If the Department wishes to accept the student, the Board will then send a copy of the application form to the student's first preference College. Should the student be turned down by this College the form will be sent on to the second preference College, and so on. Applicants should not expect to hear until the process is complete, and this may take some time. They should indicate the reasons for their choice of option. Some applicants may be asked to submit examples of written work.
Admission is of course also dependent on demonstrated competence in the English language.
The attainment of a high standard in the Cambridge M.Phil. Degrees other than specialised ones in social anthropology are not usually considered adequate preparation for a research degree. Graduates of such courses will usually be recommended to study for the M.Phil. Alternatively such graduates may occasionally be accepted to study for a research degree but on condition that they take one or two qualifying examinations from the M.Phil. Since these examinations are taken in June such students would not normally be able to leave for the field until late June or July.