Board of Graduate Studies

Graduate Financial Aid

There are many different sources of financial aid available to support overseas, home and other EU students at Cambridge but full scholarships are highly competitive, and deadlines for applications for funding can be a year in advance of the proposed start date of your course, particularly for overseas students. There are very few funding competitions open to students who have already started their course, and you will not be admitted to the University without a secure package of funding in place before you begin your study.

Fee Status

Eligibility for funding will depend on your fee status. Please read the section on "your fee status" for more information on how this is determined. Your fee status will also determine the annual costs of your course.

• Determining your fee status

Sources of Funding

Scholarships and small part-cost bursaries are available from the Gates and Cambridge Trusts (for Overseas students), UK Research Councils (for Home and EU students), colleges, departments, and various Charities and Trusts. The best collated source of funding opportunities for Cambridge students is the University Reporter Special issue 6, released in November, but this is by no means exhaustive. Students may also support their study through loans, personal savings, or family contributions. The UK Prospects website is a useful source of information on different types of graduate funding.

The Board of Graduate Studies (BGS) co-ordinates some student loans, a small number of Studentships and Bursaries, and student payments for the AHRC and ESRC.

Useful Stats

About 60% of our Home PhD students received funding from a UK Research Council.
About 40% of our Overseas students received funding from the Cambridge Trusts.
About 33% of our Overseas MPhil and Research students are self-funded.
About 66% of our Home/EU MPhil students are self-funded.
About 20% of our Home/EU Research students are self-funded.

(source of information: source of fees report 2008)