Many Queens' students go on to excel in their chosen careers and leave their mark on the world. Of the many Queens' alumni who have made contributions to all aspects of modern life, a selection are listed below. (Please note this list is a work in progress and should by no means be considered exhaustive).
- Politics & Law
- The Arts
- Film & Television
- Science
- Business, Economics & Maths
- Sport
Politics & Law
- Awn Al-Khasawneh, former judge of the International Court of Justice and former Prime Minister of Jordan
- Bernardo Sepúlveda Amor, Mexican diplomat and jurist and former judge of the International Court of Justice
- Suella Braverman KC, former Home Secretary
- José Cabranes, senior United States circuit judge of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- Alexander Crummell, minister, academic and African nationalist (1819-1898)
- Sir Richard Dearlove KCMG OBE, former head of MI6
- Charlie Falconer PC KC, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, former Lord Chancellor
- Luc Frieden, Prime Minister of Luxembourg
- Manohar Singh Gill, Indian bureaucrat, politician and writer (1936-2023)
- Kate Grange KC, barrister and counsel to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
- Neil Hudson FRCVS, politician
- Vuk Jeremić, President of the UN General Assembly 2012-13
- Liz Kendall, politician
- Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan
- Stephen Kinnock, politician
- The Rt Hon. Sir David Latham KC, retired Lord Justice of Appeal
- Sir Thomas Smith, scholar and diplomat (1513-1577)
- Bryony Worthington, Baroness Worthington, politician
The Arts
- Jeremy Black MBE, historian and writer
- Ted Cullinan CBE RA RDI FRIBA HonFRIAS, architect (1931-2019)
- Elizabeth Day, journalist and novellist
- Paul Ginsborg, historian (1945-2022)
- Richard Hickox CBE, conductor (1948-2008)
- Tom Holland FRSL, writer and historian
- Peter Mathias CBE FRHistS FBA MAE, economic historian (1928-2016)
- Stephanie Merritt (pseudonym S.J. Parris), literary critic and writer
- Sir Robin Millar CBE, record producer and disabilities advocate
- Dame Alison Peacock DBE DL FRSA, educator, public speaker and writer
- Sir Roland Penrose CBE, Surrealist artist, historian poet and collector (1900-1984)
- Sir Charles Herbert Reilly, architect and teacher (1874-1948)
- Professor Naomi Segal, professor of modern languages, literature, culture and gender studies
- Tom Shippey, pre-eminent Tolkien scholar, medievalist and science fiction writer
- Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, composer (1852-1924)
- Graham Swift FRSL, writer
- Charles Tomlinson CBE, poet, translator, academic and illustrator (1927-2015)
- Stephen Wakelam, TV, stage and radio dramatist
- T.H. White, author of The Sword in the Stone and other novels (1906-1964)
Film & Television
- Khalid Abdalla, actor and activist
- Arjun, singer and actor
- Simon Bird, actor
- Declan Donnellan OBE, film and stage director and author
- Stephen Fry, actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer
- Paul Greengrass CBE, film director, producer and screenwriter
- Waris Hussein, film and television director, including the first ever episode of Doctor Who
- Emily Maitlis, journalist, documentary filmmaker and former BBC newsreader
- Roger Michell, theatre, television and film director (1956-2021)
- Hannah Murray, actress
- Joanna Scanlan, BAFTA-winning actress and screenwriter
- Iain Softley, film director, producer and screenwriter
- Manish Pandey, producer, writer and director
- Mark Watson, comedian and novellist
Science
- Colin Butler OBE FRS, entomologist and bee specialist (1913-2016)
- Sir John Chisholm FREng CEng FIEE FRAeS FInstP, engineer and former chair of the Medical Research Council
- Dr Michael Foale CBE, former NASA astronaut and astrophysicist
- Sir Demis Hassabis CBE FRS FREng FRSA, computer scientist, artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur, Nobel laureate
- Professor Yadvindher Malhi CBE FRS, professor of ecosystem science
- Isaac Milner FRS, mathematician, inventor and former College President (1750-1820)
- Dr James Niven, physician best known for his work during the 1918 influenza outbreak as Manchester's Medical Officer of Health (1851 - 1925)
- Professor Thomas Odhiambo, entomologist and environmental activist (1931-2003)
- Dr Jane Osbourn OBE FMedSci, scientist and former chair of UK BioIndustry Association
- Professor Osborne Reynolds FRS, innovator in fluid dynamics (1842-1912)
- Professor Roderick Smith ScD FREng, professor of railway engineering
- Dr Pippa Wells, physicist and Deputy Director for Research and Computing at CERN
Business, Economics & Maths
- Dr Andrew Bailey, banker and Governor of the Bank of England
- Sir John Banham DL, businessman (1940-2022)
- Sir Robert Chote, economist and chair of the UK Statistics Authority
- Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist and College President
- Professor James Maynard FRS, mathematician and 2022 Fields Medal winner
- Sir David Walker, banker and former chairman of Barclays
Sport
- George Band OBE, mountaineer (1929-2011)
- Mike Gibson MBE, rugby player, Ireland and British & Irish Lions
- Gamini Goonesena, captain of Sri Lankan cricket team (1931-2011)
- Simon Harris, Boat Race umpire in 2006
- Fiona Hughes, Olympic Cross-Country skier 2010
- James Horwill, former rugby player and Australia captain
- Dr Jamie Roberts, former rugby player, Wales and British & Irish Lions
- Walter Robins, captain of the English cricket team (1906-1968)
- John Spencer, former rugby player, England captain, British & Irish Lions
- Ruby Tew, rower and New Zealand Olympian at Tokyo 2020
- Grace Prendergast MNZM, former rower, Boat Race winner and New Zealand Olympic Champion at Tokyo 2020