The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest universities in the world, and one of the largest in the United Kingdom. It has a world-wide reputation for outstanding academic achievement and the high quality of research undertaken in a wide range of subjects in science and arts. The mission of the University of Cambridge is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Its core values are freedom of thought and expression, and freedom from discrimination.

The University pioneers work in the understanding of disease, the creation of new materials, advances in telecommunications and research into the origins of the universe. It trains doctors, veterinarians, architects, engineers and teachers. At all levels about half of the students at Cambridge study arts and humanities subjects, many of whom have gone on to become prominent figures in the arts, print and broadcast media. The University's achievements in the sciences can be measured by the sixty or more Nobel Prizes awarded to its members over the years.

The University of Cambridge is rich in history - its famous Colleges and University buildings attract visitors from all over the world. But the University's museums and collections also hold many treasures which give an exciting insight into some of the scholarly activities, both past and present, of the University's academics and students. The Fitzwilliam Museum contains outstanding art collections and the University Library holds some of the world's greatest literary treasures and manuscripts. Other museums include the Whipple Museum of the History of Science, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and the Scott Polar Research Institute Museum. The University also has a worldwide reputation for other aspects of its work. Cambridge University Press is one of the oldest and largest publishers in the world, and the University's Local Examinations Syndicate, sets school and language examinations in many lands.

The University at present has more than 16,500 full-time students - over 11,600 undergraduate, and nearly 5000 graduate. About seventeen per cent of the student body is from overseas, coming from over one hundred different countries. Because of its high academic reputation, admission to the University is highly competitive. Only about a third of applicants are admitted, and most overseas students already have a degree from a university in their own country. The student body at both undergraduate and graduate level is fairly evenly split between arts and science subjects.

The University of Cambridge website can be viewed at www.cam.ac.uk/. For information, contact Professor Dr. Iain Black.