Welcome to your future finance career

A Cambridge Master of Finance lets you dive deeper into specialist areas and take control of your career path. Apply now.

Apply for a Cambridge Master of Finance degree. Take control of your finance career path. Boost your career options in new areas of finance. Gain the latest insights on fintech and digital assets, Bitcoin and blockchain.

Applications

Applications are open from 1 September 2023 to 31 May 2024.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the final application deadline.

Group of Cambridge Master of Finance students.

Who we are looking for?

The Master of Finance is for you if: 

  • you have developed a narrow specialisation in finance and want to broaden your experience
  • you went straight into the finance industry from university and now want to take stock of your career trajectory
  • you want to consolidate your finance experience and gain a masters degree to support your professional development
  • you studied a subject other than finance at undergraduate level, and would benefit from studying a finance master’s degree
  • you want to benefit from studying alongside experienced peers in an intellectually stimulating environment

Find out if the MFin is right for you

View the class profile

CV reviews

Want to know if your MFin application would be competitive? Apply for a CV review and get expert advice from our team.  

Due to the high volume of requests we receive, only candidates who appear to meet our minimum requirements will be invited for a full CV review.

Application process

Start early in your preparation to give your application the best chance of success. Gather all your information and apply as soon as you can to take advantage of scholarships and student loans that might have early deadlines. With our online application portal, there’s no need to delay – you can save your application at various stages and come back to it later. 

Please download and review the Application Guidance Notes before starting your application.

Preparation

Have your academic transcripts and certificates ready, evidence of professional development and other details to support your application.  

Here’s what you’ll need to provide: 

  • A copy of your previous degree transcripts  
  • Evidence of at least 2 years’ professional financial work experience 
  • Certificate of English proficiency, if required, e.g. TOEFL or IELTS  
  • References – 3 referees: academic; work supervisor; work colleague 

Check the ‘Minimum requirements’ below for more details.

Go to the MFin application portal

Application submission

Go to the online application portal and make a start. Fill out the required fields and add your supporting documents, statements and references. Start as early as you can – you can always save your application progressively and return to it later if you need to.

Application review

You’ll receive an email acknowledgement by the Admissions Office that your application has been received. The review process starts. Based on the information you’ve provided in your application, you may be shortlisted for an interview. We aim to complete the application review process within three weeks of receiving your completed application. Please note that we can only review applications once your 3 references have been received.

Fraudulent applications

The University of Cambridge takes robust action against admissions fraud. If we find that fake documents or false information has been submitted, we will withdraw the application and any others made by the same person.

Learn more about postgraduate admissions fraud

Interview

Interviews take place on a set day every month – we’ll let you know when. If you are shortlisted, we’ll contact you by email to arrange an interview via an online video call. You’ll be interviewed by the MFin Director or other members of the Finance faculty. If you would like to attend the interview in Cambridge, please let the admissions team know. You can meet your faculty and the MFin staff, take a tour of the Business School, and soak up the historical Cambridge surroundings.

Conditional offer

Usually within a week of your interview you will hear if you’ve been offered a place on the masters programme. This initial offer is conditional on meeting a few requirements, such as receiving your:

  • First fee instalment (10% of total). 
  • Completed financial declaration forms. 
  • Relevant verifications and references. 
  • Proof of proficiency in English. 
  • Evidence of available funding support. 
  • Any other conditions as specified by the Admissions Team.

Unconditional offer

Once you have provided all the necessary information, we will let you know once you’ve reached Unconditional Offer – the final stage of the admissions process. At this stage, you will need to pay the second instalment (20%) of your tuition fees (on date of offer or by 1 June). 

Visas

If you are a national from outside the UK or Ireland, you will have to apply for a student visa to study on the MFin.

You should refer to the UK Visas and Immigration website for the latest information regarding student visas to see if you require a visa, and the criteria that you will have to fulfil.

For more information, visit the Admissions Process section of our FAQs page.

College membership

Every student who is offered a place on a degree programme at the University of Cambridge must also be awarded a College place. It is the responsibility of the MFin Office to find College places for students . This will happen once you have met your offer conditions.

Application deadline

Applications to join the class of 2024 are open from 1 September 2023 to 31 May 2024.

We accept applications on a rolling basis.

Entry into the programme is competitive, so we advise you to apply early. This is particularly important if you are planning to apply for scholarship funding.  

As the availability of College places and accommodation will become more limited later on in the admissions cycle, applying early increases your chances of getting into your preferred College. 

Submission of an early application also gives greater flexibility on interview scheduling, visa application (if necessary) and other admissions administration. 

31 May 2024

Final application deadline

Minimum requirements 

Take the first step with our handy checklist to see what you’ll need to provide with your application. Have everything ready before you start your online application – you’ll feel more in control and confident that you’ll tick all the boxes.

All applications are made online, and you need to submit all required supporting documentation. An online payment of £120 will be charged for the submission of your completed application.

You’ll need a strong academic background with at least a high UK 2:1 or equivalent in your Bachelors degree. Any degree subject is potentially eligible. If you studied your undergraduate degree overseas, you can check whether you meet the University’s minimum requirement.

Please note that the University’s minimum requirement equates to a standard 2:1, whereas you’ll need a high 2:1 for admission to the MFin. Therefore, the grades required for the MFin are likely to be higher than the minimum 2:1 equivalent stated on the University’s website. For example, we would require applicants who have studied in the USA to have a minimum GPA of 3.6/4.0.

You should have at least 2 years of graduate work experience in a core finance or finance-related role by the start of the programme. This could be in a bank or financial institution, but could also be in financial accounting or finance-related legal work, or in the financial team for a non-financial company. Ideally, at least one year of this should be in a front office finance role or equivalent.

You should be fluent in English to study the Cambridge MFin. If English is not your first language, you’ll need to take a recognised English proficiency test within two years of your programme’s application deadline. We can accept:

  • IELTS – 7.0 with no less than 7.0 in Speaking, Listening and Writing, and 6.5 in Reading
  • TOEFL – 100 with no element below 25
  • CAE minimum score of Grade A
  • CPE – Grade A, B or C, minimum score of 200 with no element below 185.

View our full English language policy

The MFin is open to graduates from a range of disciplines, as long as you have a willingness to reach a high level of maths and statistics.

View our guidance on the level of maths and stats knowledge required.

If you have an advanced maths background and want to tailor your MFin degree to a more quantitative direction, we can offer you some very demanding electives.

Cambridge has several faculty members who are leaders in the areas of mathematical finance, advanced econometrics and computer modelling.

Your MFin covers a lot of ground in a competitive field, so you’ll need to be willing to learn new skills and build on your current competencies in numeracy, problem-solving, reasoning and negotiation. Your fellow students are all experienced finance professionals, so you’ll gain the most from your work together if you have good interpersonal, communication and team skills, with a willingness to get involved and engage with research, workshops and other parts of the student experience.

You’ll need to provide 3 references for your MFin application:

  • Professional reference from your line manager or supervisor.
  • Peer reference from a team member or colleague.
  • Academic reference.

Please provide your referees’ work emails, so we can send them an automated reference request from the application portal. We cannot accept references sent from personal email accounts.

Once you have submitted your application, you will be able to track your references online.

Your MFin application is assessed on all the information you provide. A GMAT or GRE score is not mandatory, but it can be helpful if you’re worried about your academic score meeting the required level, or if your degree is in a non-finance related subject.

If you have mitigating circumstances for not meeting the minimum eligibility requirements and would still like to apply, please contact the admissions office to discuss your case. We reserve the right to request a GMAT or GRE score on the rare occasions where we feel it is necessary.

Admissions articles

In September we welcomed a new cohort of Master of Finance students to Cambridge Judge Business School. Here we introduce you to some of the class as they embark on their MFin journey.

With ESG and sustainability taking on an increasingly important role in the finance industry, more and more opportunities are opening up in Sustainable Finance and beyond – so what’s it like to work in the field, and how can the MFin help prepare you for a career in it? We spoke to 2 alumni from the Cambridge MFin to find out.

Master of Finance student Juncheng Shen tells us about his recent trip to the United States to attend one of the most prestigious events in the investment industry’s calendar. He also reflects on how his year in Cambridge has opened up some unexpected opportunities.

Admissions events

Meet our admissions team, find out more about the MFin and get advice on your application, scholarships and funding options.

Join our online webinar with the Cambridge MFin Admissions Team to find out more about the admissions process.

Join Marwa Hammam, Co-Director of the Master of Finance for a video call via Zoom.

Join the Co-Director of MFin Marwa Hammam for a webinar.

Join us for a unique opportunity to sit in on a live City Speaker talk, meet the Admissions Team, meet current students, and visit the Business School.

.nomargin{margin-top:0px!important;margin-bottom:0px!important;}
Top