Newnham College ESAT scores for Cambridge Engineering (H100)

In the 2025 admissions cycle, applicants who received an Engineering (H100) offer from Newnham College, Cambridge averaged 6.4 on ESAT Mathematics 1, 0.04 above the median of the 25 undergraduate colleges and 11th in that pool. The same group averaged 5.95 on Physics and 5.88 on Mathematics 2, both 20th, sitting 0.52 and 0.34 below their pool medians. The 0.52 spread across the three offer averages comes almost entirely from the distance between Mathematics 1 and the other two, which sit close to each other. Everyone who applied to the college that year averaged 4.61, 4.54 and 4.67 in Mathematics 1, Physics and Mathematics 2, and offer-holders sat 1.79, 1.41 and 1.21 above that field, the largest gap being in Mathematics 1. These are cycle averages for two groups of people, not entry requirements. Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold of any kind.

Newnham ESAT scores at a glance (2025 cycle)

What offer-holders scored: Mathematics 1 averaged 6.4, Physics 5.95 and Mathematics 2 5.88; 6.08 across the three modules
What the whole applicant field scored: Mathematics 1 averaged 4.61, Physics 4.54 and Mathematics 2 4.67; 4.61 across the three modules
Applicant-to-offer gap: 1.79 in Mathematics 1, 1.41 in Physics and 1.21 in Mathematics 2, largest in Mathematics 1 and smallest in Mathematics 2
Rank within the undergraduate college pool: Out of 25 colleges: 11th in Mathematics 1, 20th in Physics, 20th in Mathematics 2
Distance from the pool median: 0.04 above in Mathematics 1 (median 6.36), 0.52 below in Physics (median 6.47), 0.34 below in Mathematics 2 (median 6.22)
Spread across the three modules: 0.52, highest in Mathematics 1 and lowest in Mathematics 2, with Physics sitting right beside Mathematics 2

These are averages and extremes for applicants and offer-holders at this college in the 2025 Engineering (H100) cycle, not entry requirements; Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold. The FOI response gives no applicant counts per college, so sample sizes are unknown and a handful of candidates can move an average. Ranks are computed within the undergraduate college pool only, and are not comparable with the mature colleges, which admit applicants aged 21 and over. ESAT results are reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place. Pool ranks, pool medians, the overall three-module averages and the various gaps are calculated by FrontierVUE from the same response; Cambridge publishes no such rankings.

What Newnham's ESAT numbers actually are

The University's official Freedom of Information response FOI-2025-956 lists ESAT scores for Engineering (H100) applicants and offer-holders college by college for the 2025 cycle; below is the full set for Newnham. ESAT results are reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place. What shows first at Newnham is that Mathematics 1 separates from the other two in the offer column: applicants averaged an almost level 4.61, 4.54 and 4.67, while offer-holders averaged 6.4, 5.95 and 5.88, with Mathematics 1 alone out in front. Both columns are grouped by the college applied to in that cycle, and the University notes that some applicants change college or course part-way through.

	Applicant average	Applicant range	Offer-holder average	Offer-holder range
Mathematics 1	4.61	1 to 9	6.4	3.3 to 9
Physics	4.54	1.1 to 8.9	5.95	3.2 to 8.6
Mathematics 2	4.67	1.1 to 9	5.88	3.7 to 9

The averages and the lowest and highest scores come line by line from official response FOI-2025-956; the overall three-module averages of 4.61 and 6.08 are calculated by FrontierVUE from that same response. Each range is the lowest and highest score in the group, describing what happened in the 2025 cycle rather than a requirement on the next cohort.

6.08

Overall three-module average for Newnham offer-holders, 2025 cycle

4.61

Overall three-module average across all applicants in the same cycle

0.52

Spread between the three offer averages, highest in Mathematics 1 and lowest in Mathematics 2

Among offer-holders the lowest scores were 3.3 in Mathematics 1, 3.2 in Physics and 3.7 in Mathematics 2, all far beneath the same group's averages of 6.4, 5.95 and 5.88, while the top scores in that group reached 9 in both mathematics modules and 8.6 in Physics; the highest applicant Physics score was 8.9, making Physics the only module where neither column reached 9. One cohort of offers held both scores near the ceiling of the scale and scores in the low threes, which is not what a cut-off would look like; Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold of any kind.

How to read these numbers

6.4 is an average, not a bar to clear

It is the average Mathematics 1 score of Newnham Engineering offer-holders in the 2025 cycle, and actual scores in that group ran from 3.3 to 9. Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold, and no college has published a minimum of its own. The accurate sentence is that offer-holders in this module averaged 6.4 that year, not that 6.4 is what you need.

No applicant counts, so a 20th place may not be a steady one

The response gives averages and extremes only, with no applicant count or offer count for any college. Newnham's Physics and Mathematics 2 both rank 20th, 0.52 and 0.34 below their pool medians; in a year with few candidates a handful of results can widen or close a gap of that size. Read these figures for direction rather than as a stable benchmark to track year on year, because the sample size behind each one is unknown.

Ranks are computed inside the undergraduate pool only

Newnham's 11th, 20th and 20th places are all calculated within the 25 undergraduate colleges. Hughes Hall, St Edmund's, Wolfson and Lucy Cavendish admit only applicants aged 21 and over, so they draw on a different pool; ranks are computed separately and this page never lines the two pools up against each other.

A 1.0 to 9.0 scale, and some candidates moved college

ESAT results are reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scale to one decimal place, so a gap of 0.04 from the median is effectively level and a spread of 0.52 is still a small quantity on that scale, not to be felt as if it were percentage points. The University also notes that some applicants change college or course during the cycle, with figures grouped by the cycle applied in, so the group counted under a college is not necessarily the group that ends up reading Engineering there.

One line to hold on to: this page answers what people who applied to Newnham scored last cycle, not what you must score. Its shape is Mathematics 1 level with the pool median and the other two modules towards the back of the pool. Let that shape into how you split your time; do not translate it into a number you have to hit.

To place Newnham among all 29 colleges side by side, there is a separate piece on this site, Cambridge ESAT scores by college, with the cross-college comparison and interactive charts; this page stays with Newnham alone. FrontierVUE is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the University of Cambridge or any college; this page only organises and reads a public response.

Three things specific to Newnham

11 / 25

Where the Mathematics 1 offer average ranks in the undergraduate pool, the only one of Newnham's three not below the pool median

20 / 25

Where Physics ranks, 0.52 below the pool median, the widest of the three gaps

20 / 25

Where Mathematics 2 ranks, level with Physics, its offer average of 5.88 the lowest of the three

Spread across the three modules

0.52

Mathematics 1 highest at 6.4, Physics at 5.95, Mathematics 2 lowest at 5.88

Versus the pool median in Mathematics 1

0.04 above

Newnham 6.4 against a pool median of 6.36, effectively level

Versus the pool median in Physics

0.52 below

Newnham 5.95 against a pool median of 6.47; the pool's floor on this module is 5.63

Versus the pool median in Mathematics 2

0.34 below

Newnham 5.88 against a pool median of 6.22; the pool's floor on this module is 5.7

Applicant-to-offer gap

1.79 / 1.41 / 1.21

Mathematics 1, Physics and Mathematics 2 in order, largest in Mathematics 1 and smallest in Mathematics 2

On the applicant side

Module averages of 4.61, 4.54 and 4.67

Almost level with one another, 4.61 overall; the offer side is 6.08 overall, and the module gap opens up only there

Put together, Newnham's shape has three features. First, Mathematics 1 is the only module where this college's offer group is not below the pool median: 6.4 ranks 11th, and its gap of 1.79 is the largest of the three, two indicators pointing the same way, that at Newnham that year Mathematics 1 separated the offer group from the field most sharply. Second, Physics at 5.95 and Mathematics 2 at 5.88 both rank 20th, 0.52 and 0.34 below their medians, close to each other and forming the college's rear side. Third, the applicant field is almost level across the three (4.61, 4.54, 4.67), so the module differences appear only on the offer side. None of this means Newnham is easy to get into or that physics matters less; with no applicant counts in the FOI response, how steady a 20th place or a gap from the median is cannot be judged.

Preparing with Newnham's shape in mind

01Step 1

Put Mathematics 1 on the main line

Newnham's offer group averaged 6.4 here, ranks 11th, and its gap of 1.79 is the largest of the three; it is also the module every candidate sits. Get Mathematics 1 to a steady state first: arithmetic accuracy, pace, and no marks dropped on routine questions.

02Step 2

Do not cut Physics or Mathematics 2 because of a 20th place

Both rank 20th and both sit under the pool median, but a rank describes where Newnham stands relative to other colleges, not how much these modules matter in the exam. Their offer averages of 5.95 and 5.88 still sit well above the applicant column's 4.54 and 4.67. Keep a regular workload on both and break the weaker one down to topic level.

03Step 3

Take your own baseline, module by module

Sit a timed paper from the past paper list at /papers/esat, record accuracy and timing per module, and find your own weakest module. A college's rank is no substitute for your own baseline.

04Step 4

Go back to full timed sittings

Run the modules back to back to rehearse switches and the time budget, then work through solutions and error analysis question by question. Newnham's combined offer average of 6.08 comes from none of the three collapsing; the 0.52 spread orders priorities and is not a reason to drop a module.

Where practice weight goes for Newnham's profile

Priorities inferred from the 2025 offer-group distribution, not an official requirement

Mathematics 1 (11th, 6.4)Level with the 6.36 pool median, with the largest gap of the three at 1.79

Mid-level questions as the standing workload, accuracy and pace together
File errors by topic and clear arithmetic slips first

Physics (20th, 5.95)0.52 under the 6.47 pool median, with a gap of 1.41

Keep mid-level mechanics and circuits at a regular volume
Under timing, keep the physics run from collapsing and leave no half-attempted items

Mathematics 2 (20th, 5.88)Lowest of the three offer averages, 0.34 under the 6.22 pool median, with the smallest gap at 1.21

Drill algebraic manipulation and function work topic by topic
Keep one mixed set a week so practice does not circle the comfortable types

Tap a branch to unfold

The ESAT past papers live at /papers/esat, and some papers are free to try; the free labels on the list page show which ones are currently open. The three module guides under /exams/esat/guides/ (mathematics-1, physics, mathematics-2) cover syllabus and method, and scoring explains where the scaled score comes from.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What ESAT score do you need for an offer at Newnham?

There is no such score. Cambridge publishes no ESAT threshold, and Newnham has never stated a minimum of its own. What can be said is what happened in the 2025 cycle: offer-holders at this college averaged 6.4 in Mathematics 1, 5.95 in Physics and 5.88 in Mathematics 2, and the lowest scores within that same group were 3.3, 3.2 and 3.7 in the same order. An average describes where a group sat, not a condition of entry.

Physics and Mathematics 2 both rank 20th. Is Newnham easier to get into?

That inference does not hold. Newnham's offer averages in those two modules do sit under the undergraduate pool median, by 0.52 in Physics and 0.34 in Mathematics 2; but Mathematics 1 ranks 11th, level with the median. The FOI response gives no applicant count per college, so a small group can move an average, and a 20th place or a gap from the median more likely reflects who applied that year. A rank describes where a college sits relative to the others, not how hard it is to get in.

Why is Newnham's Mathematics 1 gap of 1.79 larger than the other two?

The data can describe this but not explain it. Newnham's 2025 applicants were almost level across the three modules (4.61, 4.54, 4.67), while offer-holders averaged 6.4 in Mathematics 1 against 5.95 and 5.88 in the other two, so the gap is largest in Mathematics 1 (1.79) and smallest in Mathematics 2 (1.21). That says Mathematics 1 separated the two groups most that year; why it did, and whether it will again, is not something a response with no applicant counts and no distributions can answer.

How should I split time across the three modules for Newnham?

Newnham's three offer averages span 0.52, with Mathematics 1 11th and both Physics and Mathematics 2 20th, one module forward and two behind. A sensible split puts Mathematics 1 on the main line and keeps Physics and Mathematics 2 at a regular workload rather than cutting them, because a rank is a position among colleges and those two offer averages of 5.95 and 5.88 still sit far above the applicant column. This is an ordering read off a distribution that already happened, not an official instruction, and you should still reassemble all three under full paper timing.

Sources

Official sources

FrontierVUE is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by UAT-UK, Pearson, OCR, the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, or any official admissions-test owner.

FrontierVUE 是独立的备考练习平台，与 UAT-UK、Pearson、OCR、剑桥大学、帝国理工学院或任何官方入学考试主办方均无隶属或背书关系。

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