The college is notable for its open court (rather than closed quadrangle) that faces towards Trumpington Street.

St Catharine's college community consists of approximately 1000 Fellows, graduate and undergraduate students, and staff.

The preparation cost him a great deal of his private fortune (he was suspected of diverting King's College funds), and he was forced to scale down the foundation to only three fellows.

Two of the five Fellows of the college stood for election: Charles Kirkby Robinson and Francis Jameson.

However, a series of prudent masters and generous benefactors were to change the fortunes of the college and expand its size.

By 1630 the college began to demolish its existing buildings which were decaying, and started work on a new court.

However, the Master (Charles Kirkby Robinson) was opposed and St Catharine's eventually refused.

This saw the creation of a new larger hall, new kitchens and an accommodation block shared between St Catharine's and King's College.

[9] In 2015, St Catharine's became the first college in Cambridge to implement a gender-neutral dress code for formal hall.

[11] Between September 2020 and August 2022, the facilities at the Trumpington Street site of St Catharine's were renovated as part of the "Central Spaces project".

[12] A temporary hall was erected on the main court and named "Catzebo",[13] a portmanteau of "Catz" and "gazebo" for its tent-like appearance.

The official opening for the newly built areas occurred in early October 2022, and the overall cost was stated to be around £16 million.

[16] The team enjoyed its most dominant years in the late 1970s winning Cuppers four times consecutively from 1975 to 1978,[17] although a recent merger with St Edmund's College Hockey Club (SECHC) saw them return to the winner's list in 2024.