews help us find out if you have the potential to cope with and succeed on our rather difficult course - nothing else. So we won't ask you why you want to study Mathematics or why you want to come to Jesus - we're just glad that you do. You might find the useful preparation.
For your interview, your interviewers will expect you to have access to a device that will enable you to annotate shared documents online. This is because the interview involves real-time problem solving, where you will need to show your working as you tackle problems. In our experience, something simple like a works well. We strongly recommend that you practise using your device in advance, to ensure you can write clearly, legibly and quickly using it.
If you do not own a tablet and stylus, we encourage you to speak to your school/college to see if a suitable device is available to borrow. If you are having difficulty sourcing a suitable device, please contact the Admissions Office.
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Written work
You don't need to submit any written work.
International applicants
We mostly refer to A-Levels and the International Baccalaureate for our entry requirements, but we accept a wide variety of qualifications from all over the world. The University website lists the . We expect students to be on track to achieve the highest grades in whichever qualification system they are studying. See our dedicated page for international students for more information.
Deferred and post A-Level entry
We're happy to consider deferred entry, although very few Mathematics students defer, usually less than 10 per cent across the University.
If you do defer you'll probably find that you have to spend considerable time in the months before you start at Cambridge getting back up to speed, by going back to STEP papers for example.
Find out how to apply to study at Jesus.
