Selwyn College Cambridge

Selwyn College Cambridge Academic excellence and a strong community. Selwyn is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.

It is home to students of all backgrounds from the UK and across the world. We are proud of our diversity, and we welcome everyone whatever their race, gender, sexuality, disability or religious belief. The college takes its name from George Augustus Selwyn, who was the first Bishop of New Zealand (1841-68) and later Bishop of Lichfield (1868-78), and in whose memory the college was founded. The c

ollege opened at the start of the academic year in 1882. At the time it was seen as being away from the Cambridge mainstream, despite only being a short walk from King’s College and the centre of the city. However, the Sidgwick site – which includes such major faculty buildings as Classics, Economics, English, History, Law, and Modern Languages – was later created right next to Selwyn; and due to the steady growth of the University and its development of the West Cambridge site, Selwyn now stands at its geographical heart.

A great result for Sylwia, one of our front of house supervisors, who has passed her Wine and Spirit Education Trust Lev...
01/09/2026

A great result for Sylwia, one of our front of house supervisors, who has passed her Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 2 Award in Wines with merit. Sylwia has been part of the team for over eight years. This qualification shows a deeper understanding of grape varieties, wine regions and styles.

Sylwia said: “Taking the award was both a challenging and enjoyable experience. Tasting over 30 different wines, identifying their characteristics, and learning about the regions they came from required a lot of focus and attention to detail.

"Although there was a lot to remember, I really enjoyed the process and found it a fun and rewarding way to develop my knowledge of wine."

We send our supervisors to Cambridgeshire Wine School to develop their knowledge, giving them the confidence to talk about the wines being served and to guide guests at every event. It's an investment we're proud to make in our team.

Selwyn students have achieved outstanding academic results for 2026, with the college's performance improving for the th...
31/08/2026

Selwyn students have achieved outstanding academic results for 2026, with the college's performance improving for the third year running.

Selwyn came second in the Baxter table, behind only Trinity. 91% of our students achieved Good Honours — the highest proportion in the University — and 40.5% achieved a First, Distinction or starred First.

Our women students achieved the highest proportion of Firsts and Good Honours among women at any Cambridge college, with an average mark that was the highest in the University.

With around 80% of our UK intake from maintained-sector schools, these results speak to what students achieve when they're given the opportunity to thrive at Cambridge.

Read the full story here: https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/news/selwyn-students-excel

During her PhD in Barcelona, computational biologist Maria Marti-Solano designed chemical tools to solve a precise probl...
30/08/2026

During her PhD in Barcelona, computational biologist Maria Marti-Solano designed chemical tools to solve a precise problem: blocking the side effects of antipsychotics while keeping their power to prevent hallucinations.

Maria is now Assistant Professor in Pharmacology at Cambridge and a new Fellow of Selwyn from October. Her work centres on GPCRs, receptors found on every cell in the body that are involved in everything from allergy and asthma to the GLP-1 signal behind new weight-loss drugs.

"There are many things we do not understand, including why a drug that should work sometimes doesn't," she says.

Read more on our website. https://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/news/welcoming-our-new-fellows

30/08/2026

Each year in Selwyn Magazine, we profile some of our Fellows, exploring the research, ideas and questions that occupy their work.

This year, we spoke to Dr Lily Whitler, the Gavin Boyle Fellow in Exoplanetary Science, about her work studying the earliest galaxies in the Universe.

Watch the conversation here.

Early on 28 August, the lunar eclipse was captured over Selwyn.A beautiful glimpse of heavenly goings-on at 5am, capture...
28/08/2026

Early on 28 August, the lunar eclipse was captured over Selwyn.

A beautiful glimpse of heavenly goings-on at 5am, captured on a phone by our porter, Adrian Powter.

After more than ten wonderful years, Dr Mike Sewell is retiring as our Senior Tutor. We are looking for someone to take ...
28/08/2026

After more than ten wonderful years, Dr Mike Sewell is retiring as our Senior Tutor. We are looking for someone to take the reins.

It's a role that touches everything that matters most here: our teaching, our welfare provision and our reputation as one of the friendliest, most supportive colleges in Cambridge. Experience of college life would be a strong advantage.

Fancy leading in a community like ours? Closing date 18 September 2026. https://rb.gy/f373s7.

From the opening of the Bartlam Library and the Quarry Whitehouse Auditorium to the refurbishment of the Old Library, th...
27/08/2026

From the opening of the Bartlam Library and the Quarry Whitehouse Auditorium to the refurbishment of the Old Library, the college estate looks quite different today than it did when Mike Nicholson first arrived as Selwyn's Development Director 12 years ago.

During his tenure and with the support of a great team, Mike oversaw what he describes as a "quiet revolution" in how we acknowledge those who support the college. There are now more than a thousand names incorporated into the fabric of our buildings, making the philanthropy and generosity of our alumni and friends a visible part of Selwyn's daily life.

This period has seen significant milestones. In addition to the completion of myriad capital projects, the college is now able to offer its students wide ranging support by way of bursaries and scholarships, alongside opportunities to make the most of the extracurricular activities Cambridge offers. The relationships Mike helped to build with our supporters have fostered one of the highest rates of alumni support in Cambridge, with one in five graduates choosing to give back to the next generation.

While Mike will step down as Development Director at the end of the month, he will continue to be involved as an Emeritus Fellow.

In September we will be welcoming Erin Charles as the new Development Director to lead the future of our development work, as the college looks toward its 150th anniversary in 2032.

Thank you, Mike.

All results are now in, which means we can now confirm 122 new undergraduate freshers will be joining us in October.With...
26/08/2026

All results are now in, which means we can now confirm 122 new undergraduate freshers will be joining us in October.

With more than 900 applications, selection was highly competitive this year.
Those who took GCSEs and A-levels achieved an average of 8.7 A* (grade 8 or 9) grades at GCSE and 2.9 A* at A Level (arts/social sciences 2.2 A*, sciences 3.7 A*).

Those who took the International Baccalaureate achieved an average score of 44 out of 45.

Some 79% of our UK freshers will be joining us from state sector schools.

Thirty of our new students, meanwhile, are from outside the UK, again bringing a wealth of different backgrounds and experiences to our community.

Dr Tom Smith, assistant senior tutor, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming the new freshers to Selwyn. As with every other year, we have admitted a high-achieving cohort of students who we believe will flourish academically and enrich our strong and supportive community.”

A huge thank you to everyone involved in this year’s admissions process, including our interviewers, directors of studies, admissions tutors and school liaison officers, and especially the admissions team for all their hard work.

Master of studies writing for performance student, Emma Jones, is directing the Cambridge Footlights' 2026 Tour Show at ...
25/08/2026

Master of studies writing for performance student, Emma Jones, is directing the Cambridge Footlights' 2026 Tour Show at the Edinburgh Fringe this year: Prize Cow (For My Best Son), daily at 5:20pm at Pleasance Courtyard (Ace Dome).

Covering an hour, the show has sketches, impressions and songs. The Footlights have been nurturing top British comic talent since 1883.

Congratulations to Matt Smith, our energetic junior multi-skilled trader, who has passed his apprenticeship in Property ...
24/08/2026

Congratulations to Matt Smith, our energetic junior multi-skilled trader, who has passed his apprenticeship in Property Maintenance Operative Level 2 with merit.

Matt joined Selwyn as a caretaker in the housekeeping department in 2021. He moved into his current role after the then head of buildings and maintenance spotted his carpentry skills (he holds a Level 2 in carpentry too).

Described by colleagues as "brimming with energy," Matt turns his hand to everything, from the long-term shower refurbishment project to the day-to-day jobs that keep the college running smoothly.

Matt said: "It took two years to achieve this, and it feels really good to have it now. I hope this means I can go on to do more. I love working in the maintenance department, there is never a dull day."

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