University of Cambridge: Colleges, Alumni & University Life

The University of Cambridge is not a single campus; it is a federation of 31 self-governing colleges spread across the city. They all have their own history, dining hall, chapel and personality. If you’re an Indian student choosing to study at Cambridge, UK, you are not just choosing one of the top universities of the world but also a 150-year-old relationship between India and Cambridge.

Cambridge University has produced three Indian Prime Ministers, a Mathematics legend and two Nobel Laureates. This guide will help you understand how exactly the Cambridge college system works, who the Cambridge Notable alumni really and what a day in your life looks like at this university. 

If you’re evaluating whether the University of Cambridge is worth it, start with the overview on Shiksha Study Abroad for course fees, rankings, and admission deadlines in one place.

You may also check: How to Get into the University of Cambridge from India.

What is the Cambridge College System?

The Cambridge college system means that every student is a member of two institutions at once. There is the University (which runs your course, lectures and exams) and a College (which houses you, feeds you, and provides small group teaching called “supervisions”).

Cambridge University UK is a collegiate university; here, the university sets the syllabus and awards the degree, but the college is where you actually live, eat, socialize and get taught one-on-one or in pairs by a subject expert.  The worth of your Cambridge degree remains the same.

Important: The colleges make admission decisions, so which college you apply to affects your chances of getting in. The Cambridge acceptance rate varies a lot based on the college you’re going to.

How many colleges does the University of Cambridge have? 

The University of Cambridge has 31 colleges under its umbrella. Out of those, 29 only admit undergraduates, while a few like Darwin, Clare Hall and Hughes Hall are only for PG students. Three of these colleges (Hughes Hall St Edmund’s and Wolfson) admit only mature students with an age above 21.

Some colleges are given below - 

Download the FREE PDF with acceptance rates, students on campus and so much more: Full List of Cambridge Colleges  

How to Choose a Cambridge College

As your college decides your accommodation, community and admission chances, it is important to weigh the factors given below –

• ·       Course Availability: Not every college offers every degree. Indian students can check Cambridge courses from here.
• ·       Open vs Specific Application: Indian students can either name a preferred college or they can submit an open application, which allows the system to allocate them to a college with fewer applicants for your course, which can genuinely improve your chances of getting in. 
• ·       Eligibility Restrictions: There are eligibility restrictions as per the college. Indian students should check age for mature-only colleges and gender for women-only colleges.
• ·       College Size: The campus size of each college varies. It ranges from under 400 students (like Peterhouse, Corpus Christi) to 1,000+ (Trinity, St. John’s). Smaller sizes mean smaller communities and difficult admissions; the larger ones mean more societies and resources. Churchill College is the largest by size (42 acres),  Trinity College has the highest number of undergrad students studying, it is also the most diffcult to get into (only 14% acceptance) and is also the wealthiest.
• ·       Location: Some colleges are there in the historic city center near the lecture halls and other ones a 15 to 20-minute cycle away.
• ·       Accommodation guarantee and cost: Most of the Cambridge colleges guarantee college-owned housing for a minimum of three years. The rents also vary by college. 
• ·       Finances and Bursaries: The value of endowments differs a lot among these colleges. Trinity College endowment is the biggest, exceeding GBP 2 billion. This affects the scale of college-specific travel grants, hardship funds and Cambridge University scholarships for Indian students.

Practical tip for Indian applicants: Cambridge University advises Indian students to shortlist 3 to 5 colleges rather than one best.

University of Cambridge Alumni

The University of Cambridge alumni are spread across Space Science, Literature, Politics and the Arts for over 800 years. Sir Isaac Newton from Trinity College, Cambridge University, gave the world the Laws of Motion and Universal Gravitation.

Look at the table given below to know more –

Indian Alumni of University of Cambridge

The most famous Indian alumni who attended the University of Cambridge are Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first Prime Minister), Rajiv Gandhi, Dr. Manmohan Singh and many others. See the table below to know more –

Cambridge’s own Indian Student Societies

• ·       Cambridge University India Society (CUIS) is the third-largest student-run society at Cambridge with hundreds of active members. This society was founded by Jawaharlal Nehru himself. It was built to raise students’ understanding of Indian culture.
• ·      The Cambridge Majlis was founded in 1891 and it is one of the oldest Cambridge societies. Its members were Subas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru and Aurobindo Ghosh.

What Is Student Life Like at Cambridge University? 

The student life at the University of Cambridge is an intense 8-week term system built around small group supervisions along with centuries-old traditions like Formal Hall, Matriculation and May Balls.

Traditions that every Cambridge campus follows

• ·       Matriculation: It is a formal ceremony during fresher’s Week where you sign your college’s official register.  You also take an oath in Latin and have a celebratory dinner
• ·       Formal Hall: You can sit down and enjoy multi-course dinners is the college’s most historic dining hall. It can be every day or once every 15 days.
• ·       May Balls: It may be called May Balls but it happens in June. It is a lavish, ticketed all nigh celebrations at the end of your academic year. It has live music, fireworks and a formal dress
• ·       Societies: Cambridge University has hundreds of clubs, from the Cambridge Union (one of the oldest debating societies in the world) to Cambridge Apostles (exclusive discussion society).

Is It Hard to Get Into Cambridge Colleges? 

Yes, the University of Cambridge admissions are extremely competitive for Indian students as its acceptance rate is just 15.4%. For Indian students, it drops to around 2.2%. The admission requirements for Indian students run through a combination of previous academic scores, a written personal statement, admission tests and an interview. As colleges admit their own students, the chances of admission vary. St Edmund's College is the easiest to get into with a 29.1% acceptance rate.

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Cambridge vs Oxford

In the QS Rankings for 2027, Oxford University is ranked #4 and the University of Cambridge ranking is ranked #6. Oxford University is very well known for courses like Philosophy, Politics and Economics but Cambridge's flagship courses are Engineering, Natural Sciences and Mathematics. 

In terms of admission ease, both universities are quite competitive, although by a marginal difference, the University of Oxford (17% to 18%) is a little easier to get into than Cambridge (19% to 21%). Don't miss the full battle: University of Cambridge vs University of Oxford FREE PDF 

Cambridge College vs Oxford College

In structure, the two college systems are close cousins and they have the same three-term structure. Look at the table given below –