The University of Cambridge, otherwise addressed as Cambridge University is located in the beautiful city of Cambridge, England. Sometimes abbreviated as Cantab, the institution is the second-oldest university across all English speaking countries. Also, the name Cantab is the shortened form of Cantabrigiensis, which is an adjective that is derived from Cantabrigia- the Latin form of Cambridge.

Relating the University back to its establishment in 1209, it grew out of an association of scholars and elites who absconded from Oxford and other nearby towns to settle in Cambridge due to disputes with local townsmen who knew not too much about education. The University of Oxford and also the University of Cambridge- both well-renowned institutions- are often given a duality name which is “Oxbridge.” This can be traced to the fact that they both have a healthy rivalry in athletics while also sharing and maintaining a long academic history. Regardless of competitions and rivalries, both institutions have good cooperation and similarities too.

Just as in the case of the University of Oxford, Cambridge offers a tutorial supervision system as well as a collegiate structure which sets them apart from other institutions of higher learning across the globe. The institution serves the people with intensive and fully in-depth education required to take them to the top of their profession and personal lives. Leadership qualities are also imparted into the students who subsequently take up leadership positions in their community and make lives better for all.

Colleges and Departments

In the early years of existence, Cambridge colleges were founded so that students could be taught how to pray for the founding fathers; in a bid to follow this act up, students were housed in colleges that are run in affiliation with abbeys and Chapels.

The Cambridge colleges are divided into thirty-one (31) colleges of which three, namely: Newnham College, New Hall, and Lucy Cavendish College admit women only. The other twenty-eight (28) are mixed educational colleges while Magdalene College is the last all-male college to admit female, in 1988. Of this thirty-one college, two of them- Darwin College and Clare Hall- admits no more but postgraduate students while graduate students are in these four colleges: Lucy Cavendish College, Hughes Hall, Wolfson College, and St Edmonds College. The last 25 colleges remaining admits solely undergraduates, however, there could be slots for postgraduates who are pursuing certain research or course of study.

Surprisingly, some of the colleges at Cambridge lays emphasis on a particular subject of course of study. An instance is Churchill College which is biased at admitting students pursuing science and engineering-related courses. However, this is commendable as it helps students within the same line of study to interact, communicate freely and share ideas with one another; thereby, broadening their knowledge.

The University of Cambridge has many historic colleges that have gone into extinction, some of them are;

• Michaelhouse College combined to establish Trinity College- Cambridge’s largest college-under King Henry VIII of England in 1546.
• King Hall founded in 1317
• Gonville Hall first founded in 1348, later in 1557, it was re-established and renamed Cambridge’s Gonville and Caius College.

Also, the university has many theological colleges which are but not limited to:

• Ridley Hall
• Westminster College

These two are in close affiliation with the institution through the Cambridge Theological Federation.

Courses offered

With a student body of over 18,000 students, the university offers about 150 courses in 31 colleges through a staff body of over 11,000 staff. All these colleges run independently from the institution via the faculty of each college; this helps the colleges to make decisions on what is best and unique for programs and agenda- this is not decided for them by the university.

The courses offered by the University of Cambridge include but not limited to:

• Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic
• Archaeology
• Architecture
• Asian and Middle Eastern Studies
• Chemical Engineering
• Classics
• Computer Science
• Economics
• Education
• Engineering
• English
• Geography
• History
• History and Modern Languages
• History and Politics
• History of Art
• Human, Social, and Political Sciences
• Land Economy
• Law
• Linguistics
• Management Studies (Part II course)
• Manufacturing Engineering (Part II course)
• Mathematics
• Medicine
• Medicine (Graduate Course)
• Modern and Medieval Languages
• Music
• Natural Sciences
• Philosophy
• Psychological and Behavioural Sciences
• Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion
• Veterinary Medicine

One of the oldest and well-known departments in Cambridge is the Cambridge University Press which is the body responsible for the printing of many books from the institution.

Admission Criteria

At inception, the University of Cambridge was admitting students based on in-depth knowledge in Ancient Greek and Latin. This resulted in a student body that was solely from a member of the British social elite. However, in recent times, a lot has changed in the criteria of admission as the university admits students based on good academic standings and good grades in entrance examinations and immediate results tendered.

In buttress of that, colleges often set their own criteria for admission. For instance, the College of Peterhouse requires top and good grades in Mathematics and Further Mathematics in order to be considered for admission.

University of Cambridge scholarships

The University of Cambridge scholarships are made available to help the willing but low-income students achieve their academic goals and excellence with the pinnacle of academic excellence. The full scholarships can only be found on the official scholarship website. For undergraduate scholarships, visit the undergraduate admissions page, and if you are looking for graduate scholarships, visit the Graduate Admission Page.

How to apply

Once you get on the admissions page, follow the series of steps available to get started. Remember to always provide the correct information and email address as this will be used as a means of communication.

By far, the University of Cambridge has set some standards that make them very choosable amidst other universities across the globe. Standard and quality are like a watchword here.