The future of Selwyn College’s bridging course is under review due to the upcoming conclusion of the programme through which it received funding.

The course, which ran for the first time in September 2024, involves a week-long residential in Selwyn, as well as online support in the weeks leading up to the start of term.

It provides a mix of social and academic elements, such as mock supervisions and one-on-one meetings with academic staff to develop technical and general academic skills needed for a degree, as well as a formal at the end of the week.

The bridging course is funded by the Widening Participation and Induction Fund (WPIF) of the Isaac Newton Trust, a charity founded by Trinity College in 1988, who continue to support it through periodic donations.

Established in 2022 with a donation of £1.3 million from Trinity College, the WPIF currently makes up to £50,000 available to colleges each year, for programmes aimed at reaching out to disadvantaged prospective applicants and their families. However, with the fund being expected to end in September of this year, programmes which currently rely on its funding will need to look elsewhere.

Already confirmed to run for a second year this autumn, Selwyn’s bridging course has proved popular among its alumni, who are currently in their first year of study. In a comment for Varsity, the college’s JCR’s accessibility officers noted that both of them had participated in the programme and found it very successful, and had contributed to their membership of the JCR this year.

Another previous participant said that the course “broke down misconceptions about Cambridge,” and that mock supervisions “deconstructed the fear I had of having an actual supervision”.

However, the college has confirmed that the future of the programme is being questioned, with discussions being had over whether the effectiveness of the course justifies the cost of organising it, emphasising the importance of its funding being sustainable.

Dr Tom Smith, admissions tutor for arts and social sciences at the College said: “We were broadly pleased with our pilot bridging course at Selwyn. Feedback from participants suggests that they found it very helpful in building both academic and social confidence ahead of the academic year, and in dispelling some negative preconceptions about Cambridge.”

“We’ve now been fortunate enough to receive funding from the Isaac Newton Trust’s Widening Participation and Induction Fund to run the course for a second time,” he continued.

A spokesperson for Selwyn College said: “Selwyn is one of the most successful colleges in Cambridge for widening participation. We have very high numbers of students from state schools and we exceed all the official targets for diverse backgrounds while we are also top of the academic league table for good honours. The bridging course is a successful addition to that proud record.”