How the University and Colleges work | University of Cambridge

How the University and Colleges work | University of Cambridge
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The University of Cambridge is a confederation of Schools, Faculties, Departments and Colleges. The 31 Colleges are governed by their own statutes and regulations, but are integral to the make-up of the University.
The University has
more than 20,000 students and 12,000 staff
from all walks of life and all corners of the world. No two days are ever the same at the University of Cambridge.
Students are members of the University and of an academic Faculty or Department. Our students also belong to a College community. This is an arrangement that offers pastoral and academic support for each individual.
Colleges
Students live, eat and socialise in one of the University’s 31 autonomous Colleges. Undergraduates receive College supervisions – small group teaching sessions. Supervisions are regarded as one of the best teaching models in the world.
Each College has its own internal procedures. They select their own students, subject to University regulations. Most Colleges admit both undergraduate and postgraduate students. College representatives sit on the University Council and Finance Committee.
See a list of Cambridge Colleges
Schools
There are 6 Schools at the University. These each form an administrative grouping of Faculties and other institutions. They are:
Arts and Humanities
Biological Sciences
Clinical Medicine
Humanities and Social Sciences
Physical Sciences
Technology
There is a Council of each School, which includes representatives of its Faculties and Departments. The Schools are represented on the University's General Board.
Faculties and Departments
University Faculties organise teaching and research into individual subjects or groups of subjects. Their work is normally organised into sub-divisions called Departments.
Centres of studies are controlled by committees of management. These bring together representatives from several disciplines.
Links to all of the Schools', Faculties' and Departments' websites can be found in the Department A-Z.
See a list of our Departments
Non-School Institutions
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
publishes and creates world-leading content and examinations that are used in more than 170 countries. Reaching more than 100 million learners and teachers around the world, the organisation exists to further the University’s objective to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence. The trusted qualifications and assessments that it offers through its three exam boards (
Cambridge English
Cambridge International Education
and
Cambridge OCR
) are used by more than 8 million learners each year. And its academic publishing arm,
Cambridge University Press
, currently publishes over 400 peer-reviewed academic journals and more than 43,000 e-books that help to spread knowledge, spark curiosity and aid understanding in nearly every country in the world.
The organisation gives vital support to teachers and schools globally, shaping curricula and education systems, and its range of research-based admissions and proficiency tests connect universities, governments and employers to applicants around the world.
Institute of Continuing Education
The University's
Institute of Continuing Education
was founded in 1873 and provides accessible, flexible and high-quality education to adults throughout their lives. It offers over 250 courses covering a variety of academic disciplines and subject areas in a wide range of formats. The Institute's aim is to form supportive communities of learning where expert teachers and adult students work together as peers to achieve personal and collective educational goals, be it as a first step in higher education or progressing to mid-career postgraduate studies.
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