Your chances of getting into Cambridge Economics, and the TMUA score you need
For 2025 entry, 1,647 people applied for Economics at Cambridge and 195 received offers: 12%. Built from the test scores and outcomes of 1,492 past applicants, released by Cambridge.
Your chances
Answer the questions, then see your chances
- Your estimate from the scores and outcomes of 1,492 past applicants
- Adjusted for your grades, school and where you apply from
- A likely range, with each step that moved it
- What would change your odds, and a card to share
- Applied, 2025
- 1,647
- Offers
- 195
- Offer rate
- 12%
Economics selection in 2025
How many reached each stage in 2025. Your own chances appear here once you have answered.
| Stage | Students | AVG | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply | 1,647 | ||
| Offer | 195 | 12% | ? |
How the offer rate rises with TMUA score
Show as a table
| TMUA | Offer rate | 80% confidence range |
|---|---|---|
| 4.0 | 2% | 1% to 3% |
| 4.5 | 3% | 2% to 5% |
| 5.0 | 5% | 3% to 6% |
| 5.5 | 7% | 6% to 9% |
| 6.0 | 11% | 10% to 13% |
| 6.5 | 16% | 15% to 19% |
| 7.0 | 26% | 24% to 29% |
| 7.5 | 35% | 30% to 39% |
| 8.0 | 39% | 31% to 46% |
| 8.5 | 40% | 32% to 49% |
| 9.0 | 41% | 32% to 50% |
Why you can trust this
1,492past applicants
1 yearof scores linked to offers (2024 entry)
1.5xwider ranges, with no other year to test on
Method and sources
This estimate rests on one year of score data. Economics has used the TMUA only since 2023 entry, and Cambridge has released offers by score for all applicants for 2024 entry alone (1,492 applicants with a score). Applicants are ranked by score within that year, the offer rate is fitted on that ranking, and the level is set to Cambridge's official 2025 offer rate. Your score is placed among the 2024 applicants' scores.
With one year of data, no year could be held out to test the curve, so every range has been widened by half. Scores have run lower since 2024: offer holders averaged 6.75 for 2024 entry, 6.00 for 2025 and 6.07 for 2026, and Cambridge holds no information on how the scales compare. If your sitting runs like the last two, your score is likely to place you higher among applicants than this curve shows, so treat the estimate as a lower guide.
Home and international applicants have separate curves, fitted on 781 home and 711 international applicants with a score. Cambridge interviews applicants, but its colleges run the interviews and the University holds no interview scores, so the interview is not modelled separately. The estimate is the overall chance of an offer from your TMUA score and grades.
Economics has no grade fit of its own, so the GCSE and A-level effects are the ones fitted for Oxford PPE, added on top of the score and allowing for the overlap between them. PPE's GCSE and A-level effects are measured against PPE applicants with the same score, who are unusually strong on grades, so here they are re-centred on the standard offer and used at half size: A*A*A with eight or nine GCSE 8s and 9s counts as no change, as leaving grades blank does, and the range runs from no effect to PPE's full size. The school effect is Cambridge Economics' own, fitted on 2024 alone, after allowing for the score. At full size it overstated one check it was not fitted on, the gap in offer holders' average TMUA between independent and state schools (0.96 points predicted against 0.80 actual), so it is used at 0.59 of that size, the share the check supports. Its range runs from no effect to the full one.
- University of Cambridge, FOI-2024-1083. Economics applicants' TMUA scores and outcomes, GCSE grade 9s and predicted A-levels, 2024 entry.
- University of Cambridge, FOI-2025-268. Home and international applicants' TMUA scores and outcomes, and applicants by school type, 2024 entry.
- University of Cambridge, Undergraduate Admissions Statistics, 2013 to 2025 cycles. Applications, offers and acceptances by course, and Home applicants from UK schools by school type.
- University of Cambridge, Undergraduate Admissions Statistics dashboard, accessed 22 October 2026. Applications, offers and acceptances by route, including 2026 entry, not yet final.
- University of Cambridge, FOI-2026-757, FOI-2026-933, FOI-2025-865 and FOI-2025-618. TMUA averages for applicants and offer holders, including 2026 offer holders, by school type, and Part I marks by TMUA band, 2023 entry.
- University of Cambridge, FOI-2025-456, FOI-2026-465 and FOI-2026-323. A-level subjects of offer holders and predicted A*s, 2023 to 2025 entry.
- University of Cambridge, FOI-2025-578 and FOI-2026-550. Reply on contextual offers, and August Reconsideration Pool counts; and the Economics course page, entry requirements for 2027 entry.
- Grade equivalence: Ofqual, grade standards for new GCSEs (2017); Cambridge International, A guide to A*-G and 9-1 grades (2025); Ecctis for the IB, MYP grade comparisons with the GCSE (2021); University of Cambridge, Economics entrance requirements.
- GCSE and A-level effects: as fitted for our Oxford PPE calculator, which lists their sources.
This estimate cannot see your college, personal statement, reference or interview. It rests on 2024's scores, and the 2025 and 2026 sittings ran lower, so for the same score your real chance is likely to be higher than shown. The GCSE and A-level effects are borrowed from Oxford PPE and may not match Cambridge Economics, and the school effect rests on one year and is scaled down to match a single check. Predicted and achieved grades are treated the same, and the GCSE, A-level and school effects come from separate tables, so they may overlap slightly.
Cambridge Economics admissions statistics
What the numbers Cambridge has released say about getting into Economics: how many people apply, how the TMUA score sorts them, and how the odds differ by where you apply from, your school and your grades. Cambridge's colleges run the interviews and the University holds no interview data for the course, so the interview is not covered.
1 in 8
applicants got an offer
More detail
195 offers from 1,647 applicants for 2025 entry (11.8%). Offers have stayed between 165 and 197 a year since 2014, while applications rose from 1,105 to 1,647.
63%
of offers went to the top quarter of TMUA scores
More detail
122 of 194 offers for 2024 entry, the one year with offers by score for all applicants. Below that cut-off the offer rate was still 6.5%.
66%
of home applicants scoring 7.0 to 7.9 got an offer
More detail
37 of 56 for 2024 entry, against 23.5% of international applicants at the same score (36 of 153).
96%
of A-level offer holders were taking Further Maths
More detail
139 of 145 for 2024 entry. Cambridge requires only Maths, though six colleges also require Further Maths.
Cambridge Economics acceptance rate
For 2025 entry, 1,647 people applied for Economics at Cambridge and 195 received offers.
That is an offer rate of 11.8%, or about 1 in 8.
Cambridge's own published success rate counts those who took up a place: 164 of 1,647, or 10.0%, for 2025 entry. The course page's "applications per place" figure (10) divides applications by those same acceptances. This page uses offer rates throughout.
- Applied
- Offered a place
Offers have stayed between 165 and 197 every year from 2014 to 2025. Applications ran between 1,005 and 1,206 a year from 2013 to 2019 entry, then rose to 1,647.
The offer rate was between 15.5% and 18.1% for 2014 to 2019 entry and has been between 10.9% and 13.7% in every year since 2020.
Some offers come from a college other than your first choice: 33 of the 195 offers for 2025 entry came through the winter pool.
Cambridge's dashboard for 2026 entry, whose figures are not yet final, shows 1,951 applications, up 18.5% on 2025, and 212 offers (10.9%).
Show the data as a table
| Entry | Applications | Offers | Offer rate | Took up a place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,647 | 195 | 11.8% | 164 |
| 2024 | 1,571 | 197 | 12.5% | 161 |
| 2023 | 1,336 | 183 | 13.7% | 162 |
| 2022 | 1,513 | 165 | 10.9% | 151 |
| 2021 | 1,562 | 175 | 11.2% | 156 |
| 2020 | 1,364 | 187 | 13.7% | 165 |
| 2019 | 1,143 | 186 | 16.3% | 156 |
| 2018 | 1,094 | 187 | 17.1% | 167 |
| 2017 | 1,005 | 182 | 18.1% | 155 |
| 2016 | 1,183 | 189 | 16.0% | 164 |
| 2015 | 1,136 | 186 | 16.4% | 160 |
| 2014 | 1,105 | 171 | 15.5% | 152 |
What TMUA score do you need for Cambridge Economics?
A TMUA score of about 7.4 gave a 1 in 3 chance of an offer for 2024 entry, and offer holders averaged 6.07 for 2026 entry.
Economics has used the TMUA since 2023 entry, replacing the ECAA. Cambridge has released offers by TMUA score for all applicants for one year only, 2024 entry, so every score figure on this page rests on that year.
On 2024's scale, our estimate reaches a 1 in 3 chance at a TMUA score of 7.4 across all applicants, 6.7 for home applicants and 8.1 for international applicants.
Scores have run lower since: offer holders averaged 6.75 for 2024 entry, 6.00 for 2025 and 6.07 for 2026. If your sitting runs like the last two, the same chance is likely to come at a lower score than shown.
The curve flattens near the top: the estimate is about 39% at 8.0 and 41% at 9.0, the top of the scale.
How TMUA scores compare across all test-takers is in our guide to a good TMUA score.
- All applicants
- Home
- International
Offer holders for 2024 entry averaged 6.75 on the TMUA against 5.32 for all applicants. For 2025 entry the figures were 6.00 and 4.58, and for 2023 entry 6.56 and 5.21. Offer holders for 2026 entry averaged 6.07.
Each year's scores sit on their own scale, and Cambridge holds no information on how the scales compare. Later sittings ran lower, so the same raw score is likely to rank higher than this 2024-based curve shows, and these figures are best used as a guide to its shape.
Cambridge holds no interview scores or interview-to-offer rates for Economics, because colleges run the interviews. The estimate is the overall chance of an offer, interview included.
Show the data as a table
| TMUA score | Applicants scoring below | Offer | Likely range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.0 | 9% | 1% | 0% to 1% |
| 4.0 | 22% | 2% | 1% to 3% |
| 5.0 | 39% | 5% | 3% to 6% |
| 6.0 | 59% | 11% | 10% to 13% |
| 7.0 | 83% | 26% | 24% to 29% |
| 8.0 | 97% | 39% | 31% to 46% |
| 9.0 | 100% | 41% | 32% to 50% |
How much does the TMUA matter for Economics?
A high score helps a great deal, though many offers go further down the range. For 2024 entry, 62.9% of offers (122 of 194) went to applicants in the top quarter of TMUA scores, which means 6.7 or more.
Applicants below that cut-off still had an offer rate of 6.5% (72 of 1,103). 28 of the 194 offers went to applicants scoring below 6.0, and 12 to applicants scoring below 5.0.
The offer rate climbs from 2.0% below 5.0 to 34.9% at 7.0 to 7.9, then flattens at 37.5% for 8.0 or more. A top score is no guarantee: 25 of the 40 applicants scoring 8.0 or more got no offer.
The middle half of 2024 offer holders scored between 6.5 and 7.3, and 177 of the 194 offers went to applicants at or above the median score of 5.4.
Show the data as a table
| TMUA score | Applicants | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 5.0 | 602 | 12 | 2.0% |
| 5.0 to 5.9 | 236 | 16 | 6.8% |
| 6.0 to 6.9 | 405 | 78 | 19.3% |
| 7.0 to 7.9 | 209 | 73 | 34.9% |
| 8.0 or more | 40 | 15 | 37.5% |
UK and international applicants
Home applicants got offers more often. Among 2024 applicants with a TMUA score, 14.5% of home applicants got an offer (113 of 781), against 11.4% of international applicants (81 of 711).
International applicants scored higher on average (5.97 against 4.73), yet at the same TMUA score home applicants did far better.
- Home
- International
At 7.0 to 7.9 for 2024 entry, 66.1% of home applicants got an offer (37 of 56), against 23.5% of international applicants (36 of 153). At 6.0 to 6.9 it was 29.1% (48 of 165) against 12.5% (30 of 240).
No international applicant scoring below 5.0 got an offer (0 of 173), while 12 of 429 home applicants did. Only one home applicant scored 8.0 or more, against 39 international applicants.
International offer holders averaged 7.28 on the TMUA against 6.35 for home offer holders. For 2025 entry, home applicants from UK schools made half of all applications (827 of 1,647) and received 57.4% of offers (112 of 195).
These are one year of raw rates. They do not separate home or international status from grades, colleges or the rest of the application.
Show the data as a table
| TMUA score | Home | International |
|---|---|---|
| Below 5.0 | 2.8% (12 of 429) | 0.0% (0 of 173) |
| 5.0 to 5.9 | 11.5% (15 of 130) | 0.9% (1 of 106) |
| 6.0 to 6.9 | 29.1% (48 of 165) | 12.5% (30 of 240) |
| 7.0 to 7.9 | 66.1% (37 of 56) | 23.5% (36 of 153) |
| 8.0 or more | 1 of 1 | 35.9% (14 of 39) |
State and independent schools
State-school applicants do about as well as independent-school applicants. For 2024 entry, 14.6% of home applicants from maintained (state) schools got an offer (74 of 507), against 13.8% from independent schools (24 of 174).
Maintained schools' share of offers matched or beat their share of applications in every year from 2020 to 2025 except 2021. For 2025 entry it was 72.3% of offers against 70.5% of applications.
- Share of applications
- Share of offers
State-school applicants score lower on average. For 2023 to 2025 entry, applicants from maintained schools averaged 0.6 to 1.0 points lower on the TMUA than those from independent schools in each year, and their offer holders 0.6 to 0.8 points lower. These averages cover all domiciles.
At the same TMUA score, state-school applicants did better than independent-school applicants in 2024, because their scores were lower while their offer rate was similar. The calculator builds that in at a reduced size, matched to the score gap between independent and state offer holders, because it rests on a single year and the full effect overstated that gap.
Cambridge says it does not make contextual offers. Over 2023 to 2025, home applicants from the areas with the lowest university participation (POLAR4 Q1) got offers at 15.2% (15 of 99), against 14.7% from Q3 to Q5 areas (293 of 1,988).
Applicants flagged by Cambridge's deprivation measure (IMD) got offers at 13.2% (60 of 456), against 14.8% (264 of 1,787) of the rest. These are raw rates, which do not allow for scores or grades.
Show the data as a table
| Entry | State share of applications | State share of offers |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 70.5% | 72.3% |
| 2024 | 72.9% | 75.2% |
| 2023 | 62.1% | 67.3% |
| 2022 | 64.0% | 68.1% |
| 2021 | 68.7% | 67.3% |
| 2020 | 69.6% | 74.0% |
| 2019 | 62.2% | 61.5% |
| 2018 | 64.2% | 59.8% |
Do GCSEs and A-levels matter?
For 2027 entry, Cambridge's minimum offer for Economics is A*A*A at A-level (IB: 41 to 42 points with 776 at Higher Level). A-level Maths is required (IB: Analysis and Approaches), and 20 of the 28 colleges listed set extra requirements for most or all offers, such as a higher offer or an A* in a named subject.
In practice, offer holders are predicted higher. For 2024 entry, 117 of the 127 offer holders with predicted A-levels (92%) were predicted at least A*A*A* in their best three subjects.
For 2024 entry, 15.5% of A-level applicants predicted A*A*A* in their best three got an offer (117 of 754), against 4.1% of those predicted A*A*A (7 of 171). None of the 18 predicted A*AA, below the A*A*A minimum, got an offer.
Four A*s help most. For 2024 entry, 22.5% of applicants predicted exactly A*A*A*A* got an offer (83 of 369), against 9.6% of those predicted exactly A*A*A* (24 of 251), and the rate for four A*s was 19.9% for 2023 entry (55 of 277) and 17.5% for 2025 entry (74 of 423).
These are raw rates, and Cambridge's tables cannot be linked, so we cannot say how much of the gap comes from Further Maths or the TMUA.
Further Maths is not required by the University, but six colleges (Christ's, Churchill, Corpus Christi, Magdalene, St John's and Sidney Sussex) also require it for 2027 entry. 139 of the 145 A-level offer holders for 2024 entry were taking it and 135 were taking A-level Economics, and every one was taking one of the two. We hold no offer rates with and without Further Maths for Economics.
GCSEs go with the odds too. For 2024 entry, 28.2% of applicants who declared nine or more grade 9s got an offer (69 of 245), against 3.4% of those with four or fewer (7 of 207). These are raw rates. The calculator's GCSE and A-level effects are borrowed from our Oxford PPE calculator, as there is no Cambridge Economics fit of them.
Show the data as a table
| Best three predicted | Applicants | Offers | Offer rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| A*A*A* | 754 | 117 | 15.5% |
| A*A*A | 171 | 7 | 4.1% |
| A*AA | 18 | 0 | 0 of 18 |
| AAA | 11 | 3 | 3 of 11 |
Questions about Cambridge Economics admissions
What is the acceptance rate for Cambridge Economics?
About 11.8% of applicants got an offer for 2025 entry: 195 offers from 1,647 applicants, or about 1 in 8. Cambridge's own published success rate, which counts those who took up a place, was 10.0% (164 of 1,647).
What TMUA score do I need for Cambridge Economics?
No score guarantees an offer. On 2024's scale, our estimate reaches a 1 in 3 chance at a TMUA score of 7.4 across all applicants, 6.7 for home applicants and 8.1 for international applicants. Scores have run lower since: offer holders averaged 6.75 for 2024 entry, 6.00 for 2025 and 6.07 for 2026, so if your sitting runs like the last two, the same chance is likely to come at a lower score.
Does the calculator include the interview?
No. Colleges run the interviews, and Cambridge holds no interview scores or interview-to-offer rates for Economics, so none are published. The calculator estimates your overall chance of an offer from your TMUA score and grades, and the interview is not modelled separately.
Do I need Further Maths for Cambridge Economics?
No, the University requires only Maths. Six colleges also require Further Maths for 2027 entry, and in practice 139 of the 145 A-level offer holders for 2024 entry were taking it. Check your college's requirements before you choose.
Does the TMUA predict how you do in the first year?
Only loosely. Students who started Economics in 2023, the first TMUA year, averaged 69.5 in Part I with a TMUA of 8.0 to 9.0, 67.1 with 7.0 to 7.9, 65.3 with 6.0 to 6.9 and 63.6 with 5.0 to 5.9. It is one cohort, and the top band holds only 6 students.
Is it harder to get into Cambridge Economics as an international applicant?
In 2024 it was. Home applicants with a score had an offer rate of 14.5% against 11.4% for international applicants, and at 7.0 to 7.9 the gap was wide: 66.1% against 23.5%. International applicants scored higher on average, so the same score went further for home applicants.
Do independent-school applicants have better chances?
Offer rates were close. For 2024 entry, 14.6% of home applicants from state schools got an offer, against 13.8% from independent schools. Independent-school applicants scored about a point higher on the TMUA that year (5.44 against 4.48, all domiciles), so at the same score state-school applicants did better.
Keep going
Updated 25 October 2026 · GhostPrep is independent of the University of Cambridge. Figures describe past applicants and are an estimate for planning, with no guarantee of any outcome.