Cambridge colleges

Cambridge colleges are where many students live – particularly undergraduates, but also postgraduates, especially in their first year. Each of the 31 colleges has its own dining hall, library, chapel, choir, gardens, rowing team, seminars, and social events. The latter are often run by the MCR (Middle Combination Room), or ‘student body’ for postgraduate students. Though the CBU is also very sociable, Cambridge colleges provide a unique opportunity to meet a range of individuals with diverse backgrounds and interests and working within different disciplines.

You must select two colleges to apply to at the time of making your application. We highly recommend that you visit individual college’s webpages or the Cambridge University Alternative Prospectus for information about particular Cambridge colleges. In addition, in 2020, we surveyed CBU students about their experiences of the different Cambridge colleges. You may be interested to read their responses below.

We asked our postgrads – who at that time were members of Clare, Clare Hall, Corpus Christi, Darwin, Downing, Fitzwilliam, Gonville and Caius, Homerton, Hughes Hall, Jesus, King’s, Magdalene, Murray Edwards, Newnham, Pembroke, Queens’, St Catherine’s, St Edmund’s, St John’s, Trinity, Trinity Hall, and Wolfson – the following:

• How would you summarise your college?
• Does your college provide funding towards a 4th year?
• What funding does your college offer?
• Does your college provide accommodation for family/partners/students with children?
• Does your college provide a nursery or other childcare facilities?
• Can you say anything else about your college experience and/or available support and funding?

We hope this gives a sense of what the different colleges are like, though ultimately your choice will depend on what is important to you – whether this is how traditional, liberal, relaxed, old or beautiful a college is, whether a college is for postgraduates or women only, whether a college is wealthy and generous with its funds, where a college is located (central or further out of town), whether it has a rowing team, whether it has accommodation for postgrads (and whether that accommodation is in the main college grounds, or not), and so on.

Things to keep in mind while considering the responses below:

• This reflects a snapshot in time and colleges may have changed since!
• ‘Hardship’ funding is typically offered to help with unexpected challenges rather than with things that would ordinarily be covered by a studentship stipend.
• If there is no indication that a particular college has e.g. accommodation for students with children, this may not mean that college doesn’t have such accommodation but that the individuals completing the survey may have been unaware.
• Some of our students have 4 years of funding when beginning their PhD, whereas others have 3. Where there is mention of 4th year funding below, this is because respondents were asked to comment on whether their college might have some funds that could be used towards a 4th year for students with just 3 years of funding, if needed.

Clare: happy to be a member, older college and so some quaint and antiquated rules, but very welcoming and supportive/reasonable administration nonetheless. Funding: not sure about 4th year funding but there is hardship funding, as well as funding for academic/professional development/conferences, book supplies, laptop costs, international exchange rates, language courses, and disability support. Accommodation: Yes, including for students with partners. Childcare: no.

Clare Hall: friendly, accessible, egalitarian/open to student views, organises social events that facilitate student-fellow interaction. Funding: no 4th year funding, but hardship funding and funding for academic/professional development/conferences and book supplies, laptop costs etc are available. Accommodation: available for approximately half of students, as well as for students with partners and with children. Childcare: no.

Corpus Christi: big, nice campus in West Cambridge and nice accommodation. Funding: up to 2 additional terms of funding for a 4th year for at least some students, as well as hardship funding. Accommodation: available for students with partners and with children. Childcare: no.

Darwin: great experience, atmosphere, and bar, fabulous students, excellent community. Funding: not one of the wealthier colleges, funding limited – no funding towards a 4th year but some hardship funding up to £300 and some funding for academic/conference/professional development. Accommodation: yes, including for students with partners and with children. Childcare: no.

Fitzwilliam: very relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere with wide variety of events organised for postgraduates, including those with young families. Not one of the wealthier Cambridge colleges, and so communal facilities modest. Housing fine and comparable to other colleges. Funding: funding occasionally granted for first term of the 4th year or subject-specific awards that could be used towards a 4th year, as well as modest hardship funding. Accommodation: available for students with partners and with children. Childcare: no.

Homerton: very fond of Homerton, homely surroundings, friendly staff and MCR, one of the largest postgraduate communities, beautiful old buildings but also great/modern and relatively inexpensive accommodation with ensuite facilities. Further from town than other colleges (which also has benefits) but close to the train station and CBU (5 minute cycle. Funding: none for a 4th year, but hardship funding, funding for academic/professional development/conferences, disability support funds, and travel grants are available, as is academic excellence and subject-specific funding, and funding for language courses. Accommodation: typically guaranteed for students in all PhD years, modern and relatively inexpensive accommodation with ensuites; also available for students with partners and with children. Childcare: no.

Hughes Hall: very nice and comfortable college with good support and community spirit and helpful and responsive staff. Students are either postgraduate or mature undergraduate students. Accommodation varies and done by lottery, but most is good, well furnished, renovated. College cat named Charlie, small gym, table tennis, close to dynamic Mill Road, Parker’s Piece, and several gyms. Funding: not sure about 4th year funding, but does have hardship funding, academic/professional development/conference funding, academic excellence funding, varsity sport support, and thesis binding support. Accommodation: not sure. Childcare: no.

King’s: central location, and nice, helpful and receptive staff. Funding: subject-specific funds that can be used towards a 4th year, as well as hardship funding and non-academic funds that can be used for e.g. outreach projects and public engagement. Accommodation: available for students with partners. Childcare: no.

Murray Edwards: relatively new women’s college, lovely community with very relaxed feel (can walk on grass, for instance, and encouraged to pick flowers/vegetables). Home to Europe’s largest art collection by women artists which is displayed around college. Further from town (5 minutes) and the CBU (15 minutes) than some other colleges, optional but free weekly formal halls for postgraduate students, pay as you go optional dining at other times and on other days though postgraduates pay £80 per term ‘overhead’ fee, even if not living in college accommodation. Funding: less wealthy than other colleges so no funding for 4th year though there are some small travel grants, hardship funds, and funds for academic/professional development/conferences, parental leave/child support, and academic needs (i.e. books, laptops etc). Childcare: no.

Pembroke: beautiful college, very friendly atmosphere among postgraduate students, food usually good, can live in college in first year, and accommodation is guaranteed in subsequent years but not always highest quality. Funding: usnure about 4th year funding, though there is hardship funding, academic/professional development/conference funding, academic excellence funding, and some other awards. Accommodation: available for students with partners. Childcare: no.

Robinson: good location for CBU, less wealthy than many colleges. Funding: has some funds that can be used towards a 4th year though usually for just a month, as well as hardship, academic/professional development/conference funding, and language course funding. Accommodation: available for students with partners. Childcare: no.

St Catherine’s: small, fairly friendly college with helpful staff and supportive Graduate Tutors. Funding: not one of the wealthier colleges and so not sure about 4th year funding, but hardship funding and funding for academic/professional development/conferences are available, as well as funding for language courses. Accommodation: available for students with partners. Childcare: no.

St Edmund’s: diverse and mature college, supportive tutorial office, open to suggestions, involved with student body. Funding: not one of the wealthier colleges but might be possible to obtain some limited funding towards the 1st term of the 4th year; also hardship funding and funding for academic/professional development/conferences and language courses available. Accommodation: available, including for students with partners and with children. Childcare: no.

St John’s: absolutely lovely, very supportive, good-sized college. Funding: available for first term of 4th year, as well as subject-specific awards that can be used toward 4th year funding, as well as hardship funding, academic/professional development/conference funding, parental leave/child support funds, book supplies/laptop funds, academic excellence funding, international exchange funds, language course funding – as well as a termly allowance for buying equipment or paying for conferences. Accommodation: available for students with partners and with children. Childcare: no.

Trinity Hall: limited experience of Trinity Hall due to living out of college and not being very involved in college activities, but have enjoyed formal dinners and rowing team very welcome and great way to meet other college members. Funding: limited knowledge of Trinity Hall funding, and so not sure about 4th year funding, but does offer hardship funding, academic/professional development/conference funding, academic excellence funding, and language course funding. Accommodation: may be more limited than other colleges. Childcare: no.