Where it ranks in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, what it’s really like to study there, and what halls and living costs look like.
Cambridge is a historic university town where the university and the city are woven together. There's no single campus. Instead, you join one of 29 undergraduate colleges, which becomes your home, dining hall, library and social base, while lectures and labs happen in university departments around town. Most people walk or cycle everywhere.
The big plus is support and stability: accommodation is guaranteed for three or four years, and you'll be taught in small-group supervisions. The catch is the pace. Terms are short and intense, and nightlife is modest compared with a big city. College rooms typically cost around £128–£268 a week, but you usually pay for only about 30 weeks.
Known for
The University of Cambridge is 24th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 54.5, above the UK median of 48.5. Our rankings are built around the student experience, combining employability, freshers experience, happiness, nightlife, sustainability, inclusion, innovation and societies. That means big research names don’t automatically top the table. See how we score universities.
Marker shows the UK median across all ranked universities.
| Rank | University | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | University of Nottingham | 54.6 |
| 23 | University of Oxford | 54.6 |
| 24 | University of Cambridge | 54.5 |
| 25 | Royal Holloway, University of London | 53.9 |
| 26 | University of Glasgow | 53.9 |
Each award ranks all 124 universities on one part of student life. Click through for the full table.
3rd of 124 · Value Score 79.5
4th of 124 · Employability Score 54.7
5th of 122 · Careers Score 52.1
10th of 124 · Balance Score 56.9
22nd of 124 · Freshers Score 64.2
30th of 124 · Innovation Score 62.2
34th of 124 · Inclusion Score 69.2
35th of 124 · Wellbeing Score 56.4
50th of 124 · Safety Score 46.3
57th of 123 · Happiness Score 47.5
63rd of 124 · Affordability Score 53.8
77th of 124 · Nightlife Score 46.2
80th of 124 · Social Score 45.6
83rd of 124 · Sustainability Score 45.4
92nd of 124 · Societies Score 43.4
Cambridge as a student city
Ranked 56th of 72 UK university cities in our Best University Cities 2027 ranking, with a score of 46.
The University of Cambridge appears in 18 of our subject league tables. Here’s where it places in each, best first.
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theology and Religious Studies 2026 table | 1st | of 10 | – |
| Computer Science | 26th | of 102 | 171 |
| Bioinformatics 2026 table | 3rd | of 10 | – |
| Finance 2026 table | 3rd | of 10 | – |
| Law | 34th | of 97 | 146 |
| Music | 20th | of 56 | 111 |
| Veterinary Science | 4th | of 10 | 38 |
| Politics | 34th | of 78 | 122 |
| Mathematics | 27th | of 61 | 109 |
| Linguistics | 12th | of 27 | 61 |
| Subject | Rank | Table size | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | 34th | of 76 | 120 |
| Teaching | 36th | of 79 | 130 |
| Economics | 39th | of 85 | 124 |
| Philosophy | 25th | of 54 | 100 |
| Classics | 10th | of 20 | 59 |
| Geography | 37th | of 63 | 106 |
| Medicine | 20th | of 30 | 55 |
| Archaeology | 21st | of 28 | 57 |
Subject tables compare universities on graduate earnings, student satisfaction, teaching quality and academic support. Scores aren’t comparable between subjects.
Social life starts in your college: the bar, the JCR (junior common room), college sports teams, and formal hall dinners a few times a week. Across the university, Cambridge SU lists over 700 clubs and societies, and there are more than 75 university sports clubs, plus the famous rowing scene. The ADC Theatre is a major student performance venue, comedy is big, and the Corn Exchange and the Junction host gigs. Cambridge is small enough to cycle everywhere, and London is under an hour away by train.
University halls cost Roughly £128–£268 per week, depending on college and room (college-published bands for 2025-26 and 2026-27; contracts usually around 27–39 weeks, about 30 at many colleges) (2025-26 and 2026-27 (mixed: each college publishes its own rents) prices).
First-year accommodation guarantee
You don't apply for accommodation separately. It's arranged by your college. The university says accommodation is guaranteed for 3 or 4 years for individual students without children, in college property. During term you must live within 3 miles of the city centre (measured from Great St Mary's Church).
| Hall | Area | Rooms | From | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trinity Hall | City centre (Trinity Lane) | banded college rooms | £128.15/wk | First-year rooms in 2025-26 ranged from £128.15 to £249.50 a week, depending on size and location. The college says rents rise each year. |
| Selwyn College | West Cambridge (Grange Road) | banded college rooms (codes A–I) | £144/wk | The 2026-27 rent codes run from £144 to £268 a week. Like all colleges, Selwyn has a dining hall offering meals and basic self-catering facilities, so 'catered' here means pay-as-you-go meals rather than a compulsory plan. |
| Magdalene College | City centre (Magdalene Street) | 11 room bands | £148.12/wk | Rooms cost £148.12–£251.51 a week in 2025-26, including internet and utilities. You pay only while in residence, generally around 30 weeks a year, and most students live on site for their whole course. A formal dinner is £12. |
| Churchill College | West Cambridge (Storey's Way) | banded rooms, many en-suite | £156/wk | Rents ranged from £156.00 to £261.70 a week in 2024-25 (the latest undergraduate range on its page), normally payable for just 30 weeks. |
| Emmanuel College | City centre (St Andrew's Street) | room grades 1–8 | £158.34/wk | 2025/26 rents run from grade 1 at £158.34 to grade 8 at £247.40 a week. Most rooms given to freshers fall in grades 2–6. |
Prices are the university’s published weekly starting prices and can change. Always check the official accommodation site before applying.
Independent cafés, international food shops and pubs. Rarely needed by undergraduates, since college housing is guaranteed.
Residential, north of the river, an easy cycle to the centre.
Terraced streets off Mill Road, popular with postgraduates and young professionals.
Top tip
Choose your college based on what matters to you, such as location, size, facilities, room costs and contract length, rather than on reputation. Each college publishes its own rent bands, so compare them before you apply (or make an open application and let the university assign one). You don't apply for rooms separately, and most colleges house you for your whole degree, so living in private housing is rarely necessary.
The university estimates living costs of £1,305 a month in 2026-27 (£865 of it accommodation), or about £11,745 for a nine-month year in Cambridge. For 2027-28 it's £1,330 a month. College rents typically range from about £128 to £268 a week, but contracts are short (around 27–39 weeks), which keeps the annual total down. Home undergraduates don't pay the college fee.
Getting around
Most university buildings are in or near the city centre, and most students walk or cycle. Local buses also run, including the Universal ('U') bus, which stops at various university sites such as West Cambridge. Cambridge station has fast trains to London (about 60 miles away) and direct trains to Stansted and Gatwick airports.
Weighing up your options? Here’s how nearby universities compare in the Unifresher Rankings 2027.
The University of Cambridge is 24th out of 124 UK universities in the Unifresher Rankings 2027, with an overall score of 54.5. Its strongest results are for value for money (3rd), employability (4th), career prospects (5th).
In our 2027 subject rankings, the University of Cambridge places highest for Theology and Religious Studies (1st of 10), Bioinformatics (3rd of 10), Finance (3rd of 10). Across our awards, it also stands out for value for money.
No. Your college arranges it. Accommodation is guaranteed for 3 or 4 years for individual students without children, in college property, so most undergraduates never need to rent privately.
It depends on the college and the room. Published bands run from roughly £128 to £268 a week. For example, Selwyn's 2026-27 rents run from £144 to £268, and Trinity Hall's 2025-26 first-year rooms cost £128.15–£249.50. Contracts are usually around 30 weeks, not a full year, and rents usually include utilities and internet.
Every undergraduate belongs to one of 29 undergraduate colleges. Your college is where you live, eat and socialise, and it arranges your supervisions and pastoral support. Your degree course itself is run by a university department, so you'll attend lectures alongside students from other colleges.
All colleges offer catered accommodation as standard, with a cafeteria or dining hall where you buy meals, plus basic self-catering facilities. Some require you to eat a set number of meals each term. Formal hall (a three-course dinner) is usually optional and runs a few times a week.
During term, you need to live within 3 miles of the city centre, measured from Great St Mary's Church, unless your college gives permission. In practice, most students live in college rooms or college-owned houses.
Mostly on foot or by bike, since most university buildings are in or near the centre. Local buses, including the Universal ('U') bus to sites like West Cambridge, fill the gaps. London is about 60 miles away, with fast trains from Cambridge station.
About this guide. Rankings data comes from the Unifresher Rankings 2027 (methodology). Facts, hall prices and costs come from the university and official sources listed below. Last updated 23 October 2026.
