Exploring Cambridge University's Student Population: An In-Depth Analysis

The University of Cambridge is a public research university in Cambridge, England. It was founded in 1209 and is the fourth-oldest surviving university in the world. As of 2024, the university had a total of 24,912 students, including 12,910 undergraduates and 12,010 postgraduates. The university is made up of 31 colleges, with students from over 140 countries.

Undergraduate and postgraduate numbers

The University of Cambridge is a collegiate public research institution with a student population of over 24,000. The university is made up of 31 colleges, 6 schools, and over 150 faculties and departments. Cambridge's student body is diverse, with students from over 140 countries.

As of 2024-2025, Cambridge had 12,910 undergraduate and 12,010 postgraduate students, totalling 24,912 students. The university's undergraduate population is slightly higher than its postgraduate population.

The university's undergraduate teaching is centred on weekly small-group supervisions in the colleges, with lectures, seminars, and laboratory work provided by the central university faculties and departments. Cambridge's academic year begins on 1 October and ends on 30 September.

The university's colleges are self-governing institutions within the university, each with its own personnel and policies. All students are required to be affiliated with a college within the university. The colleges provide housing, welfare, and social functions, as well as undergraduate teaching.

The admission process at Cambridge is highly competitive, with around a 15% acceptance rate in 2022. The university's standard offer for most courses is set at A*AA, and interviews are conducted to evaluate candidates on factors beyond exam results.

Total student population

The University of Cambridge is a globally diverse institution with a student population of over 24,000, comprising 12,910 undergraduates and 12,010 postgraduates. The university attracts students from all over the world, with nearly 4,000 international students from over 120 different countries. Cambridge's student population makes up about 20% of the town's population.

The university is split into 31 autonomous colleges, with students receiving small-group teaching sessions known as college supervisions. The colleges are self-governing institutions within the university, managing their own personnel and policies, and all students are required to have a college affiliation. The university is further divided into six schools: Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences and Technology, which house roughly 150 faculties and other institutions.

The university's academic year is divided into three terms: Michaelmas term, Lent term, and Easter term. Undergraduate teaching takes place during eight-week periods called full terms, and students are expected to prepare heavily during the three holidays: Christmas, Easter, and the Long Vacation.

Cambridge's first college, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284, and the university itself was founded in 1209, making it the fourth-oldest surviving university in the world and the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world.

Number of international students

Cambridge University is a globally diverse institution with students from 142 different countries. The university is made up of 31 colleges, and in the 2024-2025 academic year, there were 24,912 students in total, with 12,910 undergraduates and 12,010 postgraduates. Of these, nearly 4,000 are international students, hailing from over 120 different countries.

The university is split into six schools spread across its colleges, housing roughly 150 faculties and other institutions. The six schools are: Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Technology.

The university's International Summer Schools offer 150 courses to students from more than 50 countries. Cambridge has a large number of international alumni, with significant numbers in the UK, the USA, Germany, Canada, Australia, the People's Republic of China, France, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore, India, Switzerland, and Italy.

Number of colleges

The University of Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges, each of which is self-governing and independent. The colleges are spread across six schools, which house roughly 150 faculties and other institutions. The colleges are:

• Corpus Christi (1352)
• Gonville and Caius (1348)
• Lucy Cavendish (1965)
• Murray Edwards (formerly New Hall, 1954)
• St. Catharine's (1473)
• St. Edmund’s House (1896)
• Sidney Sussex (1596)
• Peterhouse (1284)
• King's College (1441)
• Pembroke College
• Emmanuel College
• Churchill College
• Clare College
• King's College
• Darwin College
• Homerton College
• Robinson College
• Girton College (1869)
• Newnham College (1872)
• Hughes Hall (1885)
• Murray Edwards College (formerly New Hall, 1954)
• Lucy Cavendish College (1965)
• Wolfson College
• St. Edmund's College
• Magdalene College
• Trinity College (1546)
• Downing College (1800)
• Queens' College
• St. John's College
• Fitzwilliam College
• Christ's College
• Emmanuel College
• Sidney Sussex College
• Newnham College
• Robinson College
• Selwyn College
• Girton College
• Homerton College
• Wolfson College
• St. Edmund's College
• Clare Hall
• Hughes Hall
• St. Catharine's College

The colleges are a key part of the University of Cambridge's structure, providing housing, welfare, and social functions, as well as undergraduate teaching. All students are required to be affiliated with a college, and the colleges appoint their own teaching staff and fellows. The colleges also decide which undergraduates to admit, in accordance with university standards and regulations.

Number of faculties and departments

The University of Cambridge has more than 100 departments, faculties, schools, and institutes. These are organised into six schools: Arts and Humanities, Biological Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Technology. Each school constitutes an administrative grouping of faculties and other institutions.

Faculties organise teaching and research into individual subjects or groups of subjects. Their work is usually divided into subdivisions called departments.

The University of Cambridge has more than 150 faculties and departments, covering a vast array of subjects and specialised areas of research.

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