We’re committed to ensuring that all applicants have access to open and up-to-date information about making applications to the University of Cambridge, Sidney Sussex College and other higher education institutions.
We're always keen to work with state schools, colleges, students and teachers to provide information and support for potential applicants, and have a number of programmes and projects which we currently run to this end.
We also have a range of recorded content on our YouTube Channel. This includes tours of the College, admissions advice, pre-recorded admissions interviews and much more.
For a full list of upcoming events and opportunities the explore below.
- Area Links Scheme
As part of the University's Area Links Scheme Sidney works particularly (but not exclusively) with schools and colleges in the following regions:
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Staffordshire
- Lancashire
- Blackpool
- Bury
- Oldham
- Tameside
- Warrington
- Wigan
- London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Gibraltar
We know that for many people and schools it might not be possible to attend an event in Cambridge, and our admissions staff therefore visit schools and colleges around the country, and these areas in particular, to deliver talks and workshops to students and teachers.
Please get in touch with our Schools Liaison Officer if you would like us to deliver any content for your students or staff.
- Sidney Webinars 2025
What are they?
We run free webinars for school students who are targeting university and who may be considering making an Oxbridge application. These will be delivered by Sidney Sussex admissions staff and will also feature College undergraduates and academic staff to provide a full picture of life at the College and the University of Cambridge.
Topics covered will be aimed at KS4 and KS5 (or equivalents), but anyone is free to attend these sessions (students, teachers, parents etc).
Please see more information on the dedicated webpage here: The Sidney Sussex Webinar Series | Sidney Sussex College Cambridge
- Open Days and Taster Days
School groups and individual students are welcome to come and visit us in Sidney at one of our Open Days or Taster Days. Many of these events have subject-specific content and are a great way to find out more about what it's like living and studying at Sidney Sussex College.
- HE+ Project
HE+ is a collaborative project between the University of Cambridge and Cambridge Colleges, working together with groups of state schools and colleges in 18 regions of the UK.
The HE+ project is unique in that it encourages schools and colleges to collaborate to form regional consortia and to engage their highest-attaining students in a sustained year-long programme that is designed to encourage and prepare these students to make competitive applications to top universities, including the University of Cambridge.
Sidney Sussex College is responsible for working with the HE+ hubs in Stoke and Wigan & Warrington, organising a number of events with these groups during the school year, as well as an annual residential for each.
The HE+ website has free resources and material produced by Cambridge academics, including guided activities and suggestions for further reading. This material is available to everyone, regardless of whether they're part of HE+ or not, and is a great place to start if students are looking to go beyond the syllabus!
- West Midlands Collaborative Outreach
We are excited to participate in the West Midlands Webinars, a series of online sessions run by Cambridge and Oxford Colleges for Year 12 students at state schools or sixth form colleges in the West Midlands.
The webinars are suited for anyone who hopes to apply to competitive universities: if you’re a high-achieving student, intellectually curious and ambitious, these webinars will be a great start for your university journey.
Full details can be found on the dedicated webpage here.
- Sidney's Easter Tasters - SET for STEM and AHSS
We have now launched our two new Residentials!
Read more about them on our dedicated webpage
- Enigma Summer School
The Enigma Summer School is an exciting three-day programme aimed at female and non-binary students who are interested in studying a science subject at university. Named after the original Enigma machine gifted to Sidney Sussex (which you can interact with at the end of the residential!), the programme provides a great opportunity to find out more about what it is like to study sciences further and be a student at university. Read on to find out more about dates, content of the programme, and eligibility criteria!
Date and Place
In 2024, Enigma will take place between the 13th and the 15th of September (so two nights and three days) in Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge. Accommodation and meals will be covered for all participants. Additionally, all transport costs will be reimbursed.
Content
The residential will feature a series of science academic taster lectures which will provide the participants with an idea of what it is like to attend university teaching. These sessions will be delivered by Cambridge academics who will be happy to answer any of your questions and share more information about their subject.
Additionally, you will attend sessions on university applications (including Cambridge and Oxford), student life at university, and exploring super-curricular activities in preparation for a university application.
There will also be plenty of time in the evenings to socialise, meet other participants, and explore the College!
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this programme, you must:
-Be entering Year 12 (Y13 NI / S5 Scotland) in September of 2024
-Self-identify as female or non-binary
-Attend a non-independent (non-fee-paying) school
-Be interested in studying a STEM subject at University
Applications are now closed for 2024, and will reopen for 2025 shortly.
If you have any questions or want to discuss any aspects of the residential please do email our Schools Liaison Officer Layo at slo@sid.cam.ac.uk.
- North-West and East Midlands Student Conferences
Our Admissions-themed Conferences are back, and booking is now open for 2025! A number of Colleges from the University of Cambridge are teaming up to host these two exciting Conferences for Year 12 students, and their teachers and advisors.
Please view our dedicated webpage to find out more information about these here
- Beyond the syllabus
Want to find out more about what a subject is like outside of the classroom? We can help with that!
We have collated information and resources from a wide variety of different media on every subject offered at Cambridge.
Prospective applicants, and teachers supporting these students, can find these resources on our Beyond the syllabus page, for use in super-curricular studying, or for extension classes in school!
Contact Layo, our Schools Liaison Officer to ask about visits to schools and to add your school to our mailing list so that we can let you know when bookings open for our events.
