Magdalene College

What Magdalene College does

Magdalene College, Cambridge is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded in 1428 as a Benedictine nunnery by Lord Walter de Merton and operating today as a registered charity (No. 1137542) governed by its Master and Fellows. It delivers undergraduate and postgraduate education through the University of Cambridge tutorial and supervision system, with admissions routed via UCAS, Cambridge Postgraduate Admissions, and a dedicated International Students Office. Beyond academic provision, the College operates an estate-based commercial and cultural platform: the award-winning Cripps Court conference centre (with 76 ensuite bedrooms, meeting rooms, dining, and catering during Easter and Summer vacations), the Grade I listed Pepys Library housing Samuel Pepys' 1724 bequest, the Robert Cripps Gallery opened in November 2021 inside the Stirling Prize-winning New Library, the historic College Chapel dating to the 1470s, and ongoing heritage restoration work.

The College generates income from three streams: tuition-linked educational services for undergraduate and postgraduate students, commercial conference and events hosting through Cripps Court, and alumni contributions and donations channelled through the Alumni and Development Office (including targeted fundraising such as the Pepys Restoration Project). Pricing for conferences is quote-based and distributed on request, while educational fees follow standard University of Cambridge structures. Distribution is anchored in the centralised Cambridge admissions infrastructure for students and a dedicated Conference and Events direct sales team for venue hire. No proprietary technology platform or AI capabilities are described in the source material; the offering is people-, heritage-, and estate-driven.

The institution does not disclose financial figures and operates without external ownership, subsidiaries, or M&A activity. Governance rests with the Master (currently Sir Christopher Greenwood) and the Fellows, with day-to-day operations run through functional offices (Academic, Admissions, Bursary, Catering, Communications, Conferences, Gardens, Housekeeping, IT, Library, Archive, Maintenance, Porters' Lodge). The College is active in partnerships with cultural and academic bodies — including the Royal Geographical Society, The Foster Museum, the Royal Cornwall Museum, the Lettering Arts Trust, the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, DAAD, and the Munich Exchange — primarily to programme the Robert Cripps Gallery and support academic conferences.

Name

Magdalene College

Legal name

Magdalene College, Cambridge

Website

https://magd.cam.ac.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge (founded 1428) delivering undergraduate and postgraduate education, operating the Cripps Court conference and events venue, and stewarding heritage assets including the Pepys Library and Robert Cripps Gallery under registered charity governance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

University/Academic Conference Hotels (THAGALAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corporate Conference Center Hotels (THAGALAF)

Keywords

• Higher education services
• Conference venue hosting
• Heritage library collections
• Academic residential college
• Student pastoral support

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Educational Services: Tuition fees and educational services for undergraduate and postgraduate students, including academic instruction, supervision, and college facilities.
2. Conference and Events Hosting: Conference facilities including Cripps Court with auditorium, meeting rooms, dining services, and accommodation during Easter and Summer vacations offering 76 ensuite bedrooms.
3. Alumni Contributions and Donations: Financial contributions from alumni and supporters, including funds for the Pepys Restoration Project and other College initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge that delivers undergraduate and postgraduate education with associated accommodation, dining, and pastoral support. Beyond academia, it operates the Cripps Court conference and events venue (with 76 ensuite bedrooms during Easter and Summer vacations), stewards historic heritage collections including the Pepys Library and Robert Cripps Gallery, and runs catering, chapel, and library services for its community.

Product overview

Magdalene College, Cambridge is an educational institution offering undergraduate and postgraduate study programs as part of the University of Cambridge. Beyond academic provision, the College provides conference and events facilities through its award-winning Cripps Court venue, operates heritage collections including the Pepys Library and Robert Cripps Gallery, maintains the College Library for students, offers the historic College Chapel with regular worship services, and provides catering services including formal and informal dining options. The College operates as a unified community with lifelong alumni membership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Foster MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024George Mallory exhibition supported by Tony Foster watercolours of Everest, continuing the museum's partnership with Magdalene for wilderness art exhibitions.
• McDonald Institute for Archaeological ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Co-funded the Fox exhibition conference and research programme at Magdalene.
• DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023German academic exchange funding for the Fox exhibition conference.
• Munich ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Academic exchange partnership supporting the Fox exhibition conference.
• The Lettering Arts TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022The Trust, dedicated to sustaining interest in the heritage craft of hand lettering, curated the Will Carter exhibition at Magdalene.
• The Foster MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Exhibition partnership for Fragile Planet watercolour exhibition. The Foster Museum in Palo Alto, California supports Tony Foster's watercolour wilderness Journeys and facilitates exhibitions globally.
• Royal Cornwall MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Co-curated Fragile Planet exhibition working collaboratively with Tony Foster and The Foster Museum.
• Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Partnership for the Everest 1921 exhibition providing permission to use digitised negatives from the 1921 British Mount Everest Reconnaissance Expedition. The photographs were preserved by the Royal Geographical Society.
• University of CambridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMagdalene is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Deep integration with the University for academic programmes, admissions, research, and student support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Pembroke College, Cambridge: Cambridge college founded in 1347, with a comparable mix of tuition, conferencing, heritage chapel/library, and alumni fundraising. Operates the same admissions and pastoral infrastructure as Magdalene within the University of Cambridge.
• Christ Church, Oxford: Historic Oxford college combining tutorial teaching, heritage buildings (Great Hall, Cathedral), conference hire, and a large development operation. Comparable as a prestige ancient-university college with diversified earned and donated income.
• Eton College: Historic UK independent school with a centuries-old charitable structure, premium tuition, substantial heritage estate, and active alumni giving community. Comparable in governance by Fellows and dependence on reputation, donor pipeline, and heritage stewardship.
• Trinity College, Cambridge: The largest and wealthiest Cambridge college, sharing the same constituent-college structure, UCAS/postgraduate admissions, pastoral model, and historical estate management profile as Magdalene. Directly comparable on revenue mix (tuition, conferencing, donations) and governance by Master and Fellows.
• Magdalen College, Oxford: Oxford's near-namesake college: a historic constituent college of a competing ancient university, with undergraduate/postgraduate programmes, conference and events hosting, a chapel and choir, and substantial heritage estate. Closest cross-institutional analogue to Magdalene in structure and revenue mix.
• King's College, Cambridge: Fellow Cambridge college of similar age and prestige to Magdalene, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, a Chapel and Choir, heritage assets, and conference facilities. Operates the same Master/Fellows governance and Cambridge-wide admissions framework.
• St John's College, Cambridge: Large Cambridge college with comparable pastoral, heritage, and conferencing operations under the same UCAS and Cambridge Postgraduate Admissions channels. Comparable in revenue diversification across tuition, conference hire, and alumni development.
• Queens' College, Cambridge: Cambridge college founded in 1448, similar in age and scale to Magdalene, with undergraduate/postgraduate programmes, conference and events hire, and a heritage estate. Directly comparable in terms of Master/Fellows governance and constituent-college status.
• University College, Oxford: Oxford's oldest college with a similar mix of undergraduate/postgraduate tuition, chapel and heritage assets, and alumni development. Operates under the Oxford tutorial model that parallels Magdalene's Cambridge supervisory model.

Others

• British Museum: Major UK heritage and charitable institution that curates and exhibits historic collections to public and academic audiences. Comparable in operating a Grade I listed estate, exhibition programming with international partners, and a registered-charity funding model akin to Magdalene's heritage operations (Pepys Library, Robert Cripps Gallery).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/magdalene
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/university-of-cambridge
• Instagraminstagram.com/magdalene

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Magdalene College