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Why was Edmund Spenser classified as a sizar at the University of Cambridge?
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Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser, oil painting by an unknown artist; in the collection of Pembroke College, Cambridge, England.
Edmund Spenser was classified as a sizar at the University of Cambridge due to financial necessity.1
A sizar was a student who received an allowance toward their college expenses in exchange for performing various menial or semi-menial duties for other students. This status was not uncommon, as approximately one-quarter of the students at the university were classified as sizars during Spenser's time there.12