Rapper will join ex-Supreme Justice Lady Arden
The University of Cambridge has announced its nominees for honorary degrees, with rapper Stormzy and former Supreme Court Justice Lady Arden both set to receive honorary doctorates in law.
Cambridge will become the second university to award Stormzy an honorary doctorate, this time in law (LLD), for his philanthropy and impact in fields like education, music, sport, and literature.
In 2018, Stormzy launched his Stormzy Scholarship in collaboration with Cambridge, funding the tuition and maintenance for two Black British students per year. Three years later, HSBC joined the #Merky Foundation to help support ten further scholars.
One of the first two scholars from 2018, Drew Chateau, graduated Cambridge law with a BA in 2021. She completed her training at Clifford Chance, including a secondment in the Tokyo office, and is now a newly qualified associate at the City firm.
Speaking back in 2023, Chateau explained how the scholarship “helped reduce the gap” between herself and those with a more “stable upbringing”.
Fifty-five students have now been supported by a Stormzy Scholarship, with 2025 set to see the largest graduating cohort to date. Cambridge also highlighted the “Stormzy effect” in encouraging more Black students from across the UK to apply to the university.
Stormzy, the stage name of Michael Omari Owuo Junior, is among eight individuals set to receive an honorary doctorate from Cambridge, three of which will be LLDs. He will share the stage with former Supreme Court judge Lady Arden, while Olympian and UK Sport chair Dame Katherine Grainger will also receive an LLD.
In 2022, the University of Exeter awarded the musician his first honorary degree — a Doctor of Letters (DLitt). The honour recognised Stormzy’s efforts in promoting education and tackling racial inequality, with the university highlighting his publishing imprint, #Merky Books, and his Cambridge scholarship.
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