Trinity College ESAT Scores for Cambridge Engineering

In the 2025 entry cycle, applicants who received an Engineering (H100) offer from Trinity College, Cambridge averaged 6.18 across the three ESAT modules, while the college's applicant group as a whole averaged 4.56. Broken down by module, offer holders averaged 6.36 on Mathematics 1, 5.93 on Physics and 6.24 on Mathematics 2, a spread of just 0.43 between the highest and lowest module. These figures come from a University of Cambridge freedom of information response (FOI-2025-956) and describe what actually happened that year. They are not a cut-off: Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold of any kind.
Trinity ESAT scores at a glance
Offer holders, average across the three modules
6.18 (Mathematics 1 6.36, Physics 5.93, Mathematics 2 6.24)
All applicants, average across the three modules
4.56 (Mathematics 1 4.61, Physics 4.4, Mathematics 2 4.66)
Applicant to offer gap
Mathematics 1 1.75, Mathematics 2 1.58, Physics 1.53
Rank within the undergraduate pool
Mathematics 1 ranks 13th, Mathematics 2 12th, Physics 21st, out of 25 colleges in the pool
Spread across the three modules
0.43, highest on Mathematics 1 and lowest on Physics
Lowest scores among offer holders
Physics 3.6, Mathematics 2 3.7, Mathematics 1 4, while the same group reached 9 at the top

These are the average and extreme ESAT scores of Trinity Engineering applicants and offer holders in the 2025 entry cycle, not an admissions cut-off: Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold of any kind. ESAT results are reported on a 1.0 to 9.0 scaled score to one decimal place. The FOI response gives no applicant counts per college, so sample sizes are unknown and averages can be moved by a small number of candidates. 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.

01

What Trinity's ESAT numbers actually look like

The figures on this page come from a freedom of information response (FOI-2025-956) published by the University of Cambridge, covering the 2025 entry cycle for Engineering (H100). For Trinity, the university reported the average, minimum and maximum score on each ESAT module for two groups: everyone who applied, and everyone who received an offer. Trinity's applicants averaged 4.56 across the three modules; its offer holders averaged 6.18. The distance between those two groups is what the ESAT actually separated at this college. The table below opens up all three modules and places each one against the median of the undergraduate pool.
Applicant averageApplicant rangeOffer holder averageOffer holder rangeVs undergraduate pool median
Mathematics 14.611 to 96.364 to 90 (pool median 6.36), 13th in pool
Physics4.41 to 95.933.6 to 8.9-0.54 (pool median 6.47), 21st in pool
Mathematics 24.661 to 96.243.7 to 90.02 (pool median 6.22), 12th in pool

Scores are ESAT scaled scores from 1.0 to 9.0, reported to one decimal place. Ranges are the lowest and highest score recorded in that group that year. Ranks are calculated within the 25 undergraduate colleges and exclude the mature colleges, which admit only applicants aged 21 and over.

Look at the minimum column on its own. Among offer holders, Physics goes down to 3.6, Mathematics 2 to 3.7 and Mathematics 1 to 4, while the same group reaches 9 at the top. One cohort of offer holders spread across a range that wide is why a single ESAT score settles nothing on its own, and Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold of any kind.
02

How to read these numbers, and how not to

This is not a cut-off, and Cambridge sets no ESAT threshold
Every number on this page is descriptive. It records what Trinity's Engineering applicants and offer holders scored in the 2025 entry cycle. The correct reading is: applicants who received an offer averaged 6.36 on Mathematics 1 that year. The incorrect reading is: you need 6.36 on Mathematics 1 to stand a chance. Cambridge publishes no ESAT score threshold of any kind.
Sample sizes are unknown, so averages can move
The FOI response gives per-college scores but no per-college applicant counts. Nobody outside the university knows how many candidates sit behind each of Trinity's three averages. In a smaller group, a handful of unusually strong or unusually weak candidates is enough to shift an average by a few tenths. Treat these figures as an indication of magnitude, not as a stable benchmark to track year on year.
Ranks are calculated within pools, and the two pools do not mix
Hughes Hall, St Edmund's, Wolfson and Lucy Cavendish admit only applicants aged 21 and over, and their applicant pool is not comparable with that of the standard undergraduate colleges. Trinity's ranks on this page (13th on Mathematics 1, 21st on Physics, 12th on Mathematics 2) are calculated within the 25 undergraduate colleges only. Numbers from the two pools should never be ranked side by side.
Some candidates change college or course mid cycle
The university notes in its response that some applicants change college or change course during the cycle, and that the figures are grouped by the year of application. A college's numbers therefore do not describe one fixed, unchanging set of candidates, and that blur is part of the data.
For the full college-by-college comparison, the Home and International split and the interactive distribution charts, see the cross-college guide at /exams/esat/guides/cambridge-college-scores.
03

Three things that make Trinity's profile distinctive

6.18

Offer holder average across all three modules

0.43

Spread between the three module averages

1.75

Applicant to offer gap on Mathematics 1

-0.54

Physics versus the undergraduate pool median

Placed back among the 25 undergraduate colleges, Trinity's shape is easy to read. The two maths modules sit almost exactly on the pool median: the Mathematics 1 offer average of 6.36 lands on the pool median of 6.36 and ranks 13th, while Mathematics 2 at 6.24 sits 0.02 above its pool median of 6.22 and ranks 12th. Physics is the one clear departure, at 5.93 against a pool median of 6.47, a difference of 0.54, ranking 21st. In other words, the ESAT figures do not place Trinity at the top of the undergraduate pool. They show a balanced, mid-pack profile, and the reputation or overall competitiveness of a college is a separate matter that these three numbers do not settle.

Overall shape

Balanced

The three module offer averages sit close together: 6.36 on Mathematics 1, 6.24 on Mathematics 2 and 5.93 on Physics, a span of 0.43. Physics is the lower of the three (5.93, 21st in the pool, 0.54 below the pool median), a gap too small to justify skipping any of them, so all three deserve coverage in preparation.

Widest separation

Mathematics 1

Applicants averaged 4.61, offer holders 6.36, a gap of 1.75 and the largest of the three modules. This is where Trinity's offer group pulled furthest away from its applicant group.

Relatively lower module

Physics

An offer average of 5.93, which is 0.54 below the undergraduate pool median of 6.47 and ranks 21st. That is a fact about the distribution that year, not a reason to spend less time on physics.

Position in the pool

Mid-pack

Mathematics 1 ranks 13th and Mathematics 2 12th, both in the middle of the 25 undergraduate colleges and banded as middle. Physics ranks 21st and is banded as lower.

04

How to prepare for the ESAT with Trinity's profile in mind

Let the shape of the data drive the schedule, not the reputation of the college. Trinity's three module offer averages sit close together (6.36, 6.24 and 5.93, a span of 0.43), and Physics is the lower of them (5.93, 21st in the pool, 0.54 below the pool median), a gap too small to skip any, so all three need coverage. Mathematics 1 is where the offer group pulled furthest ahead of the applicant group, a gap of 1.75, which makes it the sensible place to start. The path below can be followed as written. The figures in it describe the 2025 distribution, and none of them is a bar you have to clear.
01One

Take one full three-module baseline

Sit one complete paper covering Mathematics 1, Physics and Mathematics 2 in a single session to establish three personal baselines, then line them up against Trinity's applicant average of 4.56 and offer holder average of 6.18 to see where you currently sit.

02Two

Deal with Mathematics 1 first

This is the module with the largest applicant to offer gap at Trinity (1.75) and the highest offer average of the three (6.36). Clear the repeatable losses in algebraic manipulation, functions and sequences first, then work on speed.

03Three

Do not do less physics because the rank is lower

Physics at Trinity carries an offer average of 5.93, ranked 21st and below the pool median of 6.47. A lower rank describes that year's distribution at this college and says nothing about how much any individual should practise, so keep the module's practice time intact.

04Four

Bring the three lines in together

Advance all three modules together, review every fortnight, and move the next block of time to whichever module has fallen behind rather than letting one race ahead while another drifts.

Three preparation tracks for Trinity's profile

Offer holders averaged 6.18 across the modules, spread 0.43

Mathematics 1Offer average 6.36, gap 1.75, 13th in pool
  • Clear repeatable losses in algebra and functions first
  • Hold the pace under timed conditions across the whole paper
  • Make this the first of the three tracks to stabilise
PhysicsOffer average 5.93, pool median 6.47, 21st in pool
  • Lock down units and dimensions in mechanics and electricity
  • Do not cut practice volume because the rank is lower
  • Practise under full timed conditions to check for consistency
Mathematics 2Offer average 6.24, 0.02 above the pool median, 12th in pool
  • Cover the standard calculus and vector question types
  • Alternate with Mathematics 1 so neither goes stale
  • Keep it moving in step with the other two tracks

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FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What ESAT score do you need for Trinity College?
There is no score you need. Cambridge publishes no ESAT threshold, and Trinity is no exception. What can be said is what happened in the 2025 cycle: applicants who received an Engineering offer from Trinity averaged 6.18 across the three modules, made up of 6.36 on Mathematics 1, 5.93 on Physics and 6.24 on Mathematics 2, while all applicants to the college averaged 4.56. Within that same offer group, Physics scores ran from 3.6 up to 8.9, a wide range.
Is the ESAT harder at Trinity than at other colleges?
On these figures Trinity sits mid-pack. Its Mathematics 1 offer average ranks 13th of the 25 undergraduate colleges and lands exactly on the pool median of 6.36; Mathematics 2 ranks 12th, 0.02 above its pool median; Physics ranks 21st, 0.54 below a pool median of 6.47. Two caveats: these three numbers describe the ESAT distribution in one cycle and do not settle how competitive one college is against another, and the FOI response gives no applicant counts, so sample sizes are unknown.
Which ESAT module matters most at Trinity?
By offer average the order is Mathematics 1 at 6.36, Mathematics 2 at 6.24 and Physics at 5.93, a spread of only 0.43, so the modules sit close together. The more useful signal is the applicant to offer gap: 1.75 on Mathematics 1, 1.58 on Mathematics 2 and 1.53 on Physics. Mathematics 1 is where Trinity's offer group separated most from its applicant group, which makes it the first module to work on.
What were the lowest ESAT scores among Trinity offer holders?
In the 2025 cycle, the lowest score recorded among Trinity Engineering offer holders was 3.6 on Physics, 3.7 on Mathematics 2 and 4 on Mathematics 1, while the same group reached 9 on both maths modules and 8.9 on Physics. That range shows how widely offer holders were spread, so reading a single score as a verdict on your chances misreads the data. The university also published no applicant counts, so an extreme value may correspond to a single candidate.
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