Cambridge

University of Cambridge needs no introduction. It has produced some of the most brilliant minds to have graced academia, scientific community, politics, and almost every other field. As per the Graduate Outcome Survey, about 91% of the students were either working or pursuing further academics within 15 months of graduation. As per the Graduate Market, University of Cambridge is one of the top ten universities most often targeted by Britain’s leading graduate employers. Average base salary of Cambridge MBA graduates is GBP 96,429 (INR 1 Cr) and students are employed in leading companies such as Deloitte, Oxford University, EY, Google, UCL, McKinsey & Company, and more.

Conversion Used: 1 GBP = INR 104.16

Cambridge University and IIT are very well-known institutions worldwide and have their own strengths as well as weaknesses. According to the QS World University Rankings 2024, the University of Cambridge has claimed the spot #2 in Best Global Universities. Whereas, IIT Bombay ranks #149 in the same category. On the basis of world workings, Cambridge University has an upper hand.

Mentioned below is a comprehensive comparison between both the universities:

*the acceptance rate of IIT is much lower than that of Cambridge since the number of applicants applying to IIT is much larger.

Students at Cambridge can choose their major according to their preference. However, IIT's majors are allotted according to the candidate's score/percentile. Also, the University of Cambridge accepts applicants on the basis of their overall profile. Whereas, IITs accepts candidates solely on the basis of their score/percentile.

(Conversion Used: 1 GBP = INR 104.16)

Cambridge University and MIT are both a part of the top 10 universities in the world as well as in the world. Both the institutes are recognised for their academic excellence. Massachusetts Institute of Technology focuses mainly on the STEM courses like Science, Math, and Technology. Whereas, the University of Cambridge offers a wide variety of Arts & Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Technology programs. It is difficult to get into both Camridge University and MIT University as the acceptance rate of both colleges is quite low. For the class of 2027, the MIT acceptance rate stands at 4.8%. Whereas, Cambridge University acceptance rate is around 21%.

Cambridge University possesses more than 80 university sports clubs, which offers exceptional sports facilities, including gyms, studios, and sports fields. Some of the athletics and recreation facilities offered to students include gym, strength & conditioning room, multi-purpose room, sports hall, squash courts, team training room, fives courts, athletics track, hockey ground, indoor cricket school, pavilion & conferencing facilities, cricket ground, tennis ground, and more.

Students get to participate in sports such as Archery, Basketball, Badminton, Cricket, Cycling, Dance, Fencing, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Judo, Karate, Martial Arts, Polo, Rugby, Sailing, Shooting, Squash, Tennis, Trampoline, Volleyball, Waterball, Yachting, and many more.

Over 3,000 students participate in the sports leagues hosted by the university each year. University of Cambridge also organizes Sports Fairs and Annual Sports Awards every year to celebrate the achievements over the academic year.

The university quickly established itself as a global leader in the study of mathematics. The university's examination in mathematics, known as the Mathematical Tripos, was initially compulsory for all undergraduates studying for the Bachelor of Arts degree, the most common degree first offered at Cambridge.From the time of Isaac Newton in the late 17th century until the mid-19th century, the university maintained an especially strong emphasis on applied mathematics, and especially mathematical physics. Students awarded first class honours after completing the mathematics Tripos exam are called wranglers, and the top student among them is known as the Senior Wrangler, a position that has been described as "the greatest intellectual achievement attainable in Britain.

To apply to the University of Cambridge, students must follow the application process as specified by the university. Undergraduate applications to Cambridge University can be made via UCAS, whereas,   postgraduate applications can be submitted via the applicant portal of the university. Given below are the steps to apply to the University of Cambridge.

Undergraduate

• First of all, choose a course
• Then, check the assessment requirements
• Then, select the college in the UCAS application
• After this, submit the UCAS application. Soon after the submission of the UCAS application, the applicants will be mailed and asked to complete My Cambridge Application
• The applicants who have been offered a place are invited to attend an interview
• Lastly, the decisions are announced by the University of Cambridge

Postgraduate

• Firstly, look for details about a course
• Then, check the deadlines
• Next, register for the applicant portal
• Also, contact the two academic referees in order to support the application. Their details are required to be submitted via the applicant portal
• Next, research about the colleges
• Then, apply for funding
• Next, pay the application fee
• After finishing writing the application, uploading documents, and paying the application fee, the application will be ready to be submitted
• Most departments and faculty members will want to interview the applicants if their applications have been accepted

Read: Documents Required for Admission in UK

As per some experts, given below is the non-exhaustive list of the UK universities that are good besides Oxford and Cambridge. This list is based on international recognition, research excellence and employer reputation.

• Imperial College
• London School of Economics
• University College London
• King’s College London
• The University of Edinburgh
• The University of Glasgow
• Durham University
• University of Nottingham
• Queen’s University, Belfast

Also, note that the answer to this question will be very subjective as it is really competitive to get into the University of Oxford and Cambridge University. Another review on this has quoted that some of the other universities that are considered elite are UCL, King’s College London, Imperial, LSE, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, etc.