Wolfson College

Wolfson College stands on the south-west edge of Cambridge, a short walk from the city centre. Most students here are postgraduates, with a smaller group of mature undergraduates aged 21 and above. Founded in 1965 as University College, it became Wolfson College in 1973 after receiving a major gift from the Wolfson Foundation. The college occupies land once filled with private gardens, including the house and garden of Sir Vivian Fuchs. Buildings designed by Michael Mennim in the 1970s form two main courts around Bredon House, the original early-20th-century residence. The college is known for its modern, egalitarian approach, mixing students and Fellows at meals without a reserved High Table. With students from more than 70 countries, it is one of Cambridge’s most international colleges. The first in the university to admit men and women equally as students and Fellows, it has no Senior Combination Room and no portraits in the Dining Hall. The Lee Library, opened in 1994, offers over 60 quiet study spaces and stays open around the clock. The gardens, once private plots, now feature a mulberry tree by the Porters’ lodge and a wide variety of trees and shrubs. Inside, the Club Room combines a café by day with a bar and dance floor by night, hosting comedy events called the Wolfson Howler. The college’s boat club is among the strongest graduate teams in Cambridge. Guided tours of the gardens run during summer as part of the NGS Open Gardens scheme. The President’s Garden once held a practice grenade found in 2018, safely removed without injury. The college’s Fellows include leading scientists and scholars, and its alumni include senior university leaders.