The historic, university city of Cambridge is one of the top tourist destinations in the UK. Whether wandering through the cobbled streets looking up at the stunning, historic architecture, punting down the River Cam, visiting the world-famous King’s College Chapel, enjoying traditional English tea whilst watching gown-clad university students cycle past the university colleges or gently meandering through the Botanical Gardens, there is certainly something here for every visitor.
For our students, living in Cambridge is an intrinsically English experience. The city has a wide variety of boutique as well as high street shops, a stunning pedestrianised area with street-side cafes and restaurants, busy central market as well as a plethora of museums, art galleries and theatres and parks to explore.
Cambridge as a city is extremely safe, flat and easy to navigate. Most people walk or cycle around the centre with its narrow streets and arches however there are also excellent bus services, well used by our students. St Andrew’s College itself is only five minutes from the train station and central London is only 50 minutes by train.
What is it like to study in Cambridge?
Studying in Cambridge means living inside one of the world’s great university cities, where a Cambridge Education is woven into the daily life of the city itself. The streets between the colleges are full of bookshops, lecture posters, cafes used by undergraduates, and museums that sit on the same square mile as our boarding houses. As a student at St Andrew’s, you are not visiting Cambridge for a school trip. You are part of the city, every day, for the whole of your course.
How do St Andrew’s students benefit from a Cambridge education?
St Andrew’s students access Cambridge University facilities directly. Our students hold Cambridge University library borrower cards, use the Cambridge University Sports Centre, attend public lectures hosted by the university faculties, and are mentored by Cambridge PhD candidates as part of their academic and university preparation programme. The museums of Cambridge (the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, the Whipple Museum of the History of Science and Kettle’s Yard) are all within walking distance of the main college. You can read about how this feeds into our academic offer on the Why St Andrew’s and University Preparation pages.
How do students get around Cambridge?
Cambridge is one of the most walkable and cyclable cities in the UK. Our boarding houses, main college, libraries and sports facilities are all within a 15-minute walk of each other. Cambridge train station has direct services to London King’s Cross in under an hour, and onward connections to London Stansted, London Heathrow and London Gatwick airports. Buses run across the city and out to the surrounding villages, and many students travel by bike inside Cambridge itself.
What is there for students to do in Cambridge?
Cambridge runs on the rhythm of the university year. The autumn term is dominated by Michaelmas Term lectures, college sports, freshers’ fairs and bonfire celebrations. The spring is quieter and more academic, with strong rowing on the river. The summer is the most spectacular, with May Balls, May Week celebrations, punting on the Cam and the long English afternoons that draw visitors from around the world. Throughout the year, St Andrew’s students join trips into London, Oxford, Stratford, the coast and the Cambridgeshire countryside, alongside the regular life of college extracurriculars.
Is Cambridge a safe city for international students?
Cambridge is consistently ranked among the safest UK cities, with a low rate of serious crime and a strong community feel. The compact city centre means students rarely travel alone over long distances. Combined with our 24/7 boarding supervision and central locations, this makes Cambridge an unusually reassuring environment for international families sending teenage children to the UK for the first time.
