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We look forward to welcoming you to the University of Cambridge on 15 September 2023.

While you’re here, you’ll be able to visit our Colleges and facilities to see for yourself what studying at Cambridge is like. Staff and student ambassadors across the university will be on-hand to help if you have any questions.

If you haven't already, remember to:

​​​​​Register for the Open Day

Check the full programme below. Please note that most subject departments won’t be open as part of the Open Day, however some Colleges will be hosting subject specific activity.


Programme

What's on? Description
Warm-up webinars Watch the recordings from our July Open Days.
General support Visit information stands and chat with staff from a range of useful support and facilities teams.
College sessions Tour the Colleges with current students and staff and get a real insight into College life.
Subject sessions

View online course content, including course presentations.

Find out more about in-person sessions for:

  • Foundation Year
  • Land Economy
  • Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion
  • Veterinary Medicine

Please note:

  • The programme is subject to change.
  • If talks get full we may ask anyone accompanying prospective students to remain outside, so we can prioritise prospective students attending the talk.
  • For 2023, we will not be running general or central talks during the in-person Open Day. These topics will be covered in our Warm-up Webinars, which take place in the lead up to the Open Day.

Planning your day

The University of Cambridge is spread across lots of buildings in the city - there are 29 undergraduate Colleges alone!

There’s plenty to explore, so we recommend you plan to visit 6 to 10 places during the day.

All Colleges are open for tours, with many offering other sessions too.

Check the programme above for full details and locations, to help schedule your day. You can also watch the open days film on this page for some tips on making the most of your visit.

Checklist

With so much on offer, below is our suggested to-do list for your Open Day:

  • Get your admissions questions answered in the Student Services Centre
  • Take a College tour
  • Check out talks and drop-in sessions run by the Colleges
  • Chat to our student ambassadors
  • Explore the city (if you have time left!)

Getting around Cambridge

Where possible, walking is often the quickest and easiest way to travel between venues.

You can access Google Maps via our guest wifi ("UniOfCam-Guest") or PDF icon download the Open Days maps to help find your way around the city and open day sites.

Approximate walking times between main sites around Cambridge:

From To
Drummer street/Emmanuel Street bus stops New Museums and Downing Sites (5 minutes)
Sidgwick Site (15 minutes)
City centre Sidgwick Site (10-15 minutes)
Cambridge train station (20-25 minutes)
West Cambridge Site (30-35 minutes)
New Museums and Downing Sites Sidgwick Site (10-15 minutes)
West Cambridge Site (35-40 minutes)
Sidgwick Site West Cambridge Site (15 minutes)

Buses

The Universal "U" bus service makes it easy to get around the city and provides a convenient link between many of our departments and Colleges:

  • The U bus costs £3 for unlimited travel (buy your ticket from the bus driver)
  • The service runs from Eddington, next to the Madingley Road Park and Ride (B2), to Addenbrooke's Hospital and our Biomedical Campus via Cambridge Train Station (J7).
  • During the Open Days, U buses will run approximately every 5-10 minutes.
  • Universal bus stops are labelled on the PDF icon Open Days maps.

Food and drink

You can find a wide range of cafés and restaurants throughout the city, where you can stop for a drink and a bite to eat. There are also University-owned cafés and catering vans on site, which will be open for visitors during the Open Days. Their opening times are listed below:

Café name Opening hours Address
Alison Richards Café 8:30 – 15:00 Alison Richard Building, 7 West Road, Sidgwick Site, CB3 9DP
West Café 8:00 – 16:30 3 Charles Babbage Road, West Cambridge Site, CB3 0FD
West Hub 8:00 – 16:00 JJ Thompson Avenue, West Cambridge Site, CB3 0FZ
Centre of Mathematical Sciences 9:00 – 16:00 Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, CB3 0WA
Whale Café 10:00 – 15:00  New Museums Site, Downing Street, CB2 3EJ

Prayer rooms

If you need a space for quiet reflection and prayer we will have a Prayer Room available for Open Day attendees to use in the Student Services Centre from 9:00 - 17:00. Please speak to staff at the Reception for directions. 

Please note that most Colleges have a Chapel which you may also be permitted to use during the Open Day. Please speak to College/Chapel staff for more details. 

Connect to our wifi

Log in to ‘UniOfCam-Guest’ via your chosen social media platform to connect to wifi automatically from most University buildings.

Contact us

Cambridge Open Days Team
CAOevents@admin.cam.ac.uk