Gonville & Caius, Cambridge
Access & Outreach
Gonville & Caius College at Cambridge University is Sir John Lawes’s Cambridge link college. It is committed to encouraging talented young people to aspire to study at the very best universities, regardless of their background. Socio-economic factors, school ranking and financial pressures should never prevent a student from realising their academic potential at any higher education institution. When deciding upon our offers, that potential is their only consideration.
In 2024, 75.8% of offers to UK applicants were made to those from the state sector, while 38.4% of all home offers were made to applicants with at least one indicator of disadvantage.
Caius is delighted to work with state-maintained schools to raise aspirations, support pupils in making educational choices, and, ultimately, support students to make applications to competitive universities. Sir John Lawes works with Caius to discuss the benefits of a university and Cambridge education, and to help provide further application support.
The Tutor for Admissions and Outreach, Dr Chris Scott, has the dual role of overseeing admissions to the College and of leading strategies to encourage more students from currently under-represented backgrounds to apply to Cambridge and the College. Caius also has a full-time Schools Liaison Officer and London Outreach Officer who both make regular school visits, giving talks and presentations and answering questions from students, teachers and parents. They are assisted by the Admissions & Outreach Coordinator.
We very much look forward to helping students gain the support and information they need to consider applying to Cambridge.
Online Platforms
Caius runs a variety of online platforms providing application advice, academic enrichment, and behind-the-scenes looks at College and University life. They are @CaiusSchools on every platform.
Caius TikTokis the home of their short videos covering a range of topics - often making videos in response to comments.
Caius podacast is available wherever you get your podcasts - just search for Caius Schools. Here, they do long-form Q&As and exclusive interviews with students, academics, and staff.
Caius YouTube is packed with videos both long and short. They've got loads of application information from the outreach team, peeks into student life, and taster lectures.
Caius instagram is a mix of everything: short videos, photos of college life, event announcements, and more. Its message inbox is staffed by the outreach team, so feel free to send a message if you have any questions.
You can get in touch on any of these platforms - send a message, or leave any questions or suggestions in the comments. If you prefer, you can schools@cai.cam.ac.uk
Caius Explore
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Caius Explore 2026 is now live at Caius Explore | Gonville & Caius ! For Caius Explore, academics at Gonville & Caius have designed tasks in many different subjects that are aimed at helping you to develop your academic interests beyond your school curriculum. Not only is developing your academic interests one of the best things you can be doing to make yourself as competitive as possible as an applicant to Cambridge, but we also think it's a very good thing to do for its own sake! That is the spirit in which all of these explorations have be set: we hope that they will be genuinely engaging, that they will encourage and help you to explore your academic interests, and most of all that they will be enjoyable. Authors of the best entries are invited to Caius to meet the Directors of Studies, students, have a tour, and more. |
Caius 9&10
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The three-month programme offers a springboard for Year 9 and 10 students, encouraging them to consider university as a post-secondary option and supporting them in their academic and personal growth. Caius 9&10 was established to raise aspirations in Year 9 and 10 students and give them the early support they need to progress to competitive universities. The programme focuses on what students can be doing now to enhance their academic progress and gain confidence in their skills and interests. Selection for the scheme is carried out using a combination of academic and widening participation criteria. The programme features five informative and interactive sessions for the students to engage with:
For information about how to apply, please contact Mrs Brining. |
Eleven-Up
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Eleven-Up is a programme from Gonville & Caius College for Year 11 students from state schools. The sustained programme offers support for making university choices and applications, advice on budgeting and finance, and super-curricular engagement. Eleven-Up was established to support GCSE students to start thinking about their future pathways and what they can be doing now to give them the best chance of a successful university application in the future. Selection for the scheme is carried out using a combination of academic and widening participation criteria. The programme features five informative and interactive sessions for the students to engage with:
For information about how to apply, please contact Mrs Brining.
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Caius 12
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Caius 12 is a programme from Gonville & Caius College for Year 12 students from state schools across the UK. The sustained programme is designed to empower and support Year 12 students in their post-secondary choices. The programme runs from January to March. Caius 12 was established to raise the aspirations of Year 12 students, encouraging them to consider competitive universities. It aims to guide students through the process of making an application to such universities, ensuring that they start Year 13 feeling prepared and confident. Selection for the scheme is carried out using a combination of academic and widening participation criteria. The programme features four informative and interactive sessions for the students to engage with:
For information about how to apply, please contact Mrs Brining.
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Cambridge Higher Aspirations Scheme (CHAS)
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Balliol The cambridge Higher Aspirations Scheme (CHAS) is open to Year 12 students at state school. Applications for CHAS are open in the first half of the winter term. CHAS is a sustained scheme that offers academic support and enrichment for Year 12 students, offering the opportunity to take part in a series of five academic supervisions and a selective residential during August. See Cambridge Higher Aspirations Scheme | Gonville & Caius for more information. |
