Cambridge to raise entrance requirements for science In total, around 33,000 students applied for just under 7,000 places at Oxford and Cambridge last year. Today, Cambridge insisted that the higher entry bar simply reflected the quality of applicants, with nine-in-10 of those successfully gaining places to study science courses already achieving at least two A*s at A-level. In a statement, the institution said: "The university believes that the revised offer gives applicants a clearer indication of the level of attainment realistically required to compete for a place, and to thrive on science courses." The change will cover all courses classified as sciences by the university, including biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, veterinary medicine, maths, computer science, genetics, psychology, zoology and engineering. Psychological and behavioural sciences will remain as an A*AA course. Cambridge added: "The university will continue to make non-standard offers where appropriate, based on consideration of relevant contextual data including any extenuating circumstances which may have adversely affected an applicant's academic attainment." The A* grade was first awarded in the summer of 2010 as part of a bid to mark out the brightest students. To receive the grade, students must score at least 90 per cent on their papers in the second year of their course. Cambridge was among the first universities to adopt the A* grade as its standard conditional offer to students. Figures published last summer show that just 7.6 per cent of exams were awarded an A* in 2013 compared with 7.9 per cent in 2012 Oxford University did not recognise the A* grade for the first two years but has used it as an admissions requirement since 2012. The standard minimum entry requirement for Oxford varies by course, from AAA for history, to A*AA for medicine and A*A*A for mathematics. Most science courses require A*AA.