Bridging Course

The Bridging Course is a collaboration between Christ's and King's Colleges. This is a unique opportunity providing some extra support to a small number of new students across these two Colleges for the transition to studying at Cambridge. The course should be enjoyable and it should help you to feel a bit more ready for starting your course.

During the Bridging course, the selected students will participate in a range of both academic and social sessions to help familiarise themselves with the city, their colleges and being a student at Cambridge. It's a fantastic chance to find your feet in a smaller group ahead of Freshers' Week as well as getting extra academic support and meeting other students from across Cambridge in a variety of subjects. Academic sessions will incorporate both more general sessions and those specific to your subject area, with the aim of refining study skills, whilst a variety of social activities will allow you to meet both incoming first years and some current undergraduates. Every participant in the programme will also have a current undergraduate from their own college to support them in the transition to Cambridge. 

The Bridging Course will be held in Cambridge at the very end of September and beginning of October. This is the week before most freshers arrive, though as you'll see from the arriving in Cambridge page, some of the freshers from outside the UK may also have arrived early! Your offer letter suggested that you keep Sunday 28 Sept to Friday 3 Oct free for the course. Early arrival for the Bridging course should be easy enough, as if friends in your year are going to other universities they'll have already gone. Cambridge terms start later than most other university terms.

If we ask you to attend the Bridging Course, you are expected to be available for the duration of the course. 

No. The Bridging Course is entirely free and will include accommodation and meals for the duration of the stay. You will be able to move into the accommodation room that you will have for your first year at the College, so once moved in, you won't have to move rooms. 

The Bridging Course is a part of your offer for Christ's College. This means that as well as meeting the academic requirements of your offer, it is also a requirement for you to attend the Bridging Course before term starts if selected (we will email you to let you know either way in late August). 

Note that the Bridging Course is not graded, and so does not have anything you need to 'pass' as such - you just need to attend it!

Ariel (English) was a participant on the Bridging Course in 2021. She says:
"Before I came to Cambridge, I took part in the Bridging Course where I stayed in Cambridge for a week which really helped me because I was able to ask our mentors all the random questions I had and I knew my way around the city before I started."
You can find more detail about Ariel's experience in her student profile, by clicking here. 
 

Bridging Course FAQ