Cambridge Master of Finance, top 2 globally ranked, professional finance education, 80% acceptance rate.
The Master of Finance (MFin) at Cambridge Judge Business School is a one-year advanced finance degree program offered by Cambridge University's business school, specifically designed for professionals with existing financial industry experience. Launched in 2008, the program aims to combine Cambridge University's deep academic strength with practice-oriented teaching to develop students' leadership and professional skills in the financial field.
The MFin is part of Cambridge Judge Business School, where students will be immersed in the university's rich academic atmosphere and Cambridge college system, while sharing the business school's industry resources and alumni network.
Cambridge MFin emphasizes the participation of "experienced finance professionals" and is one of the few master's programs that requires at least 2 years of financial work experience for admission.
The curriculum is highly practice-oriented, incorporating extensive workshops, case studies, and industry projects while teaching financial theory, ensuring students apply knowledge to real-world situations. MFin faculty and students maintain close connections with the financial industry: teaching faculty themselves maintain close relationships with global financial institutions.
During the program, students engage with industry experts and expand their networks through industry lectures and practical projects. Overall, the MFin program is academically rigorous but closely aligned with financial market dynamics, making it a practice-oriented elite program serving finance professionals.
Cambridge MFin performs excellently in major rankings. In the Financial Times global ranking of Master's in Finance (with work experience), Cambridge MFin ranked 2nd globally in 2024 (and has consistently ranked in the global top 2 every year since becoming eligible for ranking).
Ranked #1 globally in multiple indicators including "Salary Increase Rate," "Value for Money," "Female Student Ratio," "Industry Diversity," and "International Work Mobility"
Up one position from the previous year
These rankings reflect the program's top-tier international status and reputation.
Cambridge MFin is a full-time one-year program that starts in mid-September each year and runs continuously for 12 months. The program does not offer part-time or remote options, and students must study full-time in Cambridge.
The latest cohort (2025/26 intake) tuition fee is £57,850, with an additional £120 application fee (tuition fees are the same for international and domestic students).
The curriculum is compactly divided into three terms plus summer: including classroom teaching, case studies, practical simulations, and company visits among other diverse learning activities.
Students conduct an equity research report project in the first term, performing equity valuation for designated companies and providing buy/sell recommendations, simulating real investment "morning meeting" scenarios.
During the Easter term, the entire class is divided into groups to complete a team consulting project for real companies, providing consulting solutions for actual business problems.
The program also does not have a traditional master's thesis, but in the final summer phase, students can choose between internship or research project, and must write a reflection report of approximately 1,000 words to summarize their MFin learning outcomes.
Throughout the year, there are also "City Finance Series" industry lectures, investment banking simulation trading, and other hands-on learning experiences, giving students the opportunity to step outside campus and engage with the cutting-edge dynamics of London's financial district.
Cambridge MFin targets individuals with full-time experience in the financial sector, with an average of 4 years of work experience (minimum 2 years at the time of admission).
Overall, MFin students are typically between their mid-20s and 30s, primarily young industry elites from banking, investment, accounting, and other fields.
Cambridge MFin has strict requirements for applicants' academic and professional backgrounds.
Must have excellent undergraduate grades from an accredited university (equivalent to UK First Class or Upper Second Class degree), for example, under the US system, a GPA of 3.6/4.0 or above is required. Undergraduate major is not limited to finance, but applicants must demonstrate outstanding quantitative analysis skills and financial knowledge foundation.
If undergraduate major is not finance, it is recommended to provide GMAT/GRE scores to strengthen academic credibility (GMAT/GRE not mandatory, but in some cases the admissions committee may require it).
Applicants must have at least 2 years of full-time financial work experience (actual admitted students average over 4 years), and preferably at least 1 year of direct financial front-office business experience (such as investment, trading, financing, etc.).
Non-native English speakers must provide valid English scores:
Letters of Recommendation: Submit 3 letters of recommendation (1 academic + 2 professional, typically including direct supervisor and colleagues)
Application Fee: Complete online application form and pay £120 application fee
Transcripts: Upload undergraduate transcripts, work experience certificates, English proficiency scores, and other supporting documents
Application Essays: Application form includes essay/personal statement writing prompts
Cambridge MFin opens applications for the next academic year on September 1st each year. It uses a rolling admission system, where the admissions office evaluates applications as they are received and issues interview invitations until the final deadline around May of the following year.
The university recommends that interested applicants submit materials early: early application helps secure scholarships and increases the chance of obtaining a place at their preferred college and on-campus accommodation.
Due to rolling admissions, program spots are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so applying after spring may risk facing full capacity.
The admissions committee holds regular interview days, completing initial screening within about 2 weeks of receiving applications
Shortlisted candidates are notified to participate in online video interviews
Candidates who pass the interview will receive conditional admission offers within about a week
Overall, MFin accepts applications in several rounds from September to May of the following year, during which time applicants complete online applications, submit materials, and attend interviews.
The Cambridge MFin curriculum covers core courses, elective courses, and practical projects in three major modules, with rich content emphasizing both theory and practice.
Required in the first three terms, focusing on strengthening financial theory foundations and tools. Core topics include "Introduction to Derivatives", "Foundations of Financial Economics", "Financial Institutions and Markets", "Financial Statement Analysis", "Principles of Finance", and other financial knowledge.
Weekly arrangements include Management Lecture Series and City Speaker Series, inviting senior industry professionals (such as investment bankers, fund managers, etc.) to share practical experience.
Available from the second term, students can freely choose diverse specialized courses based on their career goals to customize their personal knowledge structure.
Conducted at the end of the first term: students work in groups to conduct in-depth analysis of a listed company, write equity research reports, provide investment rating recommendations, and present to a professional review panel—this process simulates real investment banking morning meeting scenarios.
During the transition between second and third terms: groups work to solve real business problems for external companies or institutions. Through consulting projects, students apply newly learned financial knowledge to practical cases.
Students can engage in:
Before the end of summer, each student must write a reflection report (approximately 1,000 words) summarizing their year-long learning experience and outcomes.
Cambridge MFin's faculty team combines academic leaders with industry elites. Finance professors are mostly internationally renowned scholars, with nearly 98% holding PhDs and publishing research in top-tier journals.
Financial economics expert, research areas include securities lending, short selling, and market liquidity.
Has made significant contributions in corporate finance and corporate governance.
長期資本市場回報研究權威
Former Finance Subject Head
The City Speaker Series invites financial industry executives as guest lecturers weekly, sharing cutting-edge practical experience. MFin students have the opportunity to directly engage with investment bank directors, hedge fund managers, financial regulators, and others.
Annually invites globally renowned finance scholars (such as Laura Starks, Murillo Campello, etc.) to campus for exchange and teaching, further enhancing the international perspective and depth of education.
Each Cambridge MFin cohort admits approximately 80-90 students, maintaining a small and elite class size. The smaller class size helps create a close-knit learning community: students can interact more with teachers and classmates, and everyone's needs are attended to.
The entire MFin program emphasizes small-class teaching and team collaboration. Through group discussions, case studies, and project collaboration, students build deep connections with each other. The business school also deliberately keeps class sizes under 100 to ensure teaching quality and each student's participation.
This scale makes MFin students a cohesive team, and classmates also establish lifelong professional networks.
Cambridge MFin student body has highly diverse and international characteristics.
Each cohort from around the world covers approximately 25-30 nationalities, with international student ratio consistently above 95%. "No single nationality or single industry background dominates" is a deliberately pursued goal in admissions.
Cambridge MFin has been actively working to increase the female student ratio, with significant growth in recent years, compared to previous years which were around 40-50%.
For example, there are analysts from investment banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, audit/consulting advisors from the Big Four accounting firms, and professionals from central banks or regulatory bodies.
Overall, Cambridge MFin classes are elite financial professional teams from around the world, showing balanced diversity in age, gender, nationality, and professional background.
Overall, Cambridge MFin graduates' average starting salaries and career advancement ratesrank among the top in finance master's programs, performing excellently in both traditional financial institutions and emerging fields, demonstrating the strong employment capabilities and global competitive advantages brought by the program.
Many Cambridge MFin students and alumni share that their time at Cambridge was "the most exciting year of their lives".
"The Cambridge MFin program met all my academic expectations, and the experiences I gained outside the classroom were even more valuable. Cambridge's diverse environment and rigorous curriculum greatly expanded my horizons, and I'm grateful for the Chevening scholarship that allowed me to embark on this Cambridge journey."
"MFin's quantitative courses strengthened my foundation in financial markets and instruments. Core courses like Interest Rate Derivatives and International Finance & Exchange Rates combine academic depth with real-world context, which impressed me greatly."
Students believe that small-group discussions and team collaboration greatly enhanced their soft skills—through frequent presentations and collaboration, they became more skilled at communication, leadership, and networking.
The university also regularly organizes career development activities, including mock interviews, resume guidance, industry mentor lectures, etc. Students report that these services greatly help with job hunting.
Many alumni still cherish this time years after graduation: they not only learned cutting-edge financial knowledge but also built deep friendships and global alumni networks. For example, some graduates mentioned that partners they met in the MFin program later became allies on their entrepreneurial journey.
Students' sharing highlights the transformation and growth that Cambridge MFin brought them: expanding international perspectives in a diverse environment, enhancing leadership and professional skills through practical projects, and drawing inspiration and strength from Cambridge's rich innovation and academic atmosphere.
Overall, Cambridge MFin provides students with an extremely rich and unforgettable comprehensive experience—not only making significant progress in financial expertise but also achieving breakthroughs in international perspective, interpersonal networks, confidence, and comprehensive qualities, truly achieving academic and life gains together.