Colleges of the University of Cambridge

Arms of the University of Cambridge

This is a list of the colleges within the University of Cambridge. These colleges provide most of the accommodation for undergraduates and graduates at the University, and at the undergraduate level they have responsibility for admitting students to the University and organising their tuition. They also provide funding, accommodation, or both, for some of the senior research posts in the University. They are self-governed charities in their own right, with their own endowments and possessions. Until the mid-19th century, both Cambridge and Oxford comprised a group of colleges with a small central university administration, rather than universities in the common sense.

'Old' and 'New' Colleges

The University of Cambridge has 31 colleges, founded between the 13th and 20th centuries. None were founded between 1596 and 1800, so the colleges fall into two distinct groups by age:

• the 16 'old' colleges, founded between 1284 and 1596, and
• the 15 'new' ones, founded between 1800 and 1977.

Downing College, founded in 1800, was the only college founded between 1596 and 1869, and is sometimes described as the oldest of the new and the youngest of the old.

The oldest college is Peterhouse, founded in 1284, and the newest is Robinson, founded in 1977.

Restrictions on Entry

All 16 old colleges and 8 of the 15 new ones admit both male and female students as both undergraduates and postgraduates, without any age restrictions. Seven colleges, all new, restrict entry by sex, or by age of undergraduates, or admit only postgraduates:

• three admit only women (Murray Edwards, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish);
  • of these, one admits only women who are either mature students, i.e. aged 21 or older, or postgraduates (Lucy Cavendish);
• two admit only postgraduates (Clare Hall and Darwin);
• three admit both male and female students, but only those who are either mature students or postgraduates (Hughes Hall, St Edmund’s and Wolfson).

No colleges are all-male, although most originally were. Darwin, founded in 1964, was the first mixed college, while in 1972 Churchill, Clare and King's colleges were the first previously all-male colleges to admit women. The last all-male college to become mixed was Magdalene, in 1988.

Colleges

See also: Oxbridge scarf colours

Key: U–undergraduates, P–postgraduates.

Scarf colours	College	Founded	U	P	Male %	Female %	Total	Fixed assets (£)	Website	Notes
	Christ's	1505	423	91	58	42	514	700766602000000000066,602,000
	Churchill	1960	476	228	71	29	704	7008105978346000000105,978,346
	Clare	1326	473	182	52	48	655	700770707000000000070,707,000
	Clare Hall	1965	0	155	47	53	155	700710579203000000010,579,203		Graduate students only.
	Corpus Christi	1352	250	209	60	40	459	7008191233087000000191,233,087
	Darwin	1964	0	674	54	46	674	700733160032000000033,160,032		Graduate students only.
	Downing	1800	440	183	66	34	623	700786798000000000086,798,000
	Emmanuel	1584	510	123	51	49	633	7008152640692000000152,640,692
	Fitzwilliam	1869 (1966)	502	186	63	37	688	700743509000000000043,509,000
	Girton	1869	531	146	53	47	677	700764000000000000064,000,000		Formerly women's only; became mixed in 1976
	Gonville and Caius	1348	546	173	60	40	719	7008159332000000000159,332,000
	Homerton	1895 (1976)	593	588	37	63	1181	7008123453808000000123,453,808
	Hughes Hall	1885	85	334	61	39	419	700718483546000000018,483,546		Mature undergrad, and grad students only. Became mixed in 1973.
	Jesus	1496	503	201	57	43	704	7008242995403000000242,995,403
	King's	1441	394	187	57	43	581	7008155618000000000155,618,000
	Lucy Cavendish	1965	110	110	0	100	220	700724323000000000024,323,000		Mature female undergrad, and female grad students only.
	Magdalene	1428	366	127	54	46	493	700773763845000000073,763,845
	Murray Edwards	1954	387	55	0	100	442	700752852893000000052,852,893		Female only. Formerly New Hall.
	Newnham	1871	412	112	0	100	524	700790287969000000090,287,969		Female students only.
	Pembroke	1347	442	155	53	47	597	7008103991180000000103,991,180
	Peterhouse	1284	266	88	57	43	354	7008171887000000000171,887,000
	Queens'	1448	535	297	57	43	832	700757310511000000057,310,511
	Robinson	1977	422	73	60	40	495	700724863000000000024,863,000
	St Catharine's	1473	462	159	52	48	621	700768797000000000068,797,000
	St Edmund's	1896	126	205	69	31	331	70068381224000000008,381,224		Mature undergrad, and grad students only.
	St John's	1511	588	243	59	41	831	7008567390000000000567,390,000
	Selwyn	1882	388	130	70	30	518	700769992285000000069,992,285
	Sidney Sussex	1596	371	135	63	37	506	700764952747000000064,952,747
	Trinity	1546	656	373	63	37	1029	7008621000000000000 621,000,000
	Trinity Hall	1350	384	196	54	46	580	7008208176916000000208,176,916
	Wolfson	1965	119	385	64	36	504	700747307000000000047,307,000		Mature undergrad, and grad students only.
		Totals	11,824	6,002			17,826	c. 3,407,053,395		Total Endowment of University, c. £4.1 billion

There are also several theological colleges in Cambridge (for example Westcott House, Westminster College, Wesley House and Ridley Hall) that are affiliated with the university through the Cambridge Theological Federation. These colleges, while not officially part of the University of Cambridge, operate programmes that are either validated by or are taught on behalf of either the University or Anglia Ruskin University.

Timeline of the colleges in the order their students are presented for graduation, compared with some events in British history.

Former colleges

The above list does not include several former colleges that no longer exist. These include:

• Buckingham College, founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hall, refounded as Magdalene in 1542.
• Bull College, a college for US GIs, existing from 1945 to 1946.
• "Clare Hall" was the name of Clare College between 1338 and 1856. Clare College founded a new college named Clare Hall in 1966.
• 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, founded in 1873, a failed attempt to allow poorer students to sit the Tripos examinations, whose buildings were bought by Homerton in 1895.
• University College, founded 1965, and re-founded in 1972 as Wolfson College
• University Hall, founded 1326, refounded as Clare Hall in 1338, renamed as Clare College in 1856.
• New Hall, founded 1954, and re-founded in 2008 as Murray Edwards College

See also

• List of Oxbridge sister colleges
• List of fictional Cambridge colleges
• Colleges of the University of Oxford