I still remember flipping through my first comprehensive list of Cambridge colleges and feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all.
Cambridge is home to two universities, and people often mix them up: the University of Cambridge, one of the oldest and highest-ranking schools in England, and Anglia Ruskin University, one of the most populous universities with roughly 40,000 students on its books.
The University of Cambridge itself is built from 31 colleges, and 29 of them welcome undergraduate students every year, so if you’re hunting for a reliable source on the subject, this guide pulls together everything from academic strengths to real student experiences.
Brief History Of Cambridge University Colleges
What surprised me most when I first researched the University of Cambridge is how it functions less like a single campus and more like a small federation.
It’s made up of 31 semi-autonomous colleges, along with 150 academic departments and a handful of other institutions, all organised under six schools, and every one of these colleges is self-governing, holding its own endowments and property while managing its own memberships.
None of them were founded between 1596 and 1800, which splits the group neatly into 16 old colleges dating back to 1284 and 15 new colleges built up from 1800 through 1977, spanning the 13th century all the way to the 20th century; the earliest ones grew their own internal
structures long before any specific college existed as we know it today, and the activities of these places haven’t changed all that much, since Cambridge summer school students still stay in the very same rooms during their two-week programme, with academics attached to a college much the way they were centuries ago.
List of Cambridge University Colleges
Here’s where I’ll walk you through all 31 names, and honestly, once you’ve said them a few times they start to stick.
The Cambridge University roll call includes Christ’s College, Churchill College, Clare College, Clare Hall, Corpus Christi College, Darwin College, Downing College, Emmanuel College, Fitzwilliam College, Girton College, Gonville and Caius College, Homerton College, Hughes
Hall, Jesus College, King’s College, Lucy Cavendish College, Magdalene College, Murray Edwards College, Newnham College, Pembroke College, Peterhouse, Queens’ College (ask about the mathematical bridge while you’re there), Robinson College, Selwyn College, Sidney Sussex College, St Catharine’s College, St Edmund’s College, St John’s College, Trinity College, Trinity Hall, and Wolfson College.
With around 20,000 students and close to 19,000 staff members, the university works as a kind of confederation of faculties, departments, and schools, each with its own regulations and statutes, and every student belongs to both an academic department and a wider college community, which is exactly the setup that gives each person real academic support.
That collegiate spirit shows up outside term time too, since an architecture summer school or an engineering summer school in Cambridge leans on the same interdisciplinary study and
problem-solving approach, while undergraduates spend real hours in College supervision, tiny teaching sessions run in tiny groups, which I’d argue is the single biggest reason people rave about the superior teaching methods here; each college runs its own in-house procedures for
selecting students, admitting both undergraduate students and postgraduate students, and if you’ve ever gone punting in Cambridge past the beautiful colleges lining the river, or wondered about Oxford colleges by comparison, you’ll get why so many people fall for the prestigious colleges and members of the University who call this place home.
List of Cambridge Colleges For Medicine
Medicine hopefuls have plenty of choice here, and it’s worth knowing the details before you apply.
Out of the full 31, you can put in an application to 28 colleges to study medicine, though Newnham and Murray Edwards are women’s only colleges, so keep that in mind as you plan; the eligible list runs through Christ’s, Churchill, Clare, Corpus Christi, Downing, Emmanuel, Fitzwilliam, Girton, Gonville & Caius, Homerton, Jesus, King’s, Lucy Cavendish, Magdalene, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Queens’, Robinson, Selwyn, Sidney Sussex, St Catharine’s, St Edmund’s, St John’s, Trinity, Trinity Hall, and Wolfson.
Many future doctors get their first real taste of the subject through a Cambridge medicine summer school, where workshops led by Cambridge scholars dig into anatomy, ethics, and healthcare systems long before anyone sits a formal interview, and if you enjoy putting your
thoughts on paper, keep an eye out for the Immerse Education 2025 Essay Competition: submit an essay, enter the competition, and you’re in the running for a 100% scholarship through Immerse Education.
Which Cambridge Colleges Are Open To The Public?
Not every visitor realises that Cambridge colleges charge for a look inside, and I learned this the hard way on my first trip.
If you’re a tourist or a potential future student wandering the city, the colleges open to the public that currently ask for an entry fee include Clare College, Corpus Christi College, St John’s College, King’s College, Queens’ College, and Trinity College, and the University of Cambridge confirms this list applies to general public visitors rather than prospective students on official tours.
Cambridge University Faculties & Schools
Beyond the colleges themselves, the university runs on a separate academic structure that’s easy to overlook.
There are six schools in total, each a grouping of faculties covering individual subjects: Arts and Humanities, Humanities and Social Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Biological Sciences, Technology, and Physical Sciences, and every school has its own Council made up of representatives from its Departments and faculties, who together form the General Board.
The wider point of these administrative groupings is to organise teaching and research into sensible groupings of subjects, so that even though colleges handle student life, it’s these departments that shape the actual coursework.
Does Anglia Ruskin University Have Any Colleges?
A question I get asked constantly is whether Anglia Ruskin University has colleges of its own, and the short answer is no.
Sitting right in the centre of Cambridge, its campus has been part of the city since 1858, when it started life as the Cambridge School of Art before growing into the university it is today, and it now houses a genuinely wide mix of facilities: a Business School, Forensic Science Labs, a TV
Studio, a New Science Center with molecular biology and psychology laboratories, a University Library complete with an open-access computer section, the Ruskin Gallery, the Mumford Theatre, and Compass House, which holds audio recording studios and sport science labs.
Over the last few years the university has poured over 100 million pounds into new facilities, and it’s planning another 91 million pounds across the next five years, so this campus is only going to keep expanding.
Choosing a College Factors to Consider
Picking a college isn’t just about the name on the gate, and I always tell people to slow down here.
Start with subjects offered, since not every course runs at every college, then think about size and facilities, because some people thrive in an intimate college community while others want the resources of a larger college; location matters too, so weigh the city center, the department where your specific subject area is based, and nearby amenities like libraries or sports facilities.
Academic reputation and ratings vary between colleges even though standards stay high across the board, so it’s worth checking research opportunities tied to your field, and don’t ignore social life: clubs, societies, sports teams, and cultural events all shape the atmosphere, so think about which extracurricular activities match your personal interests.
There’s no official ranking, and every college carries its own unique strengths and character, so the smartest move is to visit, dig into the culture, and talk to current students and former students to get an honest feel for the place.
Which Cambridge College Is The Hardest To Get Acceptance To?
Trinity College carries a reputation as the hardest college to get into, and while admission statistics stay private at most colleges, it’s widely accepted among staff and applicants alike.
This mostly comes down to how genuinely prestigious the name is, which naturally pulls in a bigger pool of hopeful applicants every single year.
What Is The Smallest Cambridge College?
If you go by undergraduate numbers, Peterhouse College takes the title of smallest college in the city. It accepts only 284 undergraduates, which keeps the community noticeably tight-knit compared with its larger neighbours.
Which Is The Biggest Cambridge College?
Size depends on how you measure it, and the two answers actually point to different colleges. By land size, Churchill College wins as the biggest college, spreading across 42 acres and hosting 485 undergraduates, while by raw undergraduate numbers, Trinity College takes the lead with 740 undergraduate students on its books.
What Is The Richest College in Cambridge?
Money matters when people compare colleges, and Trinity College leaves the rest behind on this front. Its latest accounts show holdings above £1.3 billion, making it by far the richest college in the entire university.
Which Has The Best Social Life?
This one is naturally subjective, but I’ll share what our own mentors who studied as students at Cambridge keep telling me. Most point straight to Clare’s College for the best social life, largely thanks to its lively on-site bar, where a good chunk of the party scene tends to happen.
What’s The Easiest Cambridge College To Get Into?
List of Cambridge Colleges: Being the newest college in the city works in Robinson College’s favour when it comes to easier admission. It carries less prestige than some of its older neighbours, which tends to mean fewer applicants, and against Cambridge’s overall 17% average acceptance rate, that’s a real advantage, even though colleges do not disclose their individual figures.
FAQs
How many colleges are in the list of Cambridge colleges?
The University of Cambridge has 31 colleges in total, with 29 open to undergraduate students.
Which Cambridge college is the hardest to get into?
Trinity College is widely seen as the hardest college, thanks to its prestigious reputation and admission statistics.
What is the oldest Cambridge college?
The 16 old colleges date back to 1284, making them some of the oldest in England.
Which Cambridge colleges are open to the public?
Clare College, King’s College, Trinity College, and a few others welcome public visitors for an entry fee.
Which colleges can I apply to for medicine at Cambridge?
You can apply to 28 of the 31 colleges to study medicine, though Newnham and Murray Edwards are women’s only colleges.
