The University of Cambridge is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. DW explains how much Cambridge actually costs and what it's really like studying there.
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00:00What's it like to go to one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and how can you study here?
00:05I'm here at the University of Cambridge, my alma mater, to tell you more about costs, accommodation and student life.
00:12And of course you'll hear directly from some international students about their experiences studying here.
00:21Firstly, getting into Cambridge isn't easy.
00:23You're expected to have top grades and go through a rigorous application process, including interviews and tests.
00:30Secondly, Cambridge doesn't have a traditional campus structure.
00:34The university is made up of 31 individual colleges, which means that when you apply to study at Cambridge, you apply to a college.
00:41Today I'm here at Christ College Cambridge.
00:43It's where Charles Darwin studied and it's one of the many colleges where students live, eat, study and meet with their academic advisors.
00:50Each college has its own library, accommodation, dining halls and social events.
00:55The UK is generally ranked as one of the most expensive destinations for international students.
01:04And at Cambridge, fees for non-UK students generally fall between £25,000 and £40,000 per year.
01:10That's around €30,000 to €48,000 per year, and with medicine costing just north of £67,000 per year.
01:19The university recommends around £14,000 per year for living expenses too.
01:24And that's still not all, as first year student Dora tells me.
01:28We also have to pay college a fee to study as international students, and that comes down to approximately £10,000 a year as well.
01:36I do have a scholarship from Christ College, specifically for international students, which gives me £10,000 per year.
01:45So in Cambridge, it's actually not allowed for you to do a part-time job during term time,
01:52because the university thinks that it might impede your learning process in the university.
01:58But you are allowed to do jobs during the vacations.
02:02And what about housing?
02:05So one great thing about Cambridge is that colleges can generally house all undergraduates and many postgraduates, at least in term time.
02:14So this means that you'll theoretically spend less time looking for accommodation than in other cities.
02:20The workload at Cambridge is notoriously high, so do Cambridge students actually have time for extracurriculars and socialising?
02:27Welcome Neha, who's going to tell me some more?
02:30So my name is Neha, I'm from Australia.
02:33I think at Christ, a lot of fun is just hanging out with your friends.
02:36But aside from that, there's so many societies that you can join.
02:40You know, you have your sports, so you have things like hockey.
02:42One of my friends is really involved in the university hockey teams.
02:46And Maple is probably best described as an all-night party that is probably more like a festival fair.
02:54The beauty of it is you just get to walk around and try different food and try different drinks.
02:59You get to see people and everyone thinks a lot about what they're going to wear.
03:02And people say that Cambridge is all about work.
03:05I think it misconstrues.
03:07One, because you're at Cambridge, you have so many opportunities to do things and meet people from academics, from world-class backgrounds who are top of their field.
03:18But you also have the opportunity to meet people like leaders in their fields as well through things organised by the university, things organised by student societies.
03:28I think the fact that we live together also really helps with managing your study abroad and the social life.
03:32OK, so we've got to talk about culture shocks, because coming to the UK and to Cambridge as an international is probably quite special.
03:39Next, Tim, an economics student, tells us what surprised him.
03:44One big thing was food. And this sounds stereotypical, but it's true.
03:50You have potatoes, you have chicken, you have fish and chips, which is very exciting for a while.
03:55But when you're tired and it's getting dark at four, you really just want comfort food from home.
04:00The second thing is making new friends.
04:02It can sometimes prove difficult for some students to make friends of new and unfamiliar cultures because you lack that convenient factor to draw upon when relating to common shared experiences.
04:15I really recommend trying to meet as many friends from different backgrounds as possible because it's that diversity of experience and that diversity of thought.
04:23Aside from academics, you really benefit from within the university experience.
04:30And here's my pro tip. If you're going to get a bike, make sure you get a good lock, because two of my bikes were stolen when I lived here.
04:36Sorry, mum and dad.
04:39So how does studying in Cambridge sound to you? Are you drafting your application as we speak?