Undergraduate matriculation took place on Monday October 7^th. Students formally became members of the college and of Cambridge University at a short ceremony in Hall; and then the traditional photograph was taken in Old Court, accompanied this year by a little light rain. We welcome all our new students, and wish them the very best for their new life here.

Our new graduate students officially became members of the college and of Cambridge University on Friday October 4^th.

Those students who are new to Cambridge took part in a matriculation ceremony in the Chadwick Room, and then moved outside into Old Court for the traditional ‘team photo’ with the Master, Senior Tutor, Chaplain and Praelector. Everyone joining the MCR – the Middle Combination Room which represents graduate students – was also invited to a dinner in Hall.

We warmly welcome all who are joining us at Selwyn for this new academic year, and wish them every success in this latest phase of their academic careers.

We’re looking forward to welcoming our new undergraduates, who’ll be joining the college – and moving into Cripps Court (below) – in October.


Here’s what we know about them statistically. There are 117 students expected: 57 men and 60 women. Of the home students, 74.7% are from state schools – compared with 73.9% last year, and a Cambridge University target of 64%.

21 of the new undergraduates are based abroad: 8 from the EU, and 13 from the rest of the world. The countries represented in addition to the UK are Belgium, China, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia, Poland and Singapore.

A lot of attention is rightly paid to increasing the social diversity of our students, and Selwyn has exceeded all of the Cambridge University widening participation targets:

· low participation neighbourhood 18.2%; University target 13.0%
· output area classification 22.2%; University target 13.1%
· index of multiple deprivation 17.2%, University target 8.5%

For the first time Cambridge participated in UCAS adjustment and this was successful: four students came to us via this route.

Admission standards remained very high: incoming students averaged 2.3 A* in the arts, 3.1 A* in the sciences – and 2.7 A* per incoming student overall. The adjustment students averaged better than three A*.

Congratulations to all those who are joining us.

At least eight new Fellows will be joining Selwyn during the next academic year. They come from all over the world - including the United States, France, Germany and India - and represent a range of subjects from architecture to astrophysics.

Among them will be Dr Lotte Reinbold, an existing bye-Fellow of the college, who takes on a college teaching post in English and a full Fellowship. Dr Reinbold’s research includes dream poetry, from the late Middle Ages to the late Early Modern period. She is also interested in Chaucerian afterlives and reception, medievalism, and the children"s fantasy writer Diana Wynne Jones.



We will introduce more of our new Fellows in the coming weeks.

A number of higher degrees were awarded at a Congregation in the university Senate House on Saturday July 20th. The largest contingents of Selwyn members were those receiving PhDs, MPhils and Masters of Studies. After the ceremony, the new graduates and their families and guests were entertained to drinks in the Master"s garden and then to lunch in the college. We congratulate everyone on their achievements.




It was a warm day, so refreshments were certainly needed - and the college"s catering team was on hand with plentiful supplies.

Selwyn College is pleased to announce that its next bursar will be Martin Pierce. He will join the college in late November, and will take responsibility for its finances, domestic staff and estate.

Martin has had a distinguished career in business, most recently as Business Services Director for Hastings Direct insurance, where he was a member of the executive committee with responsibility for IT and change, property services, quality assurance and suppliers. Previously he worked in a variety of senior management roles at Barclays Bank; and subsequently ran his own consultancy during which time he helped lead the restructuring of Northern Rock following the financial crisis of 2008 and nationalisation. He is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, where he studied history.

Roger Mosey, Master of Selwyn, said: “We’re delighted that Martin is taking on this vital role. We involved the college staff and students in the appointments process, as well as the Fellows, and everyone was extremely impressed by him. Our outgoing bursar Nick Downer is leaving the college in very good shape, and we’re looking forward to Martin helping us to continue this success.”

Martin Pierce said “It’s both a privilege and a challenge to be invited to be the next bursar of Selwyn and I’m hugely excited at the prospect.  I am fortunate to be joining a great team which is ambitious for the future and am very much looking forward to playing a part in the next steps of the college’s story.”

Selwyn students received their degrees at the Senate House on Friday, June 28th as part of the University’s General Admission. They assembled in Old Court, watched by families and friends, for the traditional ‘team photo’ of the graduands taken outside Chapel. Then they set off to the centre of the city for the official ceremony, led by head porter Helen Stephens along with the Master and Praelector.

We offer our heartiest congratulations to all our new graduates.

Work is intensifying on the site of Selwyn’s new library and auditorium. A piling rig has been installed, and a crane will soon follow. The photo, taken from the roof of Cripps Court, shows where construction is underway on the corner of Grange Road and West Road.



The building will complete Ann’s Court, and it’s hoped it will be finished by the end of 2020. In the initial phase a concrete box will be formed in the ground. Then, towards the end of this year, the ground floor slab will be cast; and we anticipate the erection of the steel frame and floors before the Christmas break. You can follow what’s happening via our webcam: http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/includes/phase3/current.jpg



There’s more information about the project here https://www.selwynalumni.com/main-website-pages/library-and-auditorium including details on how to buy a brick or paving stone or chair to help us reach our financial target of £12.6m.

The bursar of Selwyn, Nick Downer, is to retire at the end of this year.

Mr Downer has held the role since 2002, with responsibility for domestic staff and finances, and during that time the college has significantly expanded its buildings and also strengthened its endowment. The Master of Selwyn, Roger Mosey, said: “Nick has been a conspicuously successful bursar, who has operated with admirable efficiency and he has helped to transform the college in the time that he has been here. He has also managed to be a loyal friend to many of us, and we will greatly miss him when he leaves his post in December.”

The college is launching a recruitment process for a replacement for Mr Downer, and details can be found here

Preparation work has begun on the site of the new library & auditorium which will be built during 2019-21. At the corner of Grange Road and West Road, it will provide an auditorium on the ground floor – with flexible space including tiered seating – and then a state-of-the-art library on the first and second floors. The total cost is expected to be £12.6m, and more than £11m of that has been raised already. The main contractor will be the Barnes company.



There’s more information here: https://www.selwynalumni.com/main-website-pages/library-and-auditorium. We’re grateful to the alumni and friends who have made contributions to enable this important project to start, and we’ll be providing frequent updates during the construction.