Stormzy to receive honorary doctorate from Cambridge University

It has been announced that Stormzy will be among eight distinguished individuals awarded honorary doctorates by Cambridge University in 2025. The University Council nominated all eight recipients, who will be formally admitted at a special Congregation in the Senate-House on Wednesday 25th June, presided over by the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice. The ceremony will be attended by staff, students, alumni and specially invited guests.

This marks Stormzy’s second honorary doctorate, following his first from Exeter University in 2022, where he was "honoured in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of higher education philanthropy and widening participation.”

In June, Stormzy will receive a Doctorate in Law from Cambridge University in recognition of his impactful philanthropic work across education, music, sport and literature. In 2018, he launched the Stormzy Scholarship at Cambridge, funding two Black British students annually by covering their tuition fees and maintenance costs. In 2021, the programme expanded significantly after HSBC UK agreed to support an additional ten students per year. To date, 55 students have benefited from the Stormzy Scholarship, with the largest group to date set to graduate in 2025. His efforts have been widely credited with contributing to a rise in applications to Cambridge from Black students across the UK, often referred to as the ‘Stormzy Effect.’

Other honorands include Sir Simon Russell Beale, Professor Angela Davis, Lady Arden of Heswall, Dame Katherine Grainger, Sir Oliver Hart, Maria Leptin and Sir John Rutter.