Girton sits among 50 acres of natural woodlands, orchards and wildlife habitats. The Main Site is on Huntingdon Road which offers easy bike and public transport access to the centre of Cambridge - about 2 miles away. These pages offer more information about the beautiful surroundings that Girton is blessed with.
Check out the location of the Girton College Main Site here. Using this map, you can also see where the College's main postgraduate accommodation is located, Swirles Court in Eddington, as well as other places / departments in Cambridge. Also linked here is a map showing the main University bus route (the U-Bus) from Girton Main Site and/or Eddington (near Swirles Court) through the city and ending at the Biomedical Campus.
Girton offers heritage buildings, library, Social Hub Café, indoor swimming pool and some of the best on-site sporting and leisure facilities in the University. We are also proud to offer state-of-the-art postgraduate accommodation. See more here.
Girton was the first residential institution for the higher education of women in Cambridge, founded in 1869, going mixed in the 1970s. Find out more about our remarkable history here.
We are a College that knows and takes an interest in every student as an individual. There is a tradition of inclusion, and a well-developed ethic of care. All postgraduates are allocated a Postgraduate Tutor. The Tutor's role is to maintain year-round interest in the well-being and academic progress of their students – to advise, encourage and to signpost. Tutors normally work in a different academic field from their tutees, and do not teach them; nonetheless they take a close interest in their tutees' academic welfare and progress, where necessary intervening to advise and help. If a tutee has any problems concerning their general welfare, academic work, finances, health, or other concerns, they should not hesitate to contact their Tutor. For further information about the range of support Girton offers students, see Welfare & Support.
In addition to a Postgraduate Tutor, we have a College Head of Welfare and a Health Centre staffed by two College nurses.
Girton offers a pre-arrival induction programme led by Tutors, Student Services staff and current postgraduates for both offerholders and confirmed postgrads.
If you have particular needs with respect to accessibility, exam support, or mobility, to name a few, information about Girton's accessibility and policies is available here. The University also has its own Accessibility and Disability Resource Centre.
We have a large, multi-national postgraduate community that contributes towards providing a vibrant, friendly and inclusive experience for all. Our annual intake is around 180 new postgraduates, with a total postgrad population of around 370. We also have a good gender balance as well as a number of mature students, some part-time students and some who come to Cambridge with their families.
Our student-elected MCR, a traditional acronym meaning Middle Common Room, represents both a room in College (at Swirles Court) as well as the graduate student body itself. It provides social support, representation on College committees and entertainment offerings - see the MCR pages for more information.
Girton has a Partner Card available on application after arrival (at no cost), that allows the student's partner and family to be in College buildings without the student present and to eat at members' rates whilst in College whether or not you're living in College-owned accommodation. We strongly advise applicants to email the College early if hoping for accommodation for a family or partner.
Girton Postgraduate Research Scholarships are open to all prospective applicants via the University Graduate Applicant Portal, with deadlines of 1 December or 5 January, depending on the course you are applying for. See Fees, Finance & Funding for more information.
Once in residence, modest funds are available to assist with travel and conference costs.
Help from the University with choosing a College
Why not make Girton your first choice from the start?
Once you have an offer from your subject department or faculty, your application will be sent to a College to be accepted for membership. If you have indicated Girton College as your first or second choice College, we will receive your application fairly soon after it's been accepted by the Department. If you have submitted an Open Application, your application is sent via a randomised allocator to a College and Girton may well receive your papers that way. Once received here, your application will be considered by one of our Postgraduate Tutors.
We use the same documents that you submitted to the University Postgraduate Admissions Office to assess your academic record, achievements, and academic interests. Every application is considered on its own merits using the same criteria.
We aim to keep a balanced community of students here on one-year courses and those doing PhD research and welcome students of all ages, as well as students with families. Girton accepts students in the full range of subjects offered by the University, and attracts some of the best research students from every part of the world.
All Cambridge students are members of a college as well as the University. Broadly-speaking, the University provides teaching and research supervision. The College is the hub of your social and academic community, offering moral support, companionship and intellectual enrichment. For more explanation about the relationship between Departments, Colleges and the University, click here.
Girton has a diverse, world-class Fellowship (group of academic members) who are actively engaged in cutting-edge research. Some of these Fellows act as Postgraduate Tutors for students in order to help and advise postgraduates. With regular opportunities for in-College skills training and academic development (the Girton Skills Programme), this environment offers every student the opportunity to achieve their very best.
Postgraduate Admissions Office - how to apply to the University.
List of Courses at the University.
Chat to current Cambridge postgraduates.
Widening Participation for postgraduates at the University of Cambridge
Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding - Applicants who do not yet have a University email account should email altguide.pgfunding@admin.cam.ac.uk to receive an access pin. Current Cambridge students and staff can use their University email address to register online for access to the Guide.