Each year a team of students takes on the task of phoning the alumni and friends of Selwyn. They speak to members about their time in college, ask them to share their wisdom with younger Selwynites, and seek help for current and future generations with a gift towards student support. The college was founded in the great age of Victorian philanthropy, and it is that spirit of giving that has inspired its 141 years of history. Having access to bursaries can make a world of difference to many students, ensuring all Selwynites have the best opportunities, irrespective of their financial background, and upholding our core principle of 'merit over means'. In addition to bursaries, our student support funds also provide hardship grants for those who experience unexpected financial difficulty during their time here.

Our most recent campaign took place in December 2023 and focussed on the world-class teaching Selwyn provides. The Sir David Harrison Fund is a major new initiative as part of our tribute to our late master, to support teaching in the sciences, engineering and maths. Teaching is at the heart of what we do as a college. There is nothing more important than instilling the next generation with the learning that they need, and this is an area in which we now need specific investment.

Each year the college welcomes between 20 and 25 new NatSci undergraduates, alongside a growing group of postgraduate researchers. They are supported by a wide range of teaching fellows, with expertise covering all the major subject areas.

Sir David Harrison had a remarkable association with Selwyn College, which lasted almost 73 years, as undergraduate, tutor, senior tutor, admissions tutor and master. Sir David was a distinguished leader in his chosen field of Chemical Engineering and passionate about encouraging students to enjoy the unique flexible structure of the Natural Sciences tripos at Cambridge, a philosophy we continue to promote today.

If you would like to get in touch about the campaign, please contact our Development Office on +44 (0) 1223 763937 or email development@sel.cam.ac.uk. 

Supporting the Campaign

Donate Now

If you wish to make a donation via post, please click here to download a donation form.

If you wish to make a donation through Cambridge in America, please visit the Cambridge in America website.

Previous Campaigns

The 2021 Campaign

Our campaign in December 2021 focussed on further strengthening financial support for students and improving student access to high quality spaces for living and learning. The Old Library refurbishment further enhances Selwyn’s teaching, learning and archival facilities, and the Three Hostels retrofit project will provide comfortable, low-carbon postgraduate housing that responds to the 21st century challenges of our rapidly evolving climate. Our students were able to have over 500 enjoyable conversations with alumni and friends - thank you!

The 2020 Campaign

The response to the December 2020 campaign was fantastic, with over £170,000 raised to support Selwyn students. During the campaign, our team of 14 student callers enjoyed great conversations with over 550 alumni and friends.