The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s leading universities, with a rich history of radical thinking dating back to 1209. Its mission is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.
The University reports annually on the ways in which it has delivered charitable purposes for the public benefit. Here are some of this year's highlights.
Financial highlights
Group income
The Group’s income has increased by £29m (up 1%) compared to the prior year, to £2,660 million, mainly due to increased tuition fees and research grants partially offset by a fall in donations and endowments.
Group net assets
The Group’s net assets totalled £8,263m at 31 July 2025 (2024: £7,991m). The increase in net assets substantially reflects £321m of net investment gains. Cash and cash equivalents (excluding cash held in the Cambridge University Endowment Fund) decreased from £479m to £438m in the year. There was an operating cash inflow of £25m (2024: outflow of £58m).
Group surplus for the year
The Group generated a reported surplus for the year of £287m (2024: £726m). After adjusting for impairments, investment gains, the fair value revaluation of the CPI index linked bond, donations, endowments and capital grant income, and the CUEF income on a distribution basis, the underlying ‘adjusted operating deficit' was £8m (2024: £16m deficit). The University considers this to be a meaningful, consistent measure of underlying recurrent operating performance.
Environmental sustainability
Cambridge’s world-leading research and education continue to play a key role in building a resilient and sustainable future and educating future leaders equipped to tackle global environmental challenges. The University, however, also needs to deliver its academic activities in an environmentally responsible way and some of the key initiatives in this area are highlighted in this report.
Sustainable research practices
In October 2024, the University became a signatory of the Concordat for the Environmental Sustainability of Research and Innovation Practice. As a signatory of the Concordat, the University is required to take action, at both the institutional level and at the level of teams and individuals involved in the delivery of research and innovation activity, to adopt and promote environmentally sustainable practices. A body of work is underway to ensure the University can meet, and demonstrate it is meeting, these requirements. This work is being supported by the Sustainable Research Sub-Committee, which reports to the Research Policy Committee.
Work is also underway to support departments in responding to the requirements of funding bodies in relation to environmental sustainability. This is an area that is expected to grow so the University is putting processes and support in place to ensure its academic community can demonstrate to funders that they are designing and delivering their research with environmental sustainability in mind.
The University has had an Environmental Management System (EMS) in place for several years, to help manage the wide range of environmental legislation and regulation that applies to its estate, communicate what this means for departments across the University, and drive continuous improvement. In September 2024, the University was successful in gaining accreditation of its EMS to International Standard ISO14001.
Towards a more sustainable estate
The Reshaping our Estate Programme has culminated in the production of a Strategic Estate Framework for the University and associated Strategic Estate Capital Plan. Both documents were approved by the Council on 14 July 2025. These documents set out the vision, strategic direction and financial investment for the University’s operational estate over the next 20 years, structured into six Principal Programmes. The objective is to deliver a smaller, higher quality estate that is more efficient, effective, and sustainable. The Strategic Estate Capital Plan will be reviewed and revised annually.
Environmental sustainability is a central element within the Strategic Estate Framework and Strategic Estate Capital Plan. The Framework introduces a design philosophy that will underpin and guide all future developments of the University’s operational estate, with environmental infrastructure being a key component to creating a more sustainable and resilient estate that facilitates connection and collaboration.
Within the Strategic Estate Capital Plan, funding has been allocated for decarbonisation projects as part of the Principal Programmes; these projects will form the backbone of the University’s decarbonisation programme for the estate over the next 10 to 20 years. Work has been undertaken to identify the most effective and cost-efficient option for decarbonising individual buildings and sites included within the Strategic Estate Capital Plan. This will shape and inform the Principal Programmes and how the allocated funding can be used effectively. The total cost of decarbonisation has, however, not yet been fully quantified, and is not wholly funded under existing capital plans.
Also within the Strategic Estate Capital Plan is provision for environmental infrastructure improvements across biodiversity, transport, power and water. Improvements to environmental infrastructure through the Principal Programmes will help to support delivery of the academic mission now and into the future, while minimising environmental impact.
Carbon emissions from the operational estate
The University is committed to reducing energy-related emissions from its operational estate by 75% against 2015-16 levels by 2030-31, and to absolute zero by 2048. Table 1 shows energy-related emissions from the operational estate in 2024-25, compared to the previous year and the carbon reduction target baseline. Progress against the target is measured against the Market-based emissions figures (for transparency, the University’s Location-based emissions are also shown).
The University’s Market-based emissions have reduced significantly since the target baseline year and are currently below the target trajectory. However, the University’s total energy use is on an upward trend; total electricity consumption has increased by around 9% since 2015-16 and total gas consumption by around 20%. The size of the University estate has increased over this period, as have staff and student numbers. The University’s energy use is heavily driven by its research activities, many of which are energy-intensive in nature. As the University continues to expand its research in key areas such as physics, medicine and AI, it will also need to continue its efforts to improve energy efficiency and transition to zero-carbon energy sources to ensure it can deliver its academic mission whilst minimising environmental impact.
Energy-related emissions from the operational estate 2024-25 (tCO2e)
| Key performance indicator | 2024-25 | 2023–24 | Baseline (2015–16) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Scope 1 and 2 Market-based carbon emissions – energy and fuel use (tCO2e) | 25,140 | 24,712 | 74,828 |
| Total Scope 1 and 2 Location-based carbon emissions – energy and fuel use (tCO2e) | 48,142 | 51,677 | 74,828 |
| Total nuclear waste generated (tonnes/year) | 0.821 | 0.697 | — |
Sustainability in academic assessment and publishing
Cambridge University Press & Assessment is a signatory of the UN Global Compact, and has embedded its environmental sustainability strategy across its operations and made strong progress in reducing carbon emissions. In 2024-25, it achieved a 17% reduction in UK scope 1 and 2 emissions, totalling a 45% drop since 2018-19 and meaning the organisation remains on track to reduce emissions by 72% by 2030. Ongoing projects include installing heat pumps, expanding solar energy use, replacing lighting, and applying AI to energy metering to identify where more savings can be made. Cambridge University Press & Assessment is also identifying ways to reduce emissions from its supply chain, including by reducing air freighting volumes, using more print-on-demand technology for Academic books and journals, and trialling sustainable aviation fuel for freighted exam shipments. Read Cambridge University Press & Assessment’s Responsibility Report.
Sustainable investment management
University of Cambridge Investment Management Limited (UCIM) is the investment organisation that manages the Cambridge University Endowment Fund (CUEF). UCIM’s sustainable investment strategy, in place since 2020, is focused on investing to achieve a phased approach to net zero, engaging with its fund management partners to decarbonise their portfolios, and reporting with transparency and accountability to stakeholders. UCIM is committed to working with the University and all stakeholders to deliver on its mission to serve the University, its Colleges, and Trusts by delivering world-class, sustainable investment performance. In 2025, UCIM formed an internal Operational Sustainability working group. Using data from its emissions reporting, UCIM is defining a roadmap to reduce emissions from operations in line with organisational goals. UCIM continues to actively engage with the CUEF’s fund management partners to support them to decarbonise their portfolios, including a bespoke executive education programme, delivered in partnership with Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. UCIM provides regular updates to investors in the CUEF and other University stakeholders on progress against its sustainable investment strategy.
Looking forward
As part of the Council’s plan to strengthen the University’s approach to operational environmental sustainability, in early 2025 an independent review of the current approach was undertaken. This has provided a series of recommendations for what the University needs to do to accelerate its progress. These recommendations were considered and approved by the Council in June. Arrangements are now being made to develop a new strategy for operational environmental sustainability, which will build on these recommendations.
Explanatory notes
- The operational estate comprises those buildings that are used to support the University’s teaching and research, and the associated administrative functions. It excludes the University’s commercial and rural estate, and Cambridge University Press and Assessment. The Colleges are separate legal entities and out of scope of the University’s reported emissions. Back to content
- Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions primarily from gas used for heating buildings. Scope 2 emissions are indirect, coming mainly from electricity used in buildings. For a full understanding of what is included in each metric please refer to our methodology document linked from www.environment.admin.cam.ac.uk/previous-annual-reporting Back to content
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) has performed an Independent Limited Assurance engagement on selected balances within the 2024-25 data in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3410 ‘Assurance engagements on greenhouse gas statements’, issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. The Independent Limited Assurance Report can be found on our sustainability webpages along with our Methodology Statement – the basis on which the balances are calculated and a description of the limited assurance given.Back to content
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) has performed an Independent Limited Assurance engagement on selected balances within the 2024-25 data in accordance with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3410 ‘Assurance engagements on greenhouse gas statements’, issued by the International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board. The Independent Limited Assurance Report can be found on our sustainability webpages along with our Methodology Statement – the basis on which the balances are calculated and a description of the limited assurance given.Back to content
- A proportion of the University’s procured electricity is sourced from UK wind farms via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). As an interim step towards zero-carbon energy sources, the proportion of electricity that is not currently sourced via a PPA is generated through nuclear power, which is reported as zero carbon. In the interests of transparency, the University reports the amount of nuclear waste generated as a result of its use of nuclear power. Conversion factors from EDF Energy. Back to content
Cambridge elects new Chancellor
Chris Smith, Lord Smith of Finsbury, was elected as the new Chancellor of the University of Cambridge.
Lord Smith had been Master of Pembroke since 2015, stepping down at the end of July. He becomes the 109th Chancellor, following Lord Sainsbury of Turville, and will hold the office for ten years.
More than 23,000 alumni and staff voted online and almost 2,000 voted in person at the University’s Senate House.
Lord Smith said: “I look forward to being the best possible ambassador for Cambridge, to being a strong voice for higher education more generally, and to working closely together with the Vice-Chancellor and her team.”
Born in 1951, Lord Smith was educated in Edinburgh and then Pembroke College, Cambridge, achieving a double first in English (and later a PhD on Wordsworth and Coleridge). He became MP for Islington South and Finsbury in 1983. In 1992, he joined the Shadow Cabinet, serving as Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport until 2001 when he returned to the back benches, standing down from the Commons in 2005.
A new era for UK physics research
The Ray Dolby Centre, the new home for Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory and a major asset for the University, the city and the country, was officially opened in May 2025.
Named in recognition of a generous £85 million donation from the estate of Cambridge alumnus and sound pioneer Ray Dolby, along with £75 million support from the UK government through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the Ray Dolby Centre stands as a testament to Dolby’s enduring legacy and commitment to scientific innovation.
The new home of the Cavendish – one of the world’s most influential science laboratories – features 173 labs, lecture halls, learning and collaborative spaces, workshops, cleanrooms and offices. Serving as a new national hub for physics, the Ray Dolby Centre is set to revolutionise physics research and education at Cambridge and around the UK, and boost innovation in key areas such as semiconductors, quantum communications, new methods of disease detection, and large-scale energy generation and storage.
UK first for teenager with life-threatening illness
A teenager who lost her mother to a rare genetic hereditary illness became the first patient in the UK to receive a new treatment developed by Cambridge researchers and approved for use on the NHS.
Mary Catchpole, 19, was given the newly-licensed drug leniolisib at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge. It is the first ever targeted treatment for a rare, inherited condition known as Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
Discovered just over a decade ago by Cambridge researchers, APDS is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, with patients more likely to develop blood cancers like lymphoma. The Cambridge team identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta. The new treatment – one tablet taken twice a day – aims to inhibit the enzyme.
Dr Anita Chandra from Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge said: “It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS within the space of 12 years.”
Leading the way in innovation
Cambridge was named as the leading UK university powering global innovation by analytics firm, Clarivate.
To demonstrate the link between research and innovation, the report looked at patents granted to the top 100 global innovation companies worldwide and the academic papers they cited in support of the patent application. By this metric, of the world’s top 50 universities, Cambridge was the leading UK institution and sixth globally.
At the same time, a report published by the Royal Academy of Engineering in collaboration with Beauhurst, showed that of the UK’s top three universities for spinouts – Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial – Cambridge saw the most growth in 2024, spinning out 26 new companies.
Free Speech: where do we draw the line?
Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice hosted the third in her series of ‘Vice-Chancellor’s Dialogues’, which encourage ‘disagreeing well’ and explore different perspectives on some of the most difficult issues of our time.
This time, the event focused on free speech, which some argue is in crisis, saying that legitimate debate has been eroded over recent years, while others say speech has never been fully free.
Professor Prentice told the audience: “You may find some of the views expressed tonight personally distasteful, but I firmly believe it is better to hear them than to shut them down. We have the right to disagree but not the right to insist that only our view must prevail.”
Is there life outside our solar system?
A Cambridge-led team of astronomers has detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious.
Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, a team led by Professor Nikku Madhusudhan detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide and/or dimethyl disulfide, in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b, which orbits its star in the habitable zone.
On Earth, these two molecules are only produced by life such as marine phytoplankton. While an unknown chemical process may be the source of these molecules in K2-18b’s atmosphere, the results are the strongest hints yet that life could exist outside our solar system.
Further observations are still required to reach the all-important ‘five sigma’ classification for a definitive discovery, however.
“It’s important that we’re deeply sceptical of our own results, because it’s only by testing and testing again that we will be able to reach the point where we’re confident in them,” Madhusudhan said. “That’s how science has to work.”
Cutting-edge ultrasound treatment for cancer
NHS patients at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, have become the first in the UK and Europe to undergo incisionless ultrasound surgery using a cutting-edge ‘histotripsy machine’ as part of their cancer care.
The Edison Histotripsy System was purchased thanks to a donation to the University from philanthropist Sir Ka-shing Li, a longstanding supporter of cancer research at the University.
Histotripsy uses pulsed sound waves to destroy tissue while avoiding ionising energy of radiation, heat damage from thermal treatments, or the need for surgery.
Treatment is delivered via a single short session – potentially taking no longer than 30 minutes – with limited or no pain and a quick recovery, reducing cancer treatment times, avoiding disease progression and improving cancer survival.
Accent bias in the criminal justice system
A study led by Cambridge’s Phonetics Laboratory found that people who speak with accents perceived as working class risk being stereotyped as more likely to have committed a crime, and becoming victims of injustice.
Negative stereotyping of accents including those from Liverpool, Newcastle, Bradford, and London can, the researchers argue, affect all parts of the criminal justice system from arrest to sentencing, and undermine not only suspects and defendants, but also the testimony of witnesses.
The study contributes to the ‘Improving Voice Identification Procedures’ project which has drafted revised guidelines for voice identification parades aimed at police officers and legal professionals.
New Policy School launches at Cambridge
The Bennett School of Public Policy, a flagship initiative that marks the University’s first major new academic department in decades, was launched in March ahead of its opening in October 2025.
The School, led by Professors Dame Diane Coyle and Michael Kenny, will harness expertise from across the Cambridge community to develop practical solutions to urgent policy problems – from tech disruption to the effects of inequality.
Backed by the Peter Bennett Foundation, the School builds on the success of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, and will run the established MPhil in Public Policy as well as launching a new MPhil in Digital Policy.
Research priorities will include the adoption of artificial intelligence across private and public sectors, and the revitalisation of post-industrial regions.
Cambridge success at RHS Chelsea Flower Show
A team from the Sainsbury Laboratory presented their latest research at a new GreenSTEM section of the 2025 Chelsea Flower Show in May, winning a prestigious silver-gilt medal.
The team’s interactive exhibit, ‘Blooming Numbers’, highlighted the latest research techniques and technologies used by our scientists in their quest to understand the complexity of plants. Using model plants, many never seen before at Chelsea, scientists showcased how they investigate the fundamental mechanisms of plant growth and development.
The exhibit was designed in collaboration with a team from the Department of Engineering, who built a sweeping structure inspired by the Fibonacci sequence – a numerical pattern found throughout nature. Local partners Oakington Garden Centre and Darwin Nurseries provided plants for the display.
New PhD funding programme launched
Trinity College partnered with the University to establish the Trinity Cambridge Research Studentships providing more opportunities for those wanting to study for a PhD.
The initiative comes at a time of growing competition for financial support for postgraduate research. 30 students will be supported per year over five years, but the aim is to raise £48 million in total, funding up to 300 over a ten-year period.
Trinity Fellow and Nobel laureate Professor Didier Queloz said Cambridge was an extraordinary place.
“When I came ten years ago, I was attracted by the diversity of the culture, the Cambridge way of life – in the sense that you interact with a lot of people, you have this mixing of different ideas.”
Rapper Stormzy among this year’s Honorary Degrees
The award-winning rapper, Stormzy, was among eight people awarded honorary degrees in June. Stormzy, whose real name is Michael Ebenezer Kwadjo Omari Owuo Jr, was presented with a Doctorate in Law in recognition of his philanthropy, providing financial support to Black UK students (an under-represented cohort at Cambridge).
The other notable individuals receiving honorary degrees were:
- BAFTA award winning actor, Sir Simon Russell Beale
- American civil rights campaigner and author, Professor Angela Davis
- former Supreme Court Justice, Lady Arden of Heswell
- Chair of the British Olympic Association, Baroness Katherine Grainger
- Nobel Prize winning economist, Sir Oliver Hart
- President of the European Research Council, Professor Maria Leptin
- composer and conductor, Sir John Rutter.
Using AI to revolutionise weather forecasting
A new AI weather-prediction system, developed by Cambridge researchers, can deliver accurate forecasts tens of times faster and using thousands of times less computing power than current systems.
The team replaced the entire weather prediction pipeline with a single, simple machine learning model. Aardvark Weather takes in observations from satellites, weather stations, and other sensors to produce both global and local forecasts.
This approach means predictions that once required many supercomputers and support teams to run can now be produced in minutes on a desktop computer.
Using just 10% of the input data of existing systems, Aardvark already outperforms the United States national GFS forecasting system on many variables.
A SMART way to boost A-level students’ grades
Hundreds of A-level students who joined Cambridge’s STEM SMART widening participation programme were more aspirational, received higher grades, and were more successful at securing places at top universities than students from similar backgrounds who did not take part – according to new UCAS analysis.
STEM SMART launched in 2021, to help bridge attainment gaps in maths and science A-level subjects. Its programme of weekly online subject specific tutorials, mentoring, and a residential stay in Cambridge, now supports students at more than 800 state schools across the country.
Sixth formers from the most deprived backgrounds saw the biggest average grade boost in their A-levels across maths, further maths, physics, chemistry and biology, with physics students on average achieving a grade higher.
Getting rid of ‘forever chemicals’
Cambridge scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS – the toxic and long-lasting ‘forever chemicals.’
PFAS have been linked with a range of health issues including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Boosting these species in our gut microbiome could help protect us from the harmful effects of these chemicals.
The team at the MRC Toxicology Unit identified a family of bacterial species that absorb various PFAS molecules from their surroundings. When nine of these species were introduced into the guts of mice to ‘humanise’ the mouse microbiome, the bacteria rapidly accumulated PFAS eaten by the mice, which were then excreted in faeces.
The researchers plan to use their discovery to create probiotic dietary supplements that boost the levels of these helpful microbes in our gut to protect against PFAS’s toxic effects. They have co-founded a startup, Cambiotics, supported by Cambridge Enterprise, and are investigating various ways of turbocharging the microbes’ performance.
Cambridge Enterprise's year
Cambridge Enterprise Limited (Cambridge Enterprise) is the University’s innovation arm, providing the resources, expertise, and networks needed to translate Cambridge research into life-changing outcomes with world-changing impact.
The ever-increasing engagement in innovation and entrepreneurship activities by the University community highlights the dynamic and evolving nature of Cambridge’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Last year Cambridge Enterprise supported over 2,700 academics, researchers, staff and students in the development and licensing of technologies, academic consultancy services and venture creation.
University members are championed to transform ideas into commercial opportunities, build strong relationships with industry and further extend the reach of Cambridge expertise through global academic consultancy.
The Technology Investment Fund, established in 2023 to de-risk and accelerate technologies to market, has so far committed over £3m into 35 projects covering a range of areas including novel immunotherapy and large language model testing.
The Cambridge Enterprise Ventures team approved investments totalling £7.4m into 46 companies, including 17 new spinouts and startups. This year also marks 15 years of the Discovery Fund, a donated fund to invest in science with clear commercial potential. With 47 companies supported to date, the original fund of £1.8m has returned £8.6m to invest in the next generation of innovation, most recently supporting social ventures and Founders at the University of Cambridge START programmes.
Founders at the University of Cambridge has continued to develop the ways in which the initiative accelerates new founders and their companies, while also growing the supporting community of experts to over 280 members in 16 countries. Of the 19 startups that have completed the START programme to date, 12 have collectively secured over £14m in further funding. A new programme, SYNC, was introduced to connect people to form co-founding teams and launch new startups, and in collaboration with King’s College Entrepreneurship Lab, SPARK, an incubator programme for students and alumni was launched.
I/E Cambridge continues to be instrumental in convening innovation and entrepreneurship activities across the University and wider ecosystem, acting as a central hub to help entrepreneurs navigate the rich support on offer. This breadth of activities was illustrated in the first Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge report which gave a compelling overview showcasing the University as a powerhouse of entrepreneurship. Innovators are also supported by ideaSpace, the University’s incubator and community for founders and early-stage ventures, whose members benefit from peer networking and a network of over 1,100 alumni.
Innovate Cambridge, co-founded by Cambridge Enterprise, Cambridge Innovation Capital, and the University of Cambridge, continued to build its ambitious strategy for the Cambridge ecosystem. At the 2024 Summit, a ten-year blueprint to become the world’s leading science and tech region was unveiled, along with a shared innovation story for the city.
Trismik
Trismik is transforming how we evaluate large language models – helping AI teams test faster, with greater precision and trust.
Spun out from the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Trismik’s adaptive evaluation platform tackles real-world risks like hallucinations and bias, delivering evaluations in seconds.
With support from Cambridge Enterprise since 2022, this technological solution has grown from a research insight into a venture shaping the future of responsible AI. The team joined the Ideas Incubator in 2023, secured £97,000 from the Technology Investment Fund (TIF) in 2024 and in 2025 graduated from the Founders at the University of Cambridge START 2.0 accelerator programme and signed a licence agreement with Cambridge Enterprise.
Co-founded by CEO Rebekka Mikkola, Chief Scientist Professor Nigel Collier and CTO Marco Basaldella, the team is now scaling with enterprise partners ahead of its 2025 product launch.
Cambridge University Press & Assessment's year
Cambridge University Press & Assessment publishes thousands of books, hundreds of journals, and through its examinations, issues nearly 12 million grades worldwide each year. The Press & Assessment serves 100 million learners in 170 countries. Every part of the organisation contributes to a shared mission: to advance education and research through high quality materials, rigorous assessment, and global collaboration.
English
The Press & Assessment’s English group continued to lead in English language education and assessment across schools, higher education, and adult learning.
The group continued to work closely with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Foreign Language Assessment (FLA), which will evaluate the language skills of thousands of students in a number of countries. Its work in this area underscores its commitment to international education standards and excellence in language assessment.
It has also expanded its assessment portfolio with new digital products including Cambridge English Qualifications Digital for Young Learners, to offer teachers and learners high levels of flexibility. It also facilitated more access to education for displaced learners by offering free IELTS tests to refugees, helping them to confidently prove their proficiency in English.
The 40th anniversary of English Grammar in Use, a resource used by millions of learners of English worldwide, marked a major milestone.
International education
The International Education group reported record growth, with increased demand for Cambridge programmes and qualifications across all regions. The June 2025 exam series was a success which saw many school leavers secure university placements.
Cambridge has a global community of over 10,000 schools and worked with them this year to produce a landmark ‘Future of International Education’ report, which set out the vision and strategy for the future of international education.
‘Cambridge Conversations’ brought together educators and thought leaders to explore how international education can prepare learners for a changing world. In India, Cambridge reached an increasing number of schools, becoming the third largest educational board in the country. Strategic initiatives included curriculum reform in Bhutan, teacher development programmes, and expanded journal access through India’s One Nation, One Subscription scheme.
Cambridge is now the market leader in Australia for secondary education, and recorded growth in China, the USA, and Pakistan. The Early Years programme continued to expand, now offering a complete education pathway from ages three to 19.
The Press & Assessment also published its Guide to AI in Education, supporting schools to navigate technological change, while keeping teachers at the centre of learning.
UK education
OCR re-branded to ‘Cambridge OCR’ this year and delivered a wide range of general and vocational qualifications, including GCSEs, A-levels, Cambridge Technicals, and Cambridge Nationals. Cambridge OCR also launched a new suite of Cambridge Advanced Nationals, including a Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability developed in partnership with WWF-UK, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, JLR and Siemens.
The Cambridge OCR-led GCSE in Natural History was confirmed by the UK Government, making it one of the first new GCSEs in over a decade. Cambridge OCR also progressed with the first fully digital GCSE in Computer Science, building on two years of digital mocks and working closely with students and teachers.
The group continued to evolve assessment delivery and customer experience, including new services in results analysis and AI-supported lesson planning.
Academic
The Academic group published more than 1,500 new titles this year, including The Complete Cambridge Jane Austen, A Climate of Truth and Brain Boost. Seven Cambridge authors received Nobel Prizes in 2024, reflecting the global impact of Cambridge scholarship.
Cambridge Elements doubled in output to over 2,000 titles, with 6.8 million downloads across 225 series. Cambridge Advance Online offers short professional courses with a 98% positive rating and winning gold at the Learning Technologies Awards. The majority of Cambridge journals are now published as open access.
The Press & Assessment continues to advocate for ethical AI use and author rights, giving authors control over how their works are used in AI training.
People and planet
The Press & Assessment recently set out its global vision to build a place where everyone has a sense of belonging, where its diversity increases its impact in education and research. Its goal is to deliver exceptional education, facilitating social mobility and economic prosperity around the world.
A range of policies, guidance and training on diversity and inclusion was recently launched and the training was attended by over 3,000 colleagues. Colleagues celebrated key notable dates together which reflected their diverse backgrounds, including Black History Month, International Women’s Day and World Mental Health Day, helping to create safe spaces for colleagues to connect, engage and support awareness. Since 2022, colleagues have volunteered thousands of hours of their time to support projects in their local communities.
Cambridge continues to lead in climate education, publishing research across disciplines and supporting learners to understand and address the climate crisis. The Press & Assessment’s environmental sustainability strategy includes reducing carbon emissions, cutting resource use, and shifting from print to digital formats.
More from the University's annual reports
Next page in this section: financial statements for the year ending 31 July 2025