Support

Studying at Cambridge brings the opportunity to fulfil your academic potential, make new friends and gain new experiences and insights. Being away from home and adjusting to a new environment can also bring challenges. You may experience homesickness, language barriers, or differences in teaching styles. It can take time to settle in, and you may find it helpful to seek extra support along the way. 

Students who are members of a College can access health, wellbeing and pastoral (tutorial) support at their College. 

Alongside College-level support, the University provides a range of specialist student support services. This includes The Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre, the University Counselling Service and the Mental Health Advice Service.

Further support for students is offered by the Cambridge University Students' Union, including: 

  • the Students' Unions' Advice Service, which provides confidential, impartial and independent advice to all students on a range of issues 
  • access to over 700 registered student societies; of these more than 100 are internationally focused and 30 are faith based 

Additional student services

The International Student Office offers specialist support to international students at Cambridge. 

This office provides a visa advice service and has responsibility for ensuring institutional Student immigration compliance. 

If you have any questions about the information covered on these webpages, or you have a query related to coming to live and study in the UK that has not been included email: international.students@admin.cam.ac.uk.  

The Careers Service supports students from all parts of the globe to research and plan their careers in their home, or other, countries.  

The Service provides careers-related information and guidance to help students identify their career interests; target employers or postgraduate courses; make effective applications and perform well at interviews and other selection events; and develop career planning skills which can be used after leaving Cambridge.  

Students also have access to employers via several major annual recruitment events, numerous employer presentations and skills sessions all hosted in Cambridge or via the Careers Service’s online platforms. 

The International Student Support section of the website provides a round up of resources which may be especially relevant to international students. 

Developing academic English skills

The Academic Development and Training for International Students (ADTIS) section at the Language Centre offers programmes and support to students who wish to improve their academic English literacy skills. 

The In‑Sessional Support Programme offers support in discipline‑specific writing, presentation skills, and academic communication skills. The programme centres on one‑to‑one supervisions, where you work directly with a member of the teaching team for focused and tailored support to strengthen your academic communication. Alongside this, 2–3 workshops each week during term cover a wide range of academic literacy topics.

The English Conversation Hours offer relaxed, guided practice in social English. Held once a week during term, each session explores a different social or current‑affairs topic, focusing on the language used and, where relevant, the cultural context.

Language learning opportunities

The Language Centre offers opportunities in learn a wide range of languages. 

Students can access self-study resources through the Language Centre as well as one-to-one appointments and workshops to support their language learning.   

The Conversation Exchange Scheme pairs students with native speakers of their chosen language, giving both the chance to meet and practise their skills in each other’s languages.

 

The Childcare Services oversees the facilities and assistance offered to University staff and students with children. 

The service offers information on family-related issues including childcare, schooling, health care, financial support and local community resources. 

Not all international students with a Student visa are eligible to bring family members to the UK on dependant visas, so it's important to check eligibility first.

Newcomers and Visiting Scholars is a group attached to the University to help partners and families settle into Cambridge.  

Students can access advice, information and support from the University’s global network of alumni. Alumni groups can support students in searching for social and networking opportunities as well as assistance to travelling students.