CCIR has always prided itself on the students we admit, and the work they are able to do with us—their stellar academic backgrounds, their curiosity, their passion, their steadfast commitment to intellectual excellence. It should be no surprise that our students then leave CCIR to go on to some of the best universities around the world—though even we were surprised when we learned of the detailed statistical backgrounds.
Below, you can find our updated Spring 2020-Spring 2023 alumni results, collected through student self-reporting and our online data collection.
Before proceeding, it’s important to emphasize that while the following data is statistically representative, it doesn’t encompass 100% of CCIR alumni. Some students chose not to disclose their personal information for this project.
Additionally, we only considered the ultimate destination that our students ended up in, not the offers that they received. It is not uncommon that students receive multiple offers, including from better ranked universities, but for our statistics we are not counting the universities that they choose not to attend (whether for financial or other reasons).
After some digging and some organizing, this is what we found:
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Where are our alumni today?
US University Admission Results
US Universities: One-third currently in Ivy Leagues + Stanford, MIT
Although our students come from more than 40 countries, over 60% of our students are from the US. The vast majority of our global student bodies are applied to top universities in the US. Over the past years, packed with rigorous research experience and academic passion, CCIR alumni enjoyed stellar admission results in the ever-changing college admissions race.
According to the 2023 US News US Universities ranking (Best National University Rankings), 28.49% of our alumni currently in US universities are in one of the Top 10 US universities, not including LACs.
In other words, nearly 30% of our US-bound alumni are currently in one of the following universities: Princeton, MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Yale, UPenn, Caltech, Duke, Brown, Johns Hopkins, and Northwestern.
In addition, 55% of our US-bound alumni went to Top 15 US universities and 75% of them went to Top 30 US universities. The vast majority of them (92.44%) landed in a US Top 50 university.
When only looking at the Ivy League universities, plus Stanford and MIT, nearly one-third (30.81%) of our US-bound alumni are currently their students.
A small percentage of our talented alumni also landed in Liberal Arts Colleges (LACs). As much as nearly 50% of our alumni went to LACs enrolled in one of the top 15 LACs, including Swarthmore, Pomona, Wellesley and more.
UK University Admission Results
UK Universities: One-third currently in Oxbridge
When looking at our alumni that enrolled in universities in the United Kingdom, we found out 30.77% of them are currently in the University of Cambridge or the University of Oxford.
More than half (57.69%) of them are currently in one of the G5 / Golden Triangle universities: Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, King’s College, the London School of Economics, or University College London.
Over 80% of our UK alumni are currently in one of the prestigious Russell Group universities. Taking into account other top universities that are not in the Russell Group, such as the University of St Andrews and SOAS, the vast majority of CCIR’s UK alumni are currently students in the top-tier universities in the UK.
Global University Admission Results
Global Universities: One-third currently in Global Top 15 universities
When looking at our entire student body (excluding US LACs), according to US News Best Global Universities Rankings, 21.55% of our students landed in a Global Top 10 university. Nearly one-third of them (31.90%) are currently students in one of the Global Top 15 universities, including Harvard, MIT, Stanford, UCBerkeley, Oxford, Columbia, Cambridge, Caltech, Yale, UPenn, and more. In addition, the majority of our global alumni body (60.3%) are currently students in one of the Global Top 50 Universities.
According to the QS World University Rankings, over half of all our alumni (55%) went to QS World Top 50 universities. Nearly 70% of all our alumni went to World Top 100 ranked universities.
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Why are CCIR alumni landing their dream universities?
At CCIR, we support curious and intellectually ambitious students through opportunities to conduct original research with experienced professors from leading universities, including Ivy League institutions and Oxbridge. Our structured programmes encourage students to explore complex questions and develop their academic interests.
Research experience can also help students build skills that are valuable for university study. Through their projects, students strengthen their research, writing, and analytical abilities. Depending on their work and its outcomes, they may also have opportunities to present or publish their research in academic conferences or journals.
Beyond these practical skills, CCIR aims to support students’ intellectual development. By investigating topics that interest them, students learn to approach questions critically, communicate ideas clearly, and work through challenging academic problems.
Over time, this experience can help students grow both academically and personally. We are proud to see our alumni continue their education at universities around the world and pursue their interests in a range of fields.
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Spring 2020-Spring 2023 CCIR Alumni Results: Which Universities Are They Currently Attending?
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US Universities Ranking
US-bound applicants only, excl. LACs – US News Ranking
| US Top 10 | 28.49% |
| US Top 15 | 55.23% |
| US Top 30 | 75.00% |
| US Top 50 | 92.44% |
| Ivy Leagues+Stanford, MIT | 30.81% |
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Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking
US LAC bound students only – US News Ranking
| US LAC Top 15 | ~50% |
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Global Universities Ranking
Global students – US News Ranking
| Global Top 10 | 21.55% |
| Global Top 15 | 31.90% |
| Global Top 30 | 54.74% |
| Global Top 50 | 60.34% |
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QS World Universities Ranking
Global students
| QS Top 10 | 17.77% |
| QS Top 50 | 54.96% |
| QS Top 100 | 69.01% |
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Ready to take your academic ambitions further?
Like the CCIR alumni who have gone on to leading universities around the world, you can start building a strong academic foundation through original research guided by experienced professor mentors at CCIR.
Download the CCIR Research Programme Prospectus to explore our 170+ research areas, discover our Cambridge Future Scholar and 1-on-1 Research Mentorship programmes, learn about our professor mentors from leading universities, and find out more about programme formats, student outcomes, scholarships, and the application process.
