University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom.

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Second-oldest - University - English-speaking - United Kingdom

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Early records no longer exist, but the university grew out of an association of scholars in the city of Cambridge, England, probably formed in 1209 by scholars escaping from the University of Oxford after a fight with local townsmen.

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Cambridge - England - 1209 - Scholars - University of Oxford

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The universities of Oxford and Cambridge, jointly referred to as Oxbridge, have since had a long history of competing with each other, and are widely seen as the most elite and prestigious universities in the United Kingdom (see Oxbridge rivalry). Historically, they have produced a significant proportion of Britain's prominent scientists, writers and politicians.

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Oxbridge - Oxbridge rivalry - Scientist - Writer - Politician

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Affiliates of Cambridge University have won a total of 81 Nobel Prizes, {{ref|nobel1}} more than any other university in the world. {{ref|nobel2}} Of these, 70 had attended Cambridge as undergraduates or graduate students, rather than as research associates, fellows, or professors. (The University of Chicago has the second highest number of affiliated Nobel Prize winners — 78 or arguably 79 — but only 30 had been students there.)

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81 Nobel Prizes - University of Chicago

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The university has often topped league tables ranking British universities (for instance, it was ranked first on the Sunday Times league table in 2005, a position it has occupied for 8 years running), and recent international league tables produced by The Times Higher Education Supplement and Shanghai Jiao Tong University rated Cambridge sixth and second {{ref|Shanghai}} in the world respectively. (Note that all university rankings are subject to controversy over their criteria).

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League tables - Sunday Times - The Times Higher Education Supplement - Shanghai Jiao Tong University

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Cambridge is a member of the Russell Group, a network of large, research-led British universities, the Coimbra Group, an association of leading European universities, and the LERU, the League of European Research Universities.

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Russell Group - Coimbra Group - LERU

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