International Students’ Guide

Please contact the JCR International Students Officer for more information.

Quick Information

Responsiblities under the Tier 4 Visa

If you are in the UK on a Tier 4 VISA, your responsibilities can be found here. Keep in mind that you have to check if your information is up-to-date and sign a document at the Tutorial Office on a termly basis.

For International Freshers

  • International Freshers’ Guide: This is a comprehensive guide containing pre arrival information. Please have look at it. It’s long, but has all the essential information you need to know before getting here.
  • VISA/BRP Collection: Once you arrive in Cambridge, you will need to collect your BRP from the University. Please check this for how to do so. Note that the collection of your VISA needs an appointment, so please book slots beforehand. You can book one by looking under the row for “All other courses” in the table present on the page linked to.
  • Police Registration: Nationals from some countries have to register with the police on arrival in the UK. To check whether you need to, or to do so, please look at this.
  • Pre Arrival Events: There are a few “Welcome to Cambridge events” organized around the world by Cambridge alumni. Look here for one near you.
  • Orientation Events: There are a couple of optional orientation events for international freshers which you can attend during Cambridge’s International Freshers’ Week. These are run by the International Student Office, and require you to register prior to the events.

Life at Cambridge

The international student guide has very useful information for things regarding daily life at Cambridge. It unfortunately does not have an index, and this provides a substitute:

  • Travel: Within Cambridge – pages 6-7, within the UK – page 8, within Europe – pages 28-30
  • Money: Opening a Bank Account – pages 9-10 – you may request a letter to open a bank account by emailing the Tutorial Office.
  • Healthcare: pages 11-13
  • Security: Information regarding standard security, emergency numbers – page 14
  • Electricity: Specification for power and voltage in the UK – page 14
  • Telephones and SIMs: page 15

Religion

There are people of various faiths from around the world at Cambridge. This is a link to a list of religious and spiritual societies associated with the University. No matter what your religion, you can also consult the College Chaplain, Andrew Bigg, for advice or information.

Food

The restaurants in Cambridge serve many different cuisines. Some of the popular ones are listed here:

  • Chinese: Charlie Chan (Regent St), Seven Days (Regent St), HK Fusion (Burleigh St), Yippee Noodle Bar (King St),
  • Indian: India House (Newnham Road), The Maharaja (Castle St), Kohinoor Tandoori Restaurant (Mill Road)
  • Japanese: Wagamama (St. Andrew’s St), YO! Sushi (Petty Cury), Wasabi (Petty Cury), Sticks n Sushi (Petty Cury)
  • Mexican: Nanna Mexico (Regent St)
  • Persian: Shiraz (Regent St)
  • Pizzerias/Italian: Pizza Express (Jesus Lane/St. Andrew’s St), Pizza Hut (Regent St), Bella Italia (Newnham Road), La Margherita (Magdalene St), Zizzi (Bene’t St), Aromi (Bene’t St)
  • Portuguese: Nandos (St. Andrew’s St)
  • Spanish: La Tasca (Bridge Street), The Bun Shop Tapas bar (King St)
  • Thai: Siam Thai Restaurant (Regent St), Sala Thong Thai Restaurant (Newnham Road), Krua Thai (Regent St)
  • Turkish: Anatolia (Regent St), Efes Restaurant (King St), Marmaris (Regent St)
  • Vegetarian/Vegan: Rainbow Vegetarian Cafe (Kings Parade), Stem and Glory (Mitchum’s Corner and King Street), Taste of Cambridge (Market Street)
  • Home deliveries: Domino’s Pizza, Golden Wok (Chinese, Malaysian, Mongolian, Thai)

A good place to find international stores is Mill Road. Some popular shops are listed below:

  • Exotic groceries: Al-Amin
  • Middle Eastern foods: Balv’s
  • Oriental groceries: Li Ming Oriental Grocery (particularly Korean), Oriental Direct (particularly Chinese and Japanese),
  • Halal foods: Zuu Halal Spices.

Useful Links

  • International Student Office.
  • UKCISA. The UK Council for International Student Affairs, UKCISA has information that you might find relevant if the Cambridge International Student Office does not help.
  • International Funding.
  • The British Council. This is a link to British Council, an organization dedicated to international educational and cultural opportunities.
  • Erasmus+. Erasmus + is the student exchange programme for students who study within the EU.
  • Language Centre. This is a link to the Language Centre at Cambridge.