The University of Cambridge offers a much wider range of outreach to schools and colleges than simply open days for prospective applicants.
There are school visits, College experiences, subject tasters, online lectures, residential summer schools, application support and programmes specifically designed to help young people who may be under-represented at highly selective universities.
Some opportunities are open to everyone, while others prioritise state schools or pupils meeting widening-participation criteria. For schools planning the 2026/27 academic year, these are 17 areas worth exploring.
1. Every UK school has a Cambridge College contact
Cambridge’s Area Links Scheme gives every UK school and college a direct connection with a Cambridge College.
The linked College can be a useful first point of contact for arranging outreach, finding events and asking questions about Cambridge.
Importantly, pupils are not expected to apply to their linked College. The scheme is purely about outreach and building relationships with schools.
Find your school’s Cambridge Area Link College
2. Cambridge Colleges can visit schools
Schools do not always need to organise a coach to Cambridge.
Many Colleges send outreach and admissions staff into their link areas to deliver sessions for pupils and teachers. These can cover university choices, Cambridge applications and what studying at a highly selective university is actually like.
Some Colleges also offer virtual sessions where travelling is impractical.
Your Area Link College is a good place to start when asking what is available locally.
3. Schools can take groups to Cambridge
Individual Colleges run school visit days throughout the year, often aimed at Years 10, 11 and 12.
A typical day might include a College tour, admissions information, lunch, a Q&A with current students and an academic activity.
Priority is often given to state schools and schools which have had relatively little previous engagement with Cambridge.
Schools should check the outreach pages of their Area Link College as programmes differ between Colleges.
4. The University runs major Open Days
Cambridge Open Days allow prospective pupils to explore Colleges and departments, attend talks and speak directly to current students and staff.
They can be particularly useful for pupils who like the idea of Cambridge but have never visited and do not know how the collegiate system works.
5. Subject Masterclasses go beyond the school curriculum
Cambridge Subject Masterclasses are aimed mainly at Year 12 pupils.
They usually include university-level academic sessions, information about studying the subject at Cambridge and opportunities to hear from current students.
They can help pupils work out whether they genuinely enjoy a subject enough to consider studying it at degree level.
Cambridge Subject Masterclasses
6. Subject opportunities go far beyond science
Cambridge outreach covers an enormous range of subjects.
Depending on the year and College, pupils may find activities in English, History, Law, Medicine, Music, Philosophy, Economics, Education, Languages, Geography, Architecture, Archaeology, Politics and History of Art alongside maths, engineering and sciences.
Heads of department should therefore look at individual faculty and College outreach pages rather than assuming everything will appear on the University’s main schools page.
7. Individual departments run their own outreach
Many academic departments have their own schools programmes.
These can include school visits, online talks, workshops, subject days, competitions and resources for teachers.
For example, pupils interested in Law can explore the Faculty of Law’s outreach alongside the wider Cambridge programme.
This approach works for other subjects too: search for the subject followed by “University of Cambridge outreach”.
8. Colleges run subject taster days
Individual Colleges also organise their own subject-specific days.
These might focus on Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, Law, humanities, social sciences or STEM and often include sample teaching, student Q&As and admissions information.
Because these events can be quite small, places may disappear quickly.
Teachers should keep an eye on their Area Link College as well as the central Cambridge events page.
Search current Cambridge undergraduate events
9. Think Cambridge is useful before pupils are ready to apply
Think Cambridge is aimed at pupils who are beginning to explore university rather than those already completing an application.
The online programme can introduce Years 10 to 12 to university study, subjects, Cambridge Colleges and the admissions process.
This makes it useful for pupils who might never have considered Cambridge before.
10. There is online support for applicants
Cambridge runs webinars throughout the application cycle.
Topics can include choosing a College, admissions assessments, interviews, completing the application and understanding what Cambridge is looking for.
This could be particularly useful for schools that only have one or two Cambridge applicants and cannot justify running a large internal Oxbridge programme.
Cambridge events and application support
11. The Sutton Trust Summer School is a major opportunity
The Cambridge Sutton Trust Summer School is a free residential experience for eligible Year 12 pupils attending UK state-maintained schools.
Students spend several days living in Cambridge, experience university teaching and explore a particular academic subject.
The programme normally covers a wide range of subjects rather than focusing only on STEM.
Schools should watch for the next application round early because places are competitive.
Cambridge Sutton Trust Summer Schools
12. HE+ provides sustained support through groups of schools
HE+ is aimed at academically able pupils in state schools and colleges from areas that are under-represented at highly selective universities.
Groups of schools work together to provide academic extension, university information and application support.
It is not available in every part of the country, but schools in participating areas can use it as a more sustained form of outreach.
13. STEM SMART offers longer-term academic support
STEM SMART is one of Cambridge’s more substantial programmes for eligible Year 12 pupils interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Rather than simply bringing pupils to Cambridge for a day, it provides sustained academic support during sixth form.
It is particularly worth sharing with pupils who have strong academic potential but may have had fewer opportunities outside school.
14. Widening-participation programmes are an important part of Cambridge outreach
A significant amount of Cambridge’s outreach is designed to reach pupils who are currently under-represented at the University.
Eligibility can take account of factors such as school background, household circumstances, care experience and educational disadvantage.
Schools should not assume that Cambridge outreach is aimed only at pupils who already see themselves as likely Oxbridge applicants.
Cambridge widening-participation programmes
15. Cambridge Festival opens university research to a much wider audience
Cambridge Festival brings together research from science, technology, engineering, arts, humanities and social sciences.
The programme includes talks, demonstrations, performances, exhibitions and family activities.
It can be a good way of introducing younger pupils to university research without making the experience about admissions.
16. Teachers and careers advisers can get support too
Cambridge runs events and guidance specifically for teachers and advisers.
These can cover admissions, interviews, supporting applicants and understanding the different opportunities available.
Teachers can also join mailing lists so that new outreach events arrive directly in their inbox rather than having to search for them constantly.
Cambridge events for teachers and advisers
17. Treat Cambridge outreach as a network rather than one programme
This is probably the most useful thing for schools to understand.
Cambridge outreach is spread across the central University, individual Colleges, academic departments and widening-participation programmes.
A school might use its Area Link College for a Year 10 visit, send Year 12 pupils to subject masterclasses, encourage an eligible pupil to apply for the Sutton Trust Summer School and use online webinars to support a Year 13 applicant.
There is no need to find one scheme that does everything.
A sensible starting point is to find your school’s Area Link College and then regularly check the central University events page.
Browse current Cambridge events
For teachers, the important thing is to start looking early. Many of the most useful opportunities have limited places, widening-partarticipation criteria or application deadlines several months before the event itself.
And Cambridge outreach does not need to be reserved for a pupil who has already decided to make a Cambridge application.
A Year 10 College visit, a History taster session, a Law workshop, a summer school or an online lecture can simply expose a pupil to ideas and possibilities they may never previously have considered.
That, arguably, is where university outreach can have the greatest impact.
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