How the University works

The Colleges

Although these notes are about the organisation of the 'University' in the narrow sense, reference must also be made to the Colleges. Each of the thirty-one Colleges is an autonomous corporation and their internal procedures vary. Like the University, each College is governed by its own statutes and regulations. The elected or appointed Head of a College may be termed Master, President, Principal, Mistress, Provost, or Warden. The Governing Body is made up of the Head and some or all of the Fellows - the elected senior members of the College whose primary duty is teaching, administration or research.

Colleges are free to select their own students, subject to some minimum educational requirements imposed by the University. Three admit only women; most admit both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The pivots of the College system are the Tutors, the College officers responsible for the pastoral care of students; the Directors of Studies, who have specific responsibilities in relation to the courses of study and academic progress of their students; and the Supervisors, who carry out individual and small-group teaching which complements the lectures and practical classes organised by the University. Other College officers include Bursars, who are responsible for finance and buildings and Chaplains, whose concern is spiritual welfare.

Links with the government of the University are ensured through membership of the Council and the Finance Committee which both include places reserved for College representatives. The working of the dual system is further facilitated by the fact that many teaching Fellows of Colleges also hold University teaching appointments, and many University teachers are also Fellows of Colleges.

The title of this document is: University of Cambridge: how the University works
URL: http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/works/colleges.html

Last updated: 16/02/2011

Quick links

The Colleges