Address: The Old Schools, Trinity Lane, Cambridge, CB2 1TN, England, United Kingdom
Sciences, Arts and Humanities, Engineering
One of the world’s oldest and most prestigious universities, founded in 1209. A public collegiate research university with a profound global impact on science, arts and humanities.
The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209, when scholars left Oxford after a dispute with the townspeople and settled in Cambridge. It has about 24,500 students and 12,500 staff, and around 40 percent of the students come from abroad. The central administration is in the Old Schools, on Trinity Lane. Like Oxford, it is a collegiate university with 31 colleges that house students and teach them in small groups, while the university runs the faculties, laboratories and libraries.
The colleges form the architectural core of the city, along the river Cam and the lawns known as the Backs. King’s College Chapel, with its fan-vaulted ceiling, and Trinity College, founded by Henry VIII in 1546, are among the best-known sites. Small-group teaching, called supervisions, is the core of undergraduate education, and the tripos system structures the degrees, with final exams that decide the class of the degree.
Cambridge is renowned for science. Isaac Newton worked at Trinity, and the Cavendish Laboratory is the place where J. J. Thomson discovered the electron in 1897 and where James Watson and Francis Crick worked out the structure of DNA in 1953. Stephen Hawking held the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics, the post once occupied by Newton. More than a hundred Nobel Prizes have been linked to Cambridge people, and the Cambridge University Press, founded in 1534, is the oldest publishing house in the world.
Around the city, the Cambridge Science Park and biotechnology campus support a large cluster of technology and life-science companies, sometimes called Silicon Fen. Undergraduate applications go through UCAS, with an early deadline in mid-October. Tuition for home students is capped by the government at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year, while international students pay much higher fees, often between twenty-five and sixty thousand pounds depending on the course, plus college fees. Check the current tariff.
Teaching is in English, and many courses require admission tests and interviews. Cambridge is a small city, and cycling is the standard way to move around.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Chemistry, Engineering, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Extensive global academic and research partnerships. Strong ties with industry through Cambridge Enterprise and Silicon Fen. Member of Russell Group and LERU.
Research:
World-leading research across almost all academic disciplines. Consistently ranked among the top universities globally for research and teaching quality. Numerous Nobel laureates.
Famous Alumnis:
Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, Alan Turing, Rosalind Franklin, Numerous Nobel laureates
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
12500
Current students***:
24500
Foreign students***:
40%
Cumulative former students***:
260000
Pros
World-renowned academic excellence, unique collegiate system providing pastoral and academic support, exceptional resources and faculty, outstanding research output.
Cons
Extremely competitive admissions, high workload and pressure, can be perceived as elitist by some.
Best For
Exceptionally talented students seeking a world-class education at one of the most historic, academically rigorous, and research-intensive universities globally.
University of Oxford shares the core fields of this university, namely chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
The comparison with University of Glasgow is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Both schools build their programmes around physics, mathematics and life sciences, and Imperial College London is the one to compare first within the country, since it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Where this university leans on chemistry, physics and life sciences, University of Bristol does the same, and it is slightly larger, at about 29,000 students against roughly 24,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Durham University offers a comparable education in chemistry, physics and mathematics: it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers astroscience as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
University of California, Berkeley (the United States) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly chemistry, physics and life sciences; it also offers graduate diploma and mba programmes and covers data analytics as well.
Students considering a move abroad can look at University of Oslo in Norway, where chemistry, physics and mathematics also form the core, and it is slightly larger, at about 28,000 students against roughly 24,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Trinity College Dublin in Ireland pursues a similar profile in chemistry, physics and mathematics, and it is also a public institution and also offers mba programmes.
Princeton University (the United States) works on the same fields as this university, chiefly physics, mathematics and life sciences; it covers project management and data analytics as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 9,100 students against roughly 24,500 here.
For chemistry, physics and mathematics outside the home country, Chinese University of Hong Kong in Hong Kong is a natural reference; it also offers mba programmes and covers finance and statistics as well.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the University of Cambridge?
In Cambridge, England. The central administration is in the Old Schools, on Trinity Lane.
When was it founded?
In 1209, when scholars left Oxford after a dispute with the townspeople.
How large is it?
About 24,500 students and 12,500 staff, with around 40 percent of students from abroad.
How many colleges does it have?
31 colleges that house students and teach them in small groups.
What are supervisions?
Small-group teaching sessions that form the core of undergraduate education.
Which discoveries were made at the Cavendish Laboratory?
J. J. Thomson discovered the electron in 1897, and Watson and Crick worked out the structure of DNA there in 1953.
Which famous scientists are linked to Cambridge?
Isaac Newton, who worked at Trinity, and Stephen Hawking, who held the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics.
How do you apply?
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS, with an early deadline in mid-October. Many courses require admission tests and interviews.
What does it cost?
Home tuition is capped at about nine and a half thousand pounds a year. International fees are much higher, often between twenty-five and sixty thousand pounds depending on the course. Check the current tariff.
What is Silicon Fen?
The cluster of technology and life-science companies around Cambridge.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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