We hope you are looking forward to starting at Peterhouse!
This page contains information for new postgraduate students. Further information for postgraduate students can be found in the Postgraduate Student Handbook. The MCR has also produced a Guide for New Petreans.
"Academical dress" means the correct academical gown worn over the appropriate clothing. This is worn on formal University and College occasions, and in Peterhouse is worn for formal College dinner in Hall, and on visits to College Officers, such as Tutors, when those visits are of a very formal nature.
Please note that postgraduates under the age of 24, without a Cambridge degree, should wear a BA status gown. Postgraduates aged 24 and over, without a Cambridge degree, should wear an MA status gown.
If you need to buy a gown, please contact one of the local Robemakers to do this. (Ryder & Aimes or Ede & Ravenscroft). You must have acquired a gown before your Admission ceremony.
Admission will take place on Monday 7 October 2024.
You should dress smartly for the afternoon events (dark coloured suit and tie, trousers/skirt and blouse, smart dress) with a gown. There is not a strict code but you should look smart as you will be photographed!
You will be expected to do the following:
- 9.45 a.m. Postgraduate students new to Peterhouse will assemble in the College Hall where the Senior Tutor will give you an introductory talk including information on how the College operates, teaching arrangements, etc.
- Ensure you have bought a Peterhouse academical gown. Please contact one of the local Robemakers to do this. (Ryder & Aimes or Ede & Ravenscroft). You must have acquired a gown before lunchtime on Monday as you will need it for the photograph and admission ceremony.
- 1.30 p.m. in the Peterhouse Theatre. Listen to talks by the Head Porter, representatives from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service, St John’s Ambulance and Cambridgeshire Police. Then proceed directly to Old Court for the Group Photograph.
- 2.30 p.m. Appear in the College Group Photograph on Old Court Lawn.
- 3.00 p.m. Be Admitted to the College in the Combination Room.
NB – Members of another Cambridge College should participate in the photograph and Admission ceremony.
NB – Previous Peterhouse Undergraduates do not participate in the Admission ceremony, but are welcome to appear in the group photograph as a new Postgraduate student.
NB – Previous Peterhouse Postgraduates do not participate in the photograph, Admission ceremony or the associated activities.
You will meet your Postgraduate Tutor at MCR events held during Freshers’ week.
The Tutorial Office will contact postgraduate students joining Peterhouse in Lent and Easter Term to confirm arrangements for College admission.
Michaelmas Term
Full Term begins on Tuesday, 8 October 2024.
New postgraduate students are expected in Cambridge by 5 or 6 October and you will be admitted to the College on Monday 7 October 2024.
Lent Term
Full Term begins on Tuesday, 21 January 2025.
New postgraduate students are expected in Cambridge by 18 or 19 January 2025.
Easter Term
Full Term begins on Tuesday, 29 April 2025.
New postgraduate students are expected in Cambridge by 26 or 27 April 2025.
Although new postgraduate students are expected in Cambridge by the dates listed above, you may be expected to arrive at an earlier date for your particular course. Early arrival must be arranged, in advance, through the Accommodation Office.
Postgraduate students should let the Tutorial Office know the date of their arrival once travel plans have been confirmed.
On arrival at the College you should report to the Porter’s Lodge. The Duty Porter will give you your room key (if you are staying in College accommodation) and your University Card, as well as any other necessary information. Your University card will be your means of payment for meals in college. You will be able to set up a UpayChilli account to add funds to your University card for payment. The University Card is also used to gain access to controlled areas in College (e.g. the computer room and the library). Students are reminded to take care of their cards and report any loss immediately to the Duty Porter.
All new students are required to provide original documentation in person to the Tutorial Office to confirm their identity. Please ensure that you bring this ID with you. The Tutorial Office will contact you to let you know when you are required to complete your ID check. Please do not bring your documents to the Tutorial Office until you receive further instructions.
Incoming students on a student visa will be contacted separately, but should familiarise themselves with the information for International Students.
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Nationality: UK
Preferred form of ID: A valid UK passport
Other acceptable forms of ID if preferred form not available:
Current photo-card driving licence, full or provisional, issued in the UK or Ireland which includes confirmation that the holder was born in the UK or Ireland (N/K means ‘not known’ so would not be acceptable).
A full birth certificate issued by UK authorities. This includes certificates issued in the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man or Ireland and by UK authorities overseas such as Embassies, High Commissions and HM Forces.
Certificate of naturalisation or registration as a British Citizen.
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Nationality: Irish
Preferred form of ID: A valid Irish passport or a valid Irish passport card
Other acceptable forms of ID if preferred form not available:
Current photo-card driving licence, full or provisional, issued in the UK or Ireland (N/K means ‘not known’ so would not be acceptable).
A Foreign Birth Registration Certificate issued by the Irish authorities may be acceptable – please refer to tutorial@pet.cam.ac.uk immediately if this is your only means of ID.
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Nationality: Non-UK and non-Irish (and not on a student visa)
Preferred form of ID: Valid passport
Other acceptable forms of ID if preferred form not available:
National ID card ONLY acceptable for EU students when accompanied by a verified status under the EU Settlement Scheme.
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The College works with Howdens (formerly Endsleigh) student insurance, to protect the contents inside your room. You don’t need to do anything to activate this cover, but it is important for you to check and ensure that you fully understand the protection provided and whether it is sufficient for your needs. Further information is provided in the Postgraduate Student Handbook.
Students who do not hold a UK or Irish passport will need immigration permission in order to come to the UK and study at Cambridge. It is important to check before you leave home if any permission is required for you to enter and remain in the UK. The University provides lots of helpful information for international students on its website.
International students must ensure that they keep up to date with the guidance on current requirements to travel to the UK, as well as pre-arrival information which can be found here.
The Tutorial Office will contact all international incoming students before the start of term about the documentation that will need to be provided when you arrive. It is very important that you provide your immigration documents promptly when requested.
CAS Numbers
The University's International Student Office will be in touch with you if you require a CAS number. Please note that this is a very busy office in the summer, so do not be concerned if you do not receive your CAS number straight away.
BRP Collection
If you opted to collect your BRP from the Post Office, please collect it as soon as possible.
If you are collecting your BRP from the University, the Tutorial Office will contact you before the start of term to let you know when it is available and to advise what documentation you will need to provide in order to collect it.
Digital Visa Status
Students with a digital visa status should send their share code to tutorial@pet.cam.ac.uk. This can be obtained from https://www.gov.uk/view-prove-immigration-status. The Tutorial Office will contact you in due course to advise what other documentation you will need to provide.
The Tutorial Office can provide letters for official purposes. Please complete the relevant form: student status/enrolment letter or new bank account letter. You should allow up to five working days for a letter to be produced.
Information about College meal arrangements can be found in the Student Handbook. The College doesn't provide breakfast or lunch from its kitchens on Sundays. The closest shops to buy groceries are Tesco Express on Petty Cury; Sainsbury's on Sidney Street; and Marks & Spencer in Market Square. Please note that some supermarkets in Cambridge do not open until 11am on Sundays - so buy Sunday's breakfast in advance!
The College expects all students to register with a local medical practitioner at a doctor's surgery soon after arrival. A list of local medical practitioners will be sent to you shortly after your arrival. It is advisable that you also register with a local dentist.
The following documents should be read before your arrival:
- Student Handbook
- College Regulations
- Complaints Procedure
- Disciplinary Procedure
- Drugs and Alcohol Policy
- Fitness to Study Policy
- Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Procedure
- Safeguarding Policy
- Data Protection Policy
- Data Protection Statement for Students
Links to documents:
The Postgraduate Matriculation Dinner is a special dinner to welcome new students to the College. It is reasonably (but not excessively) formal and you are asked to dress smartly in business dress (suit and tie, trousers/skirt and blouse, smart dress) with a gown.
The Postgraduate Matriculation Dinner will take place on Thursday 25 October. The College Office will send you an invitation at the start of term.
Each year, all students (including those starting a new course or continuing an existing course or those waiting for their results) must complete the University’s annual student registration exercise. The CamSIS Student Registration window opens Mid August and completing the exercise should only take a few minutes. The registration window closes on 1st October. This process is managed by Student Registry, not the College, so please do not contact Peterhouse about this unless you have not heard anything by late September. For further information, please visit the Student Registration website.
In addition to Student Registration, you will also need to register for your University email and IT accounts before you arrive. Details can be found here. Please note that it can take up to 3 hours from creating your password until you can continue to the next step and log in to access your Exchange Online email, as well as other Microsoft apps like Office 365 and OneDrive.
Further information about IT in College is available here.
You will need to bring some possessions (clothes, bedding, stationery etc.) and most students also like to make their College room welcoming - please read the Student Handbook for detail on what decoration is acceptable.
There is no dress code for most of the things our students do. In addition to normal clothes to wear to lectures etc. you may want sports kit or something to wear to the gym, something to wear to go out and something smarter for formal halls or matriculation (suit and tie, trousers/skirt and blouse, smart dress). The first term in particular can be difficult as Cambridge is often quite mild in October but gets quite cold by Christmas!
There are many shops in the centre of Cambridge and, whilst you may not be able to find essential items on arrival day, you can buy a lot of what you need once you're here if you need to travel light. This is certainly true if you think you need a bike.
Bicycles: You may find a bicycle useful in Cambridge; many students have a bicycle here and the College provides space to store bikes. Cycling can be hazardous in Cambridge so please cycle safely, wear a helmet and use lights after dark. If you haven't been on the roads in the UK before, you may want to familiarise yourself with the Highway Code, particularly those parts relevant to cyclists. Remember that life-altering head injuries can results from minor falls at low speed - buy and wear a helmet.
Cars: Cars may not be kept in Cambridge without special permission from both the Senior Tutor and the University authorities.
Current ID: All new students are required to provide original documentation in person to the Tutorial Office to confirm their identity. Please see the accepted forms of ID here.