Six Cambridge colleges have announced that they will return to in-person admissions interviews this year.

Three of the six colleges (Gonville & Caius, Pembroke, Peterhouse) will offer in-person interviews to UK applicants only. At Trinity and King’s, overseas candidates will have the option of being interviewed either remotely or in-person. Selwyn will encourage overseas students to accept an online interview offer, but in-person interviews will be available on request.

Interviews have been held online since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the 2022/23 admissions cycle, Trinity was the first and only Oxbridge college to return to in-person interviews.

This year, although they are returning to in-person interviews as the default for UK applicants, Caius is also offering all candidates the option of online interviews. Dr Chris Scott, the tutor for admissions and outreach at Caius, said: “Interview[s] will be in-person by default because we think that’s what most applicants want…We are entirely confident in both modes of assessment. It makes no difference to us.” King’s has similarly indicated that they are “willing to consider” remote interviews for UK-based applicants.

All six colleges declined to comment on the reasons behind the differences in policy for UK and international applicants.

King’s, Trinity and Selwyn are offering free overnight accommodation and meals to candidates invited to interview, as well as reimbursement for travel costs for some students.

In the 2022/23 admissions cycle, Trinity — the only college to return to in-person interviews — faced a 10.26% increase in applications from the previous year, while the total number of applications across all colleges decreased by 4.5%. Meanwhile, the Admissions Committee at Oxford has voted to keep all undergraduate interviews online for the next five years.

One student, who was interviewed in-person in 2019, said: “In-person interviews let you develop a rapport with the interviewer that you just can’t get online. I think transitioning back is a good thing.”

Other students expressed concerns at how the differences in college policies might impact the fairness of admissions. The JCR Access Officer at one college told Varsity: “This will increase the disparities between colleges that already exist, as well as separating international and UK students.”