University of Cambridge
The
University of Cambridge (often called
Cambridge University, or just
Cambridge), located in
Cambridge,
England, is the
second-oldest university in the
English-speaking world.
Early records indicate that the university grew out of an association of scholars in the city of Cambridge, probably formed in
1209 by
scholars escaping from
Oxford after a fight with local townsmen.
The universities of Cambridge and
Oxford are jointly referred to by the
portmanteau term
Oxbridge. In addition to cultural and practical associations as an historic part of
British society, the two universities also have a long
history of rivalry with each other.
Cambridge is a member of the
Russell Group, a network of large, research-led British universities; the
Coimbra Group, an association of leading European universities; the
LERU (League of European Research Universities), and the
IARU (International Alliance of Research Universities).
Cambridge is a
collegiate university, with its main functions divided between the central departments of the university and a number of
colleges. In general, the departments perform research and provide centralised lectures to students, while the colleges are responsible for the domestic arrangements and welfare of undergraduate students, graduate students, some of the postdocs and some University staff. The colleges also provide most of the small group teaching for undergraduates, referred to as
supervisions. The thirty-one colleges are technically institutions independent of the university itself and enjoy considerable autonomy. For example, colleges decide which students they are to admit, and appoint their own
fellows (senior members). (In Cambridge, "the university" often means the University as opposed to the Colleges.)
The current
Chancellor of the university is
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The current
Vice-Chancellor is
Professor Alison Richard. The office of Chancellor, which is held for life, is mainly symbolic, while the Vice-Chancellor (as is usual at British universities) is the real executive chief. The University is governed entirely by its own members, with no outside representation in its governing bodies. Ultimate authority lies with the
Regent House, of which all current Cambridge academic staff are members, but most business is carried out by the Council. The Senate consists of all holders of the M.A. degree or higher degrees. It elects the Chancellor; until their abolition in 1950, it elected Members to the
House of Commons for Cambridge University, but otherwise has not had a major role since 1926.
According to
UCAS, Cambridge and Oxford are the most academically selective universities in the
United Kingdom - there is a special national admissions process which sets Oxbridge apart from other UK universities.
The university has often topped
league tables ranking British universities - for instance, Cambridge was ranked first in the
Sunday Times league table every year between 1997 and 2005. In the most recent UK government
Research Assessment Exercise in 2001
, Cambridge was ranked first in the country. In 2005, it was reported that Cambridge produces substantially more PhDs per year than any other UK university (over 30% more than second placed Oxford)[
1]. In 2006, a
Thomson Scientific study showed that Cambridge has the highest research paper output of any UK university, and is also the top research producer (as assessed by total paper citation count) in 10 out of 21 major UK research fields analyzed[
2].
International league tables produced in 2005 by
The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) and
Shanghai Jiao Tong University ranked Cambridge third and second in the world respectively. The
THES also ranked Cambridge first in
science, second in
biomedicine, third in the
arts & humanities, sixth in
technology, and eighth in
social sciences. Note that all university rankings are subject to controversy about their methodology, and that the
THES and Jiao Tong tables are the only international rankings available.
Historically, the two universities have produced a significant proportion of Britain's prominent
scientists,
writers and
politicians. Affiliates of Cambridge University have won a total of
81 Nobel Prizes , more than any other university in the world and more than any country in the world except the United Kingdom and the
United States. Seventy of these awardees also attended Cambridge as undergraduate or graduate students.
In addition to a long distinguished tradition in the humanities and the arts, the University of Cambridge is especially known for producing prominent scientists and mathematicians. This distinguished list includes
Isaac Newton,
Charles Darwin,
William Harvey,
Paul Dirac,
J. J. Thomson,
Ernest Rutherford,
James Clerk Maxwell,
Francis Crick,
Alan Turing,
Stephen Hawking, and
Fred Sanger.
The university is also closely linked with the development of the high-tech business cluster in and around Cambridge, which forms the area known as
Silicon Fen or sometimes the "Cambridge Phenomenon". In 2004, it was reported that Silicon Fen was the second largest
venture capital market in the world, after
Silicon Valley. Estimates reported in February 2006 suggest that there were about 250 active
startup companies directly linked with the university, worth around US$6 billion.
Cambridge's endowment (including the colleges) was estimated at £3.1 billion in late 2005[
3] and is arguably the highest in Europe. Oxford (including its colleges) was possibly ranked second in 2005 with estimates ranging from £2.4bn to £2.9bn [
4], and the
Central European University in
Budapest third with an estimated €400 million in 2005). The share of Cambridge's endowment directly tied to the university itself exceeds £1 billion[
5]. However, Cambridge still relies largely on funding by the UK government. If ranked on a
US university table, Cambridge would rank 6th or 7th (depending on whether one includes the
University of Texas System â€" which incorporates 9 full scale universities and 6 health institutions), or 4th in the
Ivy League[
6].
Early history
Roger of Wendover wrote that Cambridge University could trace its origins to a crime committed in 1209. Although not always a reliable source, the detail given in his contemporaneous writings lends them credence. Two Oxford scholars were convicted of the murder or manslaughter of a woman and were hanged by the town authorities with the assent of the King. In protest at the hanging, the
University of Oxford went into voluntary suspension, and scholars migrated to a number of other locations, including the pre-existing school at Cambridge (Cambridge had been recorded as a "school" rather than University when John Grim held the office of Master there in 1201). These post-graduate researchers from Oxford started Cambridge's life as a University in 1209. Cambridge's status as a University is further confirmed by a decree in 1233 from
Pope Gregory IX which awarded the
ius non trahi extra (a form of legal protection) to the
chancellor and universitas of scholars at Cambridge. After Cambridge was recognised by papal bull as a
studium generale by
Pope Nicholas IV in 1290, it became common for researchers from other European
medieval universities to come and visit Cambridge to study or to give lecture courses.
The Colleges
Cambridge's colleges were originally an incidental feature of the system. No college is as old as the university itself. The colleges were endowed fellowships of scholars. There were also institutions without endowments, called Hostels.
Hugh Balsham,
Bishop of
Ely, founded
Peterhouse in 1284, Cambridge's first college. Many colleges were founded during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, but colleges continued to be established throughout the centuries to modern times, although there was a gap of 204 years between the founding of
Sidney Sussex in 1596 and
Downing in 1800. The most recent college established is
Robinson, built in the late 1970s.
In
medieval times, colleges were founded so that their students would
pray for the
souls of the founders. For that reason they were often associated with
chapels or
abbeys. A change in the colleges' focus occurred in 1536 with the
dissolution of the monasteries. King
Henry VIII ordered the university to disband its Faculty of Canon Law and to stop teaching "scholastic philosophy". In response, colleges changed their curricula away from canon law and towards the
classics, the
Bible, and
mathematics.
Mathematics
From the time of
Isaac Newton in the later 17th century until the mid-19th century, the university maintained a strong emphasis on mathematics. Study of this subject was compulsory for graduation, and students were required to take an exam for the
Bachelor of Arts degree, the main first degree at Cambridge in both arts and science subjects. This exam is known as a
Tripos.Students awarded
first-class honours after completing the mathematics Tripos were named
wranglers. The
Cambridge Mathematical Tripos was competitive and helped produce some of the most famous names in British science, including
James Clerk Maxwell,
Lord Kelvin, and
Lord Rayleigh. However, some famous students, such as
G. H. Hardy, disliked the system, feeling that people were too interested in accumulating marks in exams and not interested in the subject itself.
Although diversified in its research and teaching interests, Cambridge today maintains its strength in mathematics. The
Isaac Newton Institute, part of the university, is widely regarded as the UK's national research institute for mathematics and theoretical physics. Cambridge alumni have won eight
Fields Medals and one
Abel Prize for mathematics. The University also runs a special
Certificate of Advanced Studies in Mathematics course.
Women's education
Originally all students were male. The first colleges for women were
Girton College (founded by
Emily Davies) in 1869 and
Newnham College in 1872. The first women students were examined in 1882 but attempts to make women full members of the university did not succeed until 1947. Although Cambridge did not give degrees to women until this date women were in fact allowed to study courses, sit examinations, and have their results recorded from the nineteenth century onwards. In the twentieth century women could be given a "titular degree"; although they were not denied recognised qualifications, without a full degree they were excluded from the governing of the university. Since students must belong to a college, and since established colleges remained closed to women, women found admissions restricted to colleges established only for women. All of the men's colleges began to admit women between 1960 and 1988. One women's college, Girton, also began to admit men, but the other women's colleges did not follow suit.In the academic year 2004-5, the university's student gender ratio, including post-graduates, was male 52%: female 48% (Source: Cambridge University Reporter, [
7]).
Cambridge University has research departments and teaching faculties in most academic disciplines. Cambridge tends to have a slight bias towards
scientific subjects, but it also has a number of strong
humanities and
social science faculties. Academic staff (and often graduate students for the larger subjects) teach the undergraduates in both lectures and personal
supervisions in which a ratio of one teacher to between one and three students is usually maintained. This
pedagogical system is often cited as being unique to the Universities of Cambridge and
Oxford (where "supervisions" are known as "tutorials") â€" similar practices can be found elsewhere, though not on the
Oxbridge scale.
All research and lectures are conducted by University Departments. The colleges are in charge of giving or arranging most supervisions, student accommodation, and funding most extra-curricula activities. During the 1990s Cambridge added a substantial number of new specialist research laboratories on several University sites around the city, and major expansion continues on a number of sites[
8].
See also :Category:Departments of the University of Cambridge and Departments in the University of CambridgeHistorically, undergraduate admissions tended to be drawn largely from the fee-paying
public schools. This resulted in a student body predominantly drawn from members of the British social elite.
The admission process changed in the 1960s. Successful applicants are expected to be predicted at least 3 A-grade
A-level qualifications relevant to their chosen undergraduate course, or equivalent overseas qualifications. College Fellows also evaluate candidates on unexamined factors such as potential for original thinking and creativity as expressed in extra-curricular activities and at interview [
9]. In a few cases, candidates may be offered an unconditional place.
In recent years, admissions tutors in certain subjects have required applicants to sit the more difficult
STEP papers in addition to achieving top grades in their A-levels or
International Baccalaureate diplomas. For example, Peterhouse requires 1 and 2 or better in STEP as well as A grades at A-levels including A-level Mathematics and Further Mathematics in order to be considered for entry for the Mathematical Tripos. Between one-half and two-thirds of those who apply with the correct grades are given offers of a place.
Public debate in the United Kingdom continues over whether admissions processes at Oxford and Cambridge are entirely merit based and fair, whether enough students from
state schools are encouraged to apply to Cambridge, and whether these students succeed in gaining entry. Almost half of all successful applicants come from independent schools. However, the average qualifications for successful applicants from state schools are poorer than the average qualification of successful applicants from private schools. The lack of state school applicants to Cambridge and Oxford has had a negative impact on Oxbridge's reputation for many years, and the University has encouraged pupils from state schools to apply for Cambridge to help redress the imbalance. Critics counter that excessive government pressure to increase state school admissions constitutes inappropriate
social engineering [
10] [
11].
Graduate admission is first decided by the faculty or department relating to the applicant's subject. This effectively guarantees admission to a college (probably but not necessarily the applicant's preferred choice).
Cambridge maintains a long tradition of student participation in sports and recreation.
Rowing is a particularly popular sport at Cambridge, and there are competitions between colleges (notably the
bumps races) and against Oxford (the
Boat Race). There are also
Varsity matches against Oxford in many other sports, ranging from
rugby and
cricket, to
chess and
tiddlywinks. Athletes representing the university in certain sports entitle them to apply for a
Cambridge Blue at the discretion of the
Blues Committee, consisting of the captains of the thirteen most prestigious sports. There is also the self-described "unashamedly elite"
Hawks' Club, whose membership is usually restricted to Cambridge Full Blues and Half Blues.
The
Cambridge Union serves as a focus for debating. Drama societies notably include the
Amateur Dramatic Club (ADC) and the comedy club
Footlights, which are known for producing well-known showbusiness personalities. They also host Cambridge Rev - a branch of the charity
Revelation Rock-Gospel Choirs. Student newspapers include the long-established
Varsity and its younger rival,
The Cambridge Student. The student-run radio station,
CUR1350, promotes broadcast journalism.
There are many popular myths associated with Cambridge University.
One famous myth relates to
Queens' College's so-called
Mathematical Bridge (pictured right). Supposedly constructed by Sir Isaac Newton, it reportedly held itself together without any bolts or screws. Legend has it inquisitive students took it apart and were then unable to reassemble it without bolts. However, the bridge was erected 22 years after Newton's death. This myth may have arisen from the fact that earlier versions of the bridge used iron pins and screws at the joints, whereas the current bridge uses more visible nuts and bolts.
Another famous myth involves the Clare Bridge of Clare College. Spherical stone ornaments adorn this bridge. One of these has a quarter sphere wedge removed from the back. This is a feature pointed out on almost all tours over the bridge. Legend has it that the bridge's builder was not paid in full due to the college's dissatisfaction with its construction. The builder thus took revenge and committed an act of petty vandalism. Though lacking evidence, this legend is commonly accepted.
A discontinued tradition is that of the
wooden spoon, the ‘prize' awarded to the student with the lowest passing grade in the final examinations of the Mathematical Tripos. The last of these spoons was awarded in 1909 to Cuthbert Lempriere Holthouse, an oarsman of the Lady Margaret Boat Club of
St John's College. It was over one metre in length and had an oar blade for a handle. Since 1909, results were published alphabetically within class rather than score order. This made it harder to ascertain who the winner of the spoon was (unless there was only one person in the third class), and so the practice was abandoned.
On the other hand, the legend of the Austin Seven delivery van that ended up on the apex of the Senate House is no myth at all. The
Caius College website recounts in detail how this vehicle "went up in the world". [
12]
Building on its reputation for enterprise, science and technology, Cambridge has a partnership with
MIT in the
United States, the
Cambridge-MIT Institute.
In 2000,
Bill Gates of
Microsoft donated US$210 million through the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to endow the
Gates Scholarships for students from outside the UK seeking postgraduate study at Cambridge. The
University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, which taught the world's first computing course in 1953, is housed in a building partly funded by Gates and named after his grandfather, William Gates.
After the founding of
Harvard College in 1636 at
Newtowne,
Massachusetts, the town adopted the new name of "Cambridge" in 1638 to promote its reputation as an academic centre. The first president (
Henry Dunster), the first benefactor (
John Harvard), and the first schoolmaster (
Nathaniel Eaton) of Harvard were all Cambridge University alumni, as was the then ruling (and first) governor of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony,
John Winthrop. In 1629, Winthrop had led the signing of the founding document of the city of
Boston, Massachusetts, which was known as the
Cambridge Agreement, after the university [
13].
In the
Meiji Era (1868-1912), several Japanese students studied at the university.[
14].
In
Japan, there is a Cambridge and Oxford Society[
15], a rare example of the name Cambridge coming before Oxford when the two universities are referred to together â€" traditionally, the order used when referring to both universities is "Oxford and Cambridge", the order in which they were founded. The probable reason for this inversion is that the Cambridge Club was founded first in Japan, and it also had more members than its Oxford counterpart when they amalgamated in 1905.
The University's publishing arm, the
Cambridge University Press, is the oldest printer and publisher in the world.
Each
Christmas Eve,
BBC television and radio broadcasts
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols by the
Choir of
King's College Chapel. This has been a national Christmas tradition since it was first transmitted in 1928.
The University of Cambridge currently has 31 colleges, of which three admit only women (
New Hall,
Newnham and
Lucy Cavendish). The remaining 28 are mixed,
Magdalene being the last all-male college to admit women in 1988. Two colleges admit only
postgraduates (
Clare Hall and
Darwin), and four more admit mainly
mature students or
graduate students (
Hughes Hall,
Lucy Cavendish,
St Edmund's and
Wolfson). The other 25 colleges admit mainly
undergraduate students, but also postgraduates following courses of study or research. Although various colleges are traditionally strong in a particular subject, for example
Churchill has a formalized bias towards the
sciences and
engineering, the colleges all admit students from just about the whole range of subjects, although some colleges do not take students for a handful of subjects such as
architecture or
history of art. It is noteworthy that costs to students (accommodation and food prices) vary considerably from college to college. This may be of increasing significance to potential applicants as Government grants decline in the next few years.
There are several historical colleges which no longer exist, such as
King's Hall (founded in 1317) and
Michaelhouse which were combined together by
King Henry VIII to establish
Trinity in 1546. Also, Gonville Hall was founded in 1348 and then re-founded in 1557 as
Gonville & Caius.
There are also several theological colleges in Cambridge, (for example
Westminster College and
Ridley Hall Theological College) that are loosely affiliated with the university through the
Cambridge Theological Federation.
See also the list of
Fictional Cambridge CollegesSee also List of University of Cambridge members (extensive list), Alumni of the University of Cambridge (college lists) and Academics of the University of Cambridge (lists of academics).
Fiction
*
Chaucer's The Reeve's Tale takes place at Soler Halle â€" another name for King's Hall, which later became part of
Trinity College, Cambridge.
*
The Glittering Prizes by
Frederic Raphael.
*
The Longest Journey and
Maurice by
E.M. Forster*
Chariots of Fire, 1981 film
*
The Masters and The Affair by
C. P. Snow (features an unnamed fictional college, partly based on his own college, Christ's)
*
Porterhouse Blue and its sequel
Grantchester Grind feature Porterhouse, a fictional Cambridge College.
*
Darkness at Pemberley by
T. H. White*
All Sorts and Conditions of Men by
Sir Walter Besant*
High Table, Lower Orders BBC Radio comedy serial broadcast in 2005 and 2006 set in a college with some resemblance to Magdalene
* The medieval murder mysteries of
Susanna Gregory*
Avenging Angel, a murder mystery by the philosopher
Kwame Anthony Appiah*
Eskimo Day is a 1996 BBC TV drama, written by
Jack Rosenthal, and starring
Maureen Lipman,
Tom Wilkinson, and
Alec Guinness, about the relationship between parents and teenagers during an admissions interview day at
Queens' College. There was also a 1997 sequel,
Cold Enough for Snow.
* The final episode of
Star Trek: The Next Generation, (
All Good Things…) features the android character
Data as
Lucasian Professor of Mathematics in his Cambridge college rooms. An establishing location shot shows a
futuristic version of the Cambridge University skyline around the year 2395.
*
Civilization (computer game) - a classic turn-based strategy video game by
Sid Meier features "
Isaac Newton's College" as a Wonder of the World - this could be a reference to Cambridge University as a whole or to
Trinity College, Cambridge specifically.
Non-fiction
*
A concise history of the University of Cambridge, by Elisabeth Leedham-Green, Cambridge University Press, 1996, ISBN 0521439787, ISBN 9780521439787
*
A history of the University of Cambridge, by Christopher N.L. Brooke, Cambridge University Press, 4 volumes, 1988-2004, ISBN 0521328829, ISBN 052135059X, ISBN 0521350603, ISBN 052134350X
*
Bedders, bulldogs and bedells: a Cambridge glossary, by Frank Stubbings, Cambridge 1995 ISBN 0521479789
*
Japanese Students at Cambridge University in the Meiji Era, 1868-1912: Pioneers for the Modernization of Japan [
16], by Noboru Koyama, translated by Ian Ruxton [
17], Lulu Press, September 2004, ISBN 1411612566. This book includes information about the wooden spoon and the university in the 19th century as well as the Japanese students.
*
Teaching and Learning in 19th century Cambridge, by J. Smith and C. Stray (ed.), Boydell Press, 2001 ISBN 0851157831
*
The Architectural History of the University of Cambridge and of the Colleges of Cambridge and Eton, Robert Willis, Edited by John Willis Clark, 1988. Three volume set, Cambridge University Press ISBN 0521358515
*
The Cambridge Apostles: A History of Cambridge University's Elite Intellectual Secret Society, by Richard Deacon, Cassell, 1985, ISBN 0947728139
History and traditions
*Cambridge University
Professorships,
Chancellors and
Vice-Chancellors*
Cambridge University (UK Parliament constituency)*
Registrary*
List of Oxbridge sister colleges*
Oxbridge scarf colours*
Academic dress of the University of Cambridge*
Formal Hall (formal evening meals)
Societies and leisure activities
*
Amateur Dramatic Club*The
Boat Race against
Oxford University*
Cambridge Apostles*
Cambridge Student Liberal Democrats*The
Cambridge Union Society*
Cambridge University Association Football League*
Cambridge University Conservative Association*
Cambridge University Cricket Club*
Cambridge University Labour Club*
Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club*
Cambridge University Student Alliances*
CICCU, the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union
*
CUR1350, the student radio station
*
Footlights*
Hawks' Club*
May Balls
*
Pitt Club*
PuntingVarsity and
The Cambridge Student, the student newspapers
*For a more complete list see
List of social activities at the University of Cambridge*See also:
University website list of societiesOrganisations and institutions associated with the university
*
800th Anniversary Fundraising Campaign*
Alumni website*
Auto-ID Labs*
Babraham Institute (biomedical research)
*
Cambridge Assessment (formerly known as the
University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate)
*
Cambridge Network â€" Cambridge University industry networking
*
Cambridge Science Park*
Cambridge Stem Cell Initiative*
Cambridge University Library*
Cambridge University Press*
Cambridge University Students' Union (CUSU)
*
Coimbra Group*
Downing Site*
Fitzwilliam Museum*
Franco-British Student Alliance*
Graduate Union of Cambridge University*
Granta literary magazine
*
Gurdon Institute of Cancer and Developmental Biology*
Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences*
Kettle's Yard art gallery
*
League of European Research Universities*
List of organisations with Royal patronage*
Medical Research Council research centres and units â€" MRC's Cambridge cluster (including the
Laboratory of Molecular Biology) is its largest outside
London; its Cambridge graduate students register with the University
*
Millennium Mathematics Project*
The Naked Scientists â€" Cambridge University science radio show and podcasts
*
New Museums Site*
Phoenix*
Russell Group*
Sanger Institute (genome research)
*
Scott Polar Research Institute*
Sidgwick Site*
West Cambridge*
Westminster Quarters*
'Golden Triangle'* [
18] - The list of Cambridge's 81
Nobel Prize winners, from the University of Cambridge website.
* [
19] - A list of universities with the most Nobel Prize winner affiliations. The
University of Chicago has the second most with 78 (30 of which were won by former students).
* [
20] - A 2005 ranking from
The Times Higher Education Supplement of the world's research universities, with Cambridge ranked 3rd, behind
Harvard and
MIT.
* [
21] - A 2005 ranking from the Institute of Higher Education,
Shanghai Jiao Tong University of the world's research universities, with Cambridge ranked 2nd, behind
Harvard.
*
University of Cambridge official website*
A Short History of the University â€" from the official website
*
Cambridge expansion plans*
talks.cam.ac.uk â€" Cambridge University talks-listing service
*
Varsity â€" a student newspaper
*
The Cambridge Student (TCS) â€" a student newspaper
*
BlueSci â€" student science magazine
*
Cambridge Alumni Magazine*
Gown â€" the graduate magazine
*
CUR1350 â€" the student-run radio station
*
Tompkins Table - unofficial ranking of Cambridge colleges*
Cambridge University jargon*
Cambridge Online â€" a comprehensive city guide and directory with thousands of pages of local information contributed by Cambridge residents
*
Computing-Info - Information for prospective students about computing and networking policies at the University and within the colleges
* Images and maps
**
Aerial view â€" from
Google Maps**
Interactive map â€" a well designed zoomable map linking to all the University departments and colleges
**
Cambridge in Colour â€" Cambridge University photography
**
Cambridge 2000 â€" a large collection of photographs of Cambridge architecture
