Why?

Moving to a new place is exciting...

... but stressful if you are unsure about details or don't have any friends there.

International Student Welcome (ISW) offers friendship and support for international students new to Cambridge University. It is hosted by friendly students and residents who already know Cambridge and are willing to answer small (and big) questions that aren't always easy to figure on your own.

The friendly faces of ISW volunteers will meet you at the coach and railway stations upon arrival and help you locate your college (if you arrive between a certain two-week window).

We also have a number of events where you can meet freshers like you and current students. Those events will help you to make friends and explore the University as you settle in.

ISW is organised by the Christian Graduate Society (CGS) for all new international students alongside Friends International with student volunteers from the CGS, Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (CICCU), Cambridge Chinese Christian Fellowship (CCCF) and various local volunteers from different churches.

Buddy System

We seek to warmly welcome all international students to the town and university of Cambridge, welcoming them as our friends and supporting them in their needs through different events and by running a buddy system for new international students. For more information about the buddy system and to sign up, please click here. Please do share this link with any new international students who may be interested. We can't wait to meet you!

Events

We organise a number of welcome events to give you a chance to meet current and new postgraduate and undergraduate students. New students are warmly invited to all of them! For any enquiries, please email the ISW committee at cgs.isw@gmail.com. Note that unless otherwise stated, you don't have to sign up for any events in order to attend. Dates shown below are for ISW 2024.

Welcome Desks

ISW volunteers meet arrivals at the coach and railway stations to help answer any questions and to assist in locating colleges etc.

Time: Friday 27th September - Friday 4th October.

Location: Cambridge Railway station, Parkside Coach Stand.

Punting

An afternoon punting along the river Cam. Sign up here.

Time: Monday 30th September, 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm.

Location: Meet outside the Great Gate, Trinity College.

Really Useful Tour of Cambridge

A practical tour of the city centre.

Time: Tuesday 1st October and Saturday 5th October, 1.30 pm - 2.30 pm.

Location: Meet outside the Round Church.

Jacket Potato Party

Casual dinner in a local home with students. Sign up here

Time: Tuesday 1st October, 7.30 pm - 9.30 pm.

Location: Meet outside the Round Church at 7pm.

Welcome Bag Giveaway

Includes basic tableware, snacks, tea, coffee, etc; limited availability and will be given on a first-come-first-served basis.

Time: Wednesday 2nd October, 10am-3.30pm. Just drop in to collect your welcome bag!

Location: St Andrew's Street Baptist Church.

Cream Tea Party

Traditional British afternoon snack. Sign up here.

Time: Wednesday 2nd October, 4 pm - 6 pm.

Location: Meet outisde the Great Gate, Trinity College.

Historical Tour of Cambridge

Introduction to Cambridge's rich history. Sign up here.

Time: Thursday 3rd October, 1.45 pm - 3.45 pm.

Location: Meet outside the Round Church.

Walk to Grantchester

Grantchester is a village to the south of Cambridge and the walk is a chance to enjoy the scenery along the river Cam.

If you'd like to have cream tea at the Orchard Tea Garden in Grantchester (where the walk stops before returning to Cambrige), please bring some money for the cream tea.

Time: Friday 4th October, 10 am - 2 pm.

Location: Meeting point at Queens' College Porters' Lodge.

International Welcome Dinner for Undergraduates

Dinner for international undergraduate students, organised by the Cambridge Inter-Collegiate Christian Union. Sign up here.

Time: Saturday 5th October, 7 pm

Location: Henry Martyn Hall at Holy Trinity Church (opposite Taco Bell)

International Postgraduate Welcome Dinner

Dinner for international postgraduate students, with a short talk about Jesus. Sign up here.

Time: Monday 7th October, 7 pm.

Location: St Andrew's Street Baptist Church.

If you would like to add the ISW events listed above to your electronic calendar, please click the + sign in the bottom-right corner of the calendar below.

Where we cannot help

Before contacting us...

... here's how we can and cannot help.

The ISW team will assist you in any way it can, but there are some areas where we will not be able to, and you may wish to look elsewhere. We are always happy to point you in the right direction.

What we CAN do: When you arrive in Cambridge, we can show you where you need to go from there. We can help you find out further information about your college or accommodation that you may need, and we can tell you a lot of general day-to-day things about living and working here.
A lot of useful information will be found in our Welcome Booklet when we release this in the coming weeks, so watch out for this!

What we CANNOT do for you: We cannot offer academic advice. Questions about which courses to take or what study options would work best for you are best directed to academic staff in the relevant departments. Contact details for various university and college staff can be found here.
We are also unable to advise about scholarships and funding, and would again direct you to the relevant staff in your own colleges and departments, although some information about graduate funding can be found here.