Best Cambridge Colleges: the Colleges Ranked

When beginning to think about their Cambridge applications, many students wonder: which is the best Cambridge college?

In this guide, we’ll break down what ‘best’ might look like for each individual applicant across a range of categories – from academics and prestige to sport and even wealth. While you will need to come to your own conclusions about what matters most to you, we hope that this will be a useful starting point for your research and reflections, and ultimately lead you to finding the right college.

If you’re also weighing up an Oxford application, take a look at our equivalent piece on the best Oxford colleges.

What Are Cambridge’s Colleges?

There are 31 colleges within the University of Cambridge. Each college is relatively autonomous, and it is the place where students live and eat, where most of their supervisions take place, and is often the centre of their social and extracurricular lives. Colleges have their own societies, sports teams, music groups, and much more.

At Cambridge, the vast majority of students apply to a specific college, so choosing a college is an important part of the Cambridge application process.

Of the 31 colleges, 15 are ‘old’ (founded between 1284 and 1596) and 16 ‘new’ (founded between 1800 and 1977).

Best Cambridge Colleges for Academics

Tompkins Table

The Tompkins Table is perhaps the best-known way of ranking the Cambridge colleges. It is based on the results each college’s students receive in their exams. Created in 1981 by Peter Tompkins, a Maths student at Trinity, it is not an official university table and is currently published by Varsity magazine.

The rankings are calculated by assigning points for different degree results:

• 5 for a first
• 3 for a 2.i
• 2.5 for a second undivided
• 2 for a 2.ii
• 1 for a third

The results are then expressed as a percentage of the total number of points available to a college (if all of its students had got firsts). The methodology also includes a weighting process to avoid advantaging colleges where more students take subjects with higher average grades.

Here is the Tompkins Table for 2025:

College	Score (%)	Change in Rank (Since 2024)
Trinity	74.58	0
Christ’s	72.96	0
Selwyn	72.78	2
Churchill	72.43	2
Queens’	71.48	2
Downing	71.04	5
Emmanuel	71.01	2
St John’s	70.34	6
Clare	70.2	3
Peterhouse	70.16	5
Gonville and Caius	70.13	-1
St Catharine’s	69.69	-4
Wolfson	69.68	9
Jesus	69.36	4
Corpus Christi	69.28	-12
Pembroke	69.15	-12
Magdalene	68.82	-1
Sidney Sussex	68.55	2
Trinity Hall	67.65	0
Robinson	66.65	-3
Fitzwilliam	66.59	0
Lucy Cavendish	66.42	1
Hughes Hall	66.19	6
St Edmund’s	65.98	-11
Newnham	65.63	2
Murray Edwards	64.72	0
King’s	64.72	-3
Girton	64.21	0
Homerton	62.28	-4

As we can see, Trinity comes out as the best Cambridge college for academics in this ranking, with Christ’s second. The pair very often vie for top spot. Note, though, that there can be significant fluctuation from year to year, so place each ranking into context: Corpus Christi and Pembroke were 3^rd and 4^th in 2024 but fell to 15^th and 16^th in 2025.

It’s also important to bear in mind that your college’s academic reputation for your chosen course matters much more than its overall position in the rankings: it doesn’t matter if it’s STEM teaching is not as good if you want to study History.

Offer Rates

Another way of ranking Cambridge’s colleges for academics is to look at their offer rates: the percentage of students who apply who are offered a place. In theory, the lower the offer rate, the more academically selective a college is.

Here is the latest data:

College	Applications	Offers	Offer Rate
Downing	1046	161	15.40%
St John’s	1409	221	15.70%
Pembroke	970	157	16.20%
Trinity	1612	268	16.60%
Gonville and Caius	1181	215	18.20%
Wolfson	310	57	18.40%
Clare	952	176	18.50%
Selwyn	839	155	18.50%
Jesus	883	164	18.60%
Emmanuel	848	161	19.00%
Christ’s	774	156	20.20%
King’s	762	154	20.20%
Queens’	888	194	21.80%
St Catharine’s	705	157	22.30%
Trinity Hall	602	135	22.40%
Corpus Christi	535	122	22.80%
Peterhouse	487	114	23.40%
Magdalene	550	133	24.20%
Churchill	827	203	24.50%
Sidney Sussex	555	137	24.70%
Newnham	607	154	25.40%
Fitzwilliam	696	181	26.00%
Robinson	586	153	26.10%
Homerton	853	230	27.00%
Hughes Hall	321	89	27.70%
St Edmund’s	289	81	28.00%
Lucy Cavendish	669	193	28.80%
Girton	621	182	29.30%
Murray Edwards	413	169	40.90%

Downing, St John’s, and Pembroke come out on top by this metric. However, it should be noted that offer rate does not simply reflect academic selectiveness. Colleges may get many (or few) applications for several reasons, such as their name-recognition or location, which inevitably drives their offer rate down.

The colleges with the most applications – Trinity, St John’s, and Gonville and Caius – may be thought of as the most sought-after by applicants.

You can learn more about Cambridge college acceptance rates in our dedicated guide.

Most Prestigious Cambridge Colleges

On-the-ground realities like location, size, or academics matter more to many students. But when others wonder which is the best Cambridge college for them, reputation plays a major role. Here is our ranking of the top Cambridge colleges for prestige.

Trinity College

Trinity may not just be the most prestigious college at Cambridge, it might claim to have the grandest reputation of any Oxbridge college full stop. Its alumni include 34 Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, Lord Byron, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. It has the largest endowment of any college in either university –  reportedly exceeding £1.8 billion – and an intellectual tradition that is genuinely without parallel. To study at Trinity is to take your place in one of the most distinguished academic lineages in the English-speaking world.

King’s College

King’s has a uniquely progressive prestige: academically formidable – particularly in economics, humanities, and the arts – but historically much more politically radical than Trinity. Its alumni include John Maynard Keynes, E.M. Forster, and Salman Rushdie. The college’s reputation for independent thinking, combined with its extraordinary beauty, makes it one of the most coveted destinations in Cambridge.

St John’s College

St John’s has the second largest endowment in Cambridge, a fierce academic reputation, and an alumni list that includes William Wordsworth, William Wilberforce, and Douglas Adams. It consistently ranks among the top colleges academically and has a broad strength across sciences and humanities alike.

Christ’s College

Christ’s is smaller than the top three but academically elite. As noted above, it regularly tops the Tompkins Table, Cambridge’s unofficial academic league table. Charles Darwin is its most famous alumnus, and its tradition of attracting students who are genuinely exceptional across the sciences gives it a quiet but formidable prestige.

Pembroke College

Pembroke is one of Cambridge’s oldest colleges and has produced an remarkable range of distinguished alumni, including William Pitt the Younger (Prime Minister at just 24), Ted Hughes, and Peter Cook. It has a strong academic reputation particularly in English and law, and a sense of understated seriousness that sits well in Cambridge’s culture.

Most Beautiful Colleges

Many students who dream of studying at Cambridge imagine beautiful medieval buildings, sun-dappled courtyards, and afternoons drifting down the Cam on a punt. Aesthetics will undoubtedly matter to your experience, so with that in mind, we’ve produced a Cambridge colleges ranking for beauty.

This is just one opinion, of course, but we do believe that many students and visitors would agree that these are among the most beautiful Cambridge colleges.

King’s College

King’s is Cambridge’s most iconic image: its breathtaking Gothic chapel, completed in 1547, dominates the skyline and is one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic architecture in the world. The college’s position on the Backs, with sweeping lawns running down to the River Cam, makes it almost impossibly picturesque. Few university buildings anywhere rival the interior of the chapel, with its fan-vaulted ceiling and Rubens altarpiece. When the Cambridge colleges are ranked for beauty, King’s simply demands to be part of the conversation.

St John’s College

St John’s is a succession of beautiful courts, culminating in the Bridge of Sighs – Cambridge’s answer to Venice – a covered stone bridge arching over the Cam. The college spans both banks of the river, with its Italianate New Court visible from the Backs. The blend of Tudor red brick, Gothic stonework, and Romantic landscaping makes it one of the most varied and rewarding colleges to explore.

Trinity College

Trinity’s Great Court is the largest enclosed courtyard in the UK, and walking into it for the first time is a genuinely arresting experience. The Wren Library (a colonnaded masterpiece sitting above the river, designed by Christopher Wren, the UK’s most famous architect) is among the finest rooms in England. It houses original manuscripts by Milton and Newton, as well as A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh. The scale and confidence of the architecture reflects a college that has always known its own importance, and it more than deserves its place as one of the best Cambridge colleges for beauty.

Clare College

Clare is quieter and more intimate than its neighbours, but arguably the most elegant. Its classical Fellows’ Garden is among the most celebrated in Cambridge, and the Clare Bridge (the oldest surviving bridge over the Cam) is a perfectly proportioned gem. The college’s warm stone courts and riverside setting make it feel like a place preserved in amber.

Pembroke College

Pembroke goes for pretty coziness over Gothic grandeur. A jewel nestled right in the centre of the city, understated touches abound: each of its courts opens onto the next, rather than being closed off, contributing to an airiness which sets it apart from some of Cambridge’s more oppressive colleges. Highlights include the gatehouse, the oldest in the university; the Victorian Gothic library; the New Court complete with croquet lawn, designed by George Gilbert Scott; and the chapel, the first ever designed by Christopher Wren.

Richest Cambridge Colleges

We wouldn’t recommend simply applying to the richest college – the best Cambridge college is not necessarily the wealthiest one. But there’s no denying that a college’s assets will make a difference to your experience: you’ll feel it in the facilities, bursaries and awards, and possibly even subsidies to your rent and food.

College	Endowment	Net Assets	Assets per Student
Trinity College	£2,020,000,000	£2,192,000,000	£2,151,000
St John’s College	£674,000,000	£974,000,000	£1,019,000
King’s College	£340,000,000	£481,000,000	£633,000
Trinity Hall	£89,000,000	£431,000,000	£761,000
Gonville and Caius College	£271,000,000	£403,000,000	£481,000
Emmanuel College	£143,000,000	£388,000,000	£529,000
Jesus College	£236,000,000	£375,000,000	£409,000
Peterhouse	£238,600,000	£350,000,000	£694,000
Clare College	£187,500,000	£336,000,000	£442,000
Pembroke College	£139,000,000	£302,000,000	£408,000
Newnham College	£74,000,000	£259,000,000	£362,000
Christ’s College	£122,000,000	£244,000,000	£336,000
Corpus Christi College	£100,000,000	£239,000,000	£482,000
Downing College	£44,000,000	£224,000,000	£247,000
Homerton College	£119,000,000	£215,000,000	£162,000
Magdalene College	£74,000,000	£202,000,000	£350,000
Churchill College	£37,000,000	£196,000,000	£238,000
St Catharine’s College	£74,000,000	£175,000,000	£211,000
Girton College	£73,000,000	£173,000,000	£191,000
Fitzwilliam College	£77,000,000	£155,000,000	£160,000
Queens’ College	£120,000,000	£154,000,000	£144,000
Sidney Sussex College	£31,000,000	£140,000,000	£228,000
Selwyn College	£55,000,000	£134,000,000	£194,000
Murray Edwards College	£54,000,000	£118,000,000	£193,000
Robinson College	£30,000,000	£117,000,000	£171,000
Darwin College	£25,000,000	£82,000,000	£109,000
Wolfson College	£32,000,000	£81,000,000	£75,000
Hughes Hall	£8,000,000	£57,000,000	£61,000
Lucy Cavendish College	£14,000,000	£50,000,000	£46,000
St Edmund’s College	£19,000,000	£44,000,000	£54,000
Clare Hall	£21,000,000	£42,000,000	£145,000

Trinity is clearly the wealthiest Cambridge college (and the wealthiest Oxbridge college, too), with assets worth a staggering £2.2bn. That works out at more than £2m per student, more than double St John’s in second place. King’s, Trinity Hall, and Gonville and Caius are also among the richest colleges.

Biggest and Smallest Colleges

Size is purely a subjective preference. But we’ve included a ranking of the Cambridge colleges by size in our guide to the best colleges because it is likely to matter in some way – whether you prefer to be part of a large and bustling student community, or would rather a more intimate setting where everyone knows everyone.

College	Undergraduates	Postgraduates	Total
Trinity College	702	317	1019
Homerton College	617	714	1331
St John’s College	609	347	956
Gonville and Caius College	584	254	838
Queens’ College	538	530	1068
Girton College	529	375	904
Jesus College	527	390	917
Emmanuel College	514	219	733
Clare College	491	270	761
Fitzwilliam College	490	481	971
Churchill College	486	338	824
St Catharine’s College	475	356	831
Downing College	465	441	906
Lucy Cavendish College	455	638	1093
Pembroke College	453	288	741
Christ’s College	433	294	727
Selwyn College	431	258	689
Robinson College	422	261	683
King’s College	420	329	759
Newnham College	418	298	716
Sidney Sussex College	397	217	614
Murray Edwards College	383	227	610
Trinity Hall	378	188	566
Magdalene College	375	202	577
Corpus Christi College	315	181	496
Peterhouse	301	203	504
St Edmund’s College	196	621	817
Wolfson College	168	914	1082
Hughes Hall	166	764	930
Darwin College	0	749	749
Clare Hall	0	289	289

Trinity, Homerton, and St  John’s have the largest undergraduate student populations. The smallest (of those who accept undergraduates) are Hughes Hall, Wolfson, St Edmund’s and Peterhouse.

Best Cambridge Colleges for Sports

This section may not affect which is the best Cambridge college for you at all. If you only play sports casually (or not at all), then feel free to skip. But if you’re a serious athlete who wants sport to be central to their time at Cambridge, then keep these colleges in mind.

Downing College

Downing has a well-earned reputation as Cambridge’s most sporting college, with its large, purpose-built grounds – unusually for Cambridge, laid out on a single open campus – giving it exceptional facilities for football, rugby, cricket, and tennis. It regularly leads the inter-college Cuppers competition and attracts students who want sport to be a genuine part of their Cambridge experience. As such, it is often considered the best Cambridge college for sports.

Trinity College

The sheer size and wealth of Trinity means it fields competitive teams across virtually every sport. Its boathouse is among the best on the Cam, and its rowing tradition is formidable. The college’s scale ensures strength in numbers, and May Bumps success reflects consistent investment in athletic performance.

St Catharine’s College

St Catharine’s – known as Catz – often ranks high among Cambridge colleges for sport. It has historically produced excellent rowing, football, and rugby teams. With a tight, collegiate atmosphere that drives strong participation, its results across Cuppers reflect a culture where sport is taken seriously without being exclusionary.

Emmanuel College

Emmanuel is one of the best Cambridge colleges for sports. It has outstanding on-site sports facilities by Cambridge standards, including its famous swimming pool – a rarity among the older colleges. It has a strong culture of broad sporting participation, performs well across Cuppers, and is particularly well-regarded for football and swimming.

Jesus College

Jesus benefits from the most generous grounds of any central Cambridge college, giving it natural advantages in field sports. Its rowing club is one of the oldest and most competitive on the river, and the college has a well-established culture of sporting ambition balanced with academic rigour.

How to Choose a College

Our guide to the best Cambridge colleges has drawn on a wide range of factors – from academics and sport to size, wealth, and reputation. But choosing where to apply ultimately comes down to finding the right college for you. Ignore the factors that don’t matter to you and focus on the ones that will genuinely shape your day-to-day life.

We suggest drawing up a shortlist of 5–7 colleges based on some of the following:

• Size
• Location (central, or further out of the city)
• Gender (Murray Edwards and Newnham are women’s-only)
• Architecture and grounds (historic courts and riverside Backs, or something more modern like Robinson or Churchill)
• Sporting reputation
• Academics, with a focus on your particular subject

Then, wherever possible, go and visit. Cambridge runs open days, but many colleges will welcome you informally if you let the porters know you’re a prospective student. It’s worth calling or emailing ahead to check whether you need to book.

Most prospective students find that visiting in person produces a strong instinctive reaction – positive or negative – that no amount of online research can replicate. The real question is whether you can picture yourself living and studying here for the next three or four years.

It’s also worth trying to speak to current or recent students about life in your shortlisted colleges. You may already know someone, or your school may be able to make an introduction.

How Dukes Plus Can Help

At Dukes Plus, our Oxbridge application consultants have been advising students on their Cambridge applications since 1999. Our team of Oxford and Cambridge graduates can advise you on application strategy, from course and college selection to preparation for admissions tests and interview tutoring.

We have personal experience of all Cambridge’s colleges and guide students to applying to the college where they will be happiest and have the best chance of admission.

Our Oxbridge offer rate is 4x the average. Book a free consultation today to learn how we can support your application.