About Varsity

What is Varsity?

Varsity is Cambridge University’s independent student newspaper, published every Friday of term time and available to all students, staff and friends of the University since 1947.

We deliver 10,000 free copies to all 31 colleges in the University, from where they are distributed from mail rooms, common rooms and social areas. Copies are also distributed to the University's faculties, departments, social areas, and to our extensive subscription list. We are also widely read by students at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge.

As well as our award-winning news, features, opinion and editorial content, Varsity is the essential guide to what's on in Cambridge, a crucial reference guide to everything from job application deadlines to Saturday night's entertainment. 84% of Cambridge finalists read Varsity (Source: UK Graduate Careers Survey 2001) making our estimated readership almost 16,000 per week.

Independent, Established, Trusted

Unlike most student publications, Varsity is an independent newspaper unaffiliated to the student union — a status that, along with our quality and history, means that Varsity is Cambridge's most established and trusted news source. But despite the newspaper’s independence, we are privileged to hold strong ties to the University as an establishment.

Varsity is owned and operated by Varsity Publications Ltd, a not-for-profit company devoted to the encouragement of student journalism. Every year Varsity awards prizes from The Varsity Trust to enable Cambridge's most talented journalists to develop their careers through postgraduate study. Varsity Publications also publishes a series of supplements and sister publications, including the renowned 'The Mays' anthologies and BlueSci Magazine in association with Cambridge University Science Productions.

Week in and week out, our team of dedicated student journalists continues to produce one of the world's most renowned and respected student newspapers in a matter of days. As Varsity approaches its sixtieth year in print and tenth year online, our team — and our reputation — continues to grow and grow as we look forward to an equally successful future.

Who's Who?

The Editor is the person in charge of what appears in the paper, commissioning articles, controlling the vast team of contributors and scheduling each of the 21 issues per year. Unlike many student newspapers, Varsity editors don’t take a year off from their studies to do the job: as well as editing the paper for a term, they’re also studying full time for a degree!

The Team is made up of upto 40 students, from Section Editors to Photographers to Production staff, everyone plays a vital role in putting together the weekly newspaper in time for the deadline, and then doing it all again the following week!

The Business Manager is a full-time, salaried position responsible for the day-to-day running of the company, working closely with our advertising and printing partners and ensuring that the newspaper is professionally run and produced.

The Company Secretary works part-time, dealing with all the company’s finance and administration.

The Board of Directors bring a wealth of knowledge and decades of combined Varsity experience to the newspaper! Meeting twice a term, the Board is comprised of a mixture of ex-Editors, University academics and friends of the newspaper.

Varsity Trivia

• Varsity has its origins in a newspaper first published for about a year in 1931, re-establishing itself in 1947 despite the rationing of newsprint after the War in the form we are now familiar with.
• In the mid-1970s it merged with the radical paper 'Stop Press' and was known for some years as 'Stop Press with Varsity' before reverting to the more well-known Varsity branding.
• Famous ex-editors include presenter Jeremy Paxman, film director Michael Winner, the late television presenter & reporter Richard Whiteley, Financial Times editor Andrew Gowers, and novelist Robert Harris, as well as a slew of other journalists and media figures. BBC journalist Andrew Gilligan was once a news editor.
• Other notable contributors include playwright Michael Frayn, Clive James and even HRH Charles, Prince of Wales. Some of Sylvia Plath's earliest poems and J G Ballard's first published story were written for the paper. Meanwhile, legendary comic Peter Cook met his first wife while posing for a Varsity May Ball photoshoot.
• Novelist Zadie Smith was first noticed by literary agents after her short story appeared in the 1997 edition of 'The Mays'.
• Varsity was the first newspaper in the world to report the discovery of DNA by Watson and Crick following the discovery of their double helix in Cambridge.
• We don’t like to show off, but The Guardian even used to run conferences for student newspaper editors entitled ‘Why Your Paper isn’t as good as Varsity’!
• Varsity is one of only two UK student newspapers to be completely independent of the student union and University, the other being Oxford University's 'Cherwell'.
• Varsity will celebrate its sixtieth birthday in 2007, and has one of the world’s oldest student newspaper websites, has just celebrated its tenth birthday (October 2006)!

Company Information

Varsity Publications Ltd is a company registered in England, number 561235.

Registered Office: Old Examination Hall, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RF, United Kingdom.

VAT No. 213 9420 86