Three Mathematics and Applied Mathematics (2+2) students from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) have achieved an extraordinary milestone together, receiving four offers from the University of Cambridge while sharing the same student dormitory throughout their undergraduate studies.
Tao Jiayi, Yin Ziwei and Zhang Yifei have all been admitted to Cambridge’s highly competitive MPhil in Scientific Computing programme, with Yin also securing an offer for the MPhil in Data Intensive Science.
Their shared success highlights more than outstanding individual achievement. It reflects how UNNC’s distinctive international education equips students with the research capability, critical thinking and global outlook sought by the world’s leading universities.
Although none of the three entered university as top mathematics students, they found their academic direction through inquiry-led teaching, interdisciplinary research opportunities and cross-cultural learning experiences across UNNC and the University of Nottingham in the UK. From undergraduate research projects to international collaboration, they developed the confidence and research skills that distinguished their Cambridge applications.
Just as important was the supportive community they built together. As roommates for four years, they studied side by side, challenged each other’s ideas, shared application advice and encouraged one another through every stage of their academic journey.
Their story demonstrates how UNNC’s globally connected learning environment, combined with a strong culture of peer support, empowers students to realise ambitions that once seemed beyond reach.
Published on 27 June 2026