This is a 'list of the colleges within the University of Cambridge'. These
colleges are the primary source of accommodation for undergraduates and graduates at the
University, and help to arrange teaching in collaboration with the University departments and faculties. The colleges also provide funding and/or accommodation for some of the senior research posts in the University.
The
University of Cambridge currently has 31 colleges, of which three admit only women (
New Hall,
Newnham and
Lucy Cavendish). The remaining 28 are mixed;
Churchill,
Clare and
King's were the first previously all-male colleges to admit female
undergraduates in 1972
[1], with
Magdalene being the last in 1988. Two colleges admit only
postgraduates (
Clare Hall and
Darwin), and four more admit mainly
mature students or
graduate students (
Hughes Hall,
Lucy Cavendish,
St Edmund's and
Wolfson). The other 25 colleges admit mainly undergraduate students, but also postgraduates following courses of study or research. Although various colleges are traditionally strong in a particular subject or subjects, for example
Churchill has a bias towards the
sciences, the colleges all admit students for the whole range of subjects.
The oldest college is
Peterhouse, founded in 1284, whilst the most recent is
Robinson, dating from 1977.
;'Notes' :
★ – Female students only
:
†– Mature undergraduates only (over 21 years old)
There are also several theological colleges in Cambridge (for example
Westminster College and
Ridley Hall Theological College) that are loosely affiliated with the university through the
Cambridge Theological Federation.
Former colleges
This list does not include several historical colleges which no longer exist. Some examples of these are:
★
Buckingham College (founded in 1428 as a
Benedictine hall, refounded as
Magdalene in 1542)
★
King's Hall (founded in 1317, and combined with Michaelhouse to form
Trinity College in 1546)
★
Michaelhouse (founded in 1324, and combined with King's Hall to form
Trinity College in 1546)
★
Gonville Hall (founded in 1348, and re-founded in 1557 as
Gonville and Caius College)
★
God's House (founded in 1437, and re-founded in 1505 as
Christ's College)
★
Cavendish College, a failed attempt to allow poorer students to sit the Tripos examinations, whose buildings were bought by
Homerton at the turn of the previous century.
See also
★
List of Oxbridge sister colleges
★
Oxbridge scarf colours
★
List of fictional Cambridge colleges
References
★
The Colleges of Cambridge University - Key facts for each college are available from the listing on the left.
★
Armorial Bearings and Scarf Colours of the Universities of Cambridge, Dublin, and Oxford