Undergraduates

The College is of just above medium size, admitting some 140 undergraduates a year. Our aim is to select those applicants who have the greatest academic promise and commitment. We welcome applicants from all types of schools, and all are considered for admission as individuals on their own merits. We are keen to encourage more good applicants from the maintained sector, though this in no way implies any prejudice against independent schools. We know that Cambridge in general, and this College in particular, have much to offer able and motivated students from whatever background, and that they have much to offer us. The College actively supports the Group to Encourage Ethnic Minority Applications and also participates in the Special Entry Scheme.

The College welcomes applicants for all subjects studied in the University, and there is a roughly equal number of arts and science students. The fact that at present the College has fewer women (some 45%) than men reflects the regrettable shortage of women applicants in Mathematics, the Physical Sciences, and Engineering.

The number of students in the individual subjects varies slightly from year to year to take account of the relative strength of the applications in each subject. One important criterion for admission is, of course, achievement in public examinations, but we also take great care to assess each candidate by sensitive and sympathetic personal interview as well as taking account of his or her individual circumstances.