'Poorer' college tops Cambridge degree table

Selwyn College has emerged as the front-runner in the annual league table of Cambridge University colleges' degree results, published exclusively today by The Independent.

The college, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, has moved from fourth to first place in the table compiled annually by Peter Tompkins, a consulting actuary who is a former student of Trinity College.

Selwyn has been rising through the ranks for years, but is relatively poor for a Cambridge college – receiving just £22m in endowments, which places it 16th out of the 29 colleges in an assessment of wealth by the university newspaper, Varsity.

Michael Tilby, its senior tutor who retires this year, said: "A lot of people say that it is the wealthy colleges that seem to appear at the top – perhaps with some truth. It is rather splendid to be the one that proves contrary to that rule. I wasn't surprised to hear we were at the top. We've been making our way up the table, tortoise-like for a number of years."

The Tompkins table

1. Selwyn (4)*

2. Emmanuel (1)

3. Trinity (6)

4. Gonville & Caius (10)

5. Magdalene (13)

6. Churchill (15)

7. Jesus (9)

8. Christ's (2)

9. Corpus Christi (8)

10. Pembroke (7)

11. St Catharine's (5)

12. Downing (3)

13. Clare (17)

14. Sidney Sussex (12)

15. Trinity Hall (16)

16. Queens' (11)