Here you will find information about the funds available for postgraduate students.
The College has a number of funds available for postgraduate students. Each of these must be applied for, and most are competitive. Applications for these funds are through the postgraduate tutors (students are advised to contact the Postgraduate Office in the first instance. Applicants should carefully read the eligibility criteria and guidelines below and on the application form.
All applications should be made using the research expense application form. Applications must include all relevant documentation, including booking confirmations or other clear evidence of expected costs. Successful applicants will be reimbursed upon presentation of relevant receipts.
Applications for research support must be shown to be relevant to the student’s research and must have the support of the research supervisor. All reasonable efforts should be made to secure funding from other sources before application to the College. College funding may be refused or reduced if it is expected that other sources are available and have not been approached.
Applications may be made to cover the cost of, for example: fieldwork, research outside Cambridge, conference attendance, course fees (but not University or College fees), library expenses etc. In the case of books, justification should be given (ie a lack of availability in libraries, frequency of use etc).
The College will not normally accept applications for research consumables (eg chemicals, instrument charges, technician charges etc) and for equipment and consumables that would normally be provided by the student’s University department. It will also not normally accept applications for computer equipment or software.
Please note that ordinarily you may not apply retrospectively. Failure to provide the receipts required may result in the amount of any award being added to your College Bill.
- Postgraduate Research Fund
Candidates for the degrees of PhD and MPhil (where the course is more than 50% research based) are ordinarily eligible to apply for expenses which will be incurred during the first nine terms (or for MPhils, 3 terms) of their degree. Very exceptionally, the Postgraduate Tutors may consider an application after this time. Applications for major items, other than conference attendance or thesis preparation, will not normally be considered after the first six months of the third year of residence. MPhils are formally classified as “research” or “taught” degrees by the Student Registry. If you are unsure of your status in this respect, please consult the Postgraduate Office Administrator.
Students may apply for research funds, with a cumulative maximum grant of £1000, with ordinarily a maximum grant of £500 per application and per academic year. Research MPhil students may apply for up to £350; if the student subsequently carries on to read for a PhD degree, the amount awarded will be counted towards the cumulative maximum grant. Students are not eligible to apply for any period during which they have intermitted (and that period will not count towards the nine-term limit); students who have leave to work away are eligible to apply for research funds (and, correspondingly, that period will count towards the nine-term limit).
- Parry Dutton Student Fund & North America Foundation Fund
The Parry Dutton Fund is for grants to students for periods of travel, residence, or study in the United States of America with the aim of strengthening Anglo-American relationships. The North America Foundation Fund is for students from the United States or Canada only. It is primarily aimed at MBA students at the Judge Business School, but other graduate students may apply.
Grants are ordinarily limited to those in their first nine terms for candidates for the degree of PhD, or for students on one-year courses (MPhil, MBA, LLM, MCL, PGCE, CASM), the first three 3 terms of their degree. Vet MB and MB students may apply any time during their nine terms of postgraduate clinical study.
As with the postgraduate research allowance, students are not eligible to apply for any period during which they have intermitted (and that period will not count towards the usual nine-term limit); students who have leave to work away are eligible to apply for research funds (and, correspondingly, that period will count towards the usual nine-term limit).
Students may normally apply for funding up to a maximum of £1,500. In exceptional cases requests for a higher amount may be considered. All applicants should be aware though that the award of funds is a competitive process and the judgement of the Postgraduate Tutors will be final.
Any award which may be given is conditional upon a 500 word report being supplied to the College within one month of completion of the research. Please submit your completed application form for either of these funds to the Postgraduate Tutors' Office. (The application form is the same as for Postgraduate Research Expenses.)
- Awards for Music and University Sports
There are some music awards that are open to postgraduate students participating in music activity. There is also a small award for those who play Blues Sports (applications for this are sought after by email towards the end of each academic year).
- College Hardship Funds
The College’s Student Hardship Fund, administered by the Tutors, provides financial assistance for students who experience unforeseen financial difficulties. When the situation is purely temporary, the Tutorial and Student Finance Manager will be able to advise you and agree a rescheduling of your College Bill. When the financial problem cannot be solved in this way, you should contact the Postgraduate Tutors. The Hardship Fund can provide discretionary grants, typically ranging from reimbursement of incidental expenses incurred through illness, to partial rent rebates, to larger grants of several hundred pounds.
- College Bill
Details about the College Bill, and how to pay it, can be found on the Finance and funding page.
- US Federal Loans
Scholarships
View the range of scholarships below.
- Fox Fellowship
The Fox International Fellowship at Yale University enables the holder to spend an academic year at Yale University in the United States. The holder is not registered for a degree at Yale, but has the opportunity to take classes and seminars, to work with members of the Yale faculty, and to use all the facilities of the university. A stipend, which covers living and travel expenses, plus health coverage and other benefits, are included in the award.
The Fox International Fellowship Program aims to identify and contribute to the education of outstanding students and identify ‘citizen scholar ambassadors’ who, by virtue of their academic and extracurricular record, can be expected in the future to participate in guiding the world toward a more peaceful order.
By ‘citizen scholar ambassador’, we mean a student whose research furthers the goal of the fellowship to expand and sustain global civic discourse and who possesses both the ability to communicate with a wider audience and the potential to become a leader in or out of academia. Due to this, the Fox International Fellowship is awarded on account of both the research proposal and the personal leadership qualities of the candidate.
Eligibility: You must be a PhD student at the University of Cambridge. (Award holders have to be enrolled at the University of Cambridge for the fellowship duration.) The Fox International Fellowship is NOT open to postdoctoral applicants. US citizens are not eligible to apply, unless they have citizenship of another country and have never studied (Undergraduate and Graduate level) in the US.
Selection Criteria
Personal characteristics - Candidates must demonstrate commitment to serious research and a capacity for leadership and civic engagement.
Field of focus - Candidates should be engaged in a relevant social science (including political science, sociology, anthropology, economics, psychology, and geography) or humanities discipline (including philosophy, history, and law). Training in some type of substantive interdisciplinary fields such as business/management, public administration, international relations, environmental policy, and public health are especially attractive.
Language skills - The candidate’s language skills must be sufficient both to succeed in their research project and to engage in the intellectual and social community of the host university. Candidates for the Fox International Fellowship at Yale University must have an excellent command of the English language in conversation, reading, and writing.
Research proposal - Candidates will be given preference for demonstrating excellence in their field of study.
Application Process
We are accepting applications for the 2026-2027 academic year at Yale. The dates at Yale will be from mid-August 2026 to the 31st of May 2027. The closing date for applications, including the two references is 9am on Monday the 2nd of February 2026. Yale will inform us of the successful applicants by the 15th of April 2026.
Please ask two academic referees to email the Postgraduate Office directly by the same deadline (this is your responsibility – the College will not chase up references that are not submitted or are late). These will normally be from your current academic supervisor, plus one other academic referee who knows you and your work well (for recently arrived postgraduate students, it is permissible to have the second reference from your most recent previous degree institution).
The successful applicants will be informed by the Assistant Director for Fox Fellowship Programs in April.Please refer to http://foxfellowship.yale.edu/apply/exchange-partners to learn more about the nomination process.
Additional Information
US Visa Restrictions: Due to the J1 visa restrictions, we cannot accept students who are scheduled to graduate in May 2026. Students have to be enrolled in a degree-granting program at the partner institution for the fellowship duration.
Vaccination Requirements: Non-U.S. citizens must be fully vaccinated, i.e., by receiving a primary series of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine, to travel to the United States by plane.
Language Requirements: Candidates without TOEFL or IELTS scores will no longer be accepted. This requirement is only waived for applicants from a university or college where English is the primary language of instruction. However, we will accept prior (up to 2 years) scores. If a student does not have a test score at the time of the application, their application will be reviewed, but the award will only be finalized after the TOEFL or IELTS scores are received.
- Osborn Research Studentship
Sidney Sussex College is offering a PhD Research Studentship for students whose research lies within Medieval Art, Architectural or Cultural History, with a preference for the early medieval period and particularly Romanesque Art History. The Studentship is open to candidates of any nationality. It is a condition of appointment that the holder of the Studentship shall agree to send to the endower of the Studentship, Mr John Osborn, a bound copy of their thesis once completed.
This studentship is awarded through central University funding competition. Note, that there is no separate application through Sidney Sussex College for this award. Candidates do not need to nominate Sidney Sussex as their College of first or second choice in order to be considered. Once you put an application through the central University system, requesting in the appropriate place to be considered for centrally administered funds, it will automatically also be considered for the Osborn Research Studentship.
Further details of the University's central funding competitions, including deadlines, can be found at www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/fees/funding/index.html.
- Gledhill Research Studentship
The David Gledhill Research Studentship was established by the College Council in 2001 from an endowment given in memory of Mr David Gledhill (matriculated 1955). The holder of the Studentship must be, or seek to be, a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in the University of Cambridge. The Studentship is open to candidates of any nationality.
This studentship is awarded through the central University funding competition. Note, that there is no separate application through Sidney Sussex College for this award. Candidates do not need to nominate Sidney Sussex as their College of first or second choice in order to be considered, however applicants who have been accepted by Sidney Sussex will be given priority in consideration. Once you put an application through the central University system, requesting in the appropriate place to be considered for centrally administered funds, it will automatically also be considered for the Gledhill Research Studentship.
Further details of the University's central funding competitions, including deadlines, can be found at www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/fees/funding/index.html.
- Kristin Gill PhD Studentship
PhD Studentship: Fingerprinting inflammation dementia – towards tractable and treatable targets
Applications are invited for a fully-funded 4-year PhD studentship in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Dr Maura Malpetti starting April 2026 (Easter Term 26).
Lay summary:
This research aims to understand how inflammation contributes to different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s and frontotemporal dementia. Inflammation is a normal part of the body’s defence system, but when chronically activated it may accelerate brain damage and worsen memory and thinking problems. The study will examine blood samples and brain scans from people living with dementia to identify patterns of inflammation linked to disease progression. Using advanced tests, the student will explore how these biological signals relate to symptoms over time. By working with over 20 hospitals and research centres through the UK-wide ON-FIRE network, the project will create shared data and resources to support future clinical trials of treatments that aim to reduce harmful inflammation in dementia.
Background:
Neuroinflammation is an important driving mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases, and accelerates clinical progression in people with dementia. New immunotherapeutic strategies however need better information about individual differences in inflammation, its causes, and consequences. Our research programme uses advanced blood-based biomarkers, combined with neuroimaging and clinical data, to quantify and characterise neuroinflammation and other pathological changes in people with frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. These tools can provide additive and complementary information on microglia-mediated inflammatory cascades.
The Open Network for Frontotemporal dementia Inflammation Research (ON-FIRE) has established a national collaboration across >20 UK centres and clinics to evaluate blood markers of targetable inflammatory pathways, from real-world populations of people living with sporadic frontotemporal dementia. The ON-FIRE network generates an open resource of data and samples for research to facilitate clinical trials and experimental medicine.
Project aims:
This PhD project aims to characterise inflammation and its role in frontotemporal dementia and related conditions. Specifically, the study aims to:
1. Recruit participants as part of the Open Network for Frontotemporal dementia Inflammation Research (ON-FIRE) study, and coordinate recruitment with other sites involved
2. Identify and quantify blood inflammatory profiles with large proteomics panels and cell immunophenotyping analyses
3. Test the relationship of inflammation signatures to clinical decline and disease progression over time, combining multimodal data
4. Compare inflammation signatures with other neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer’s disease)
The project will leverage local datasets and multi-centre datasets to validate results across cohorts and platforms.
Funding:
This project is funded through the Kristin Gill PhD Studentship at Sidney Sussex College.
'Our family is proud to support a PhD studentship in dementia research within the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, inspired by our personal experience of a loved one living with this condition. Through this gift, we aim to advance the Department’s pioneering work in understanding the mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease and in developing new approaches to diagnosis, treatment, and care. The studentship reflects our belief in the power of research to transform lives and honours Kristin’s strength and spirit by supporting the next generation of researchers dedicated to improving outcomes for those affected by dementia. In doing so, we are pleased to contribute to Cambridge’s enduring mission to deliver world-class innovation and hope to individuals and families across the globe.'
The successful candidate will also receive membership of Sidney Sussex College, home to a diverse and dynamic community of around 355 undergraduate students, 275 postgraduate students and, a scholarly community of 80 fellows. This community of meet regularly to attend talks, share research and dine together. PhD students are encouraged to fully contribute to college life.
The studentship will cover fees and stipend for four years at the current UOC rate for Academic year 2025/26, £ 20,780.00 and Home fees of £10,356.00. The studentships are available to students who qualify for UK Home fees.
Please check for Home Eligibility and Entry Requirements.
All applications should be made online via the University's Applicant Portal for a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences, and select Sidney Sussex College as college of preference.
Application deadline: 14th January 2026
Please apply via the Application Portal
Applications should include academic transcripts, CV, statement of purpose and 2 references. An application is only complete when all supporting documents, including the 2 academic references, are submitted. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure their referees submit their references before the closing date. Please also explain your motivation why you wish to pursue a PhD in this area, outline your research interests and background, and describe the qualities and experience you will bring to the role.
Any queries about the project, please contact Dr Maura Malpetti on mm2243@cam.ac.uk Any questions regarding application processes please contact the Education Team on pgneurosci@medschl.cam.ac.uk. For information about how your personal data is used as an applicant, please see the section on Applicant Data (on the University HR web pages.
When applying, and in any correspondence, please quote: Kristin Gill PhD studentship at Sidney Sussex College, Dr Malpetti.
- Evan Lewis-Thomas Law Studentship
Evan Lewis-Thomas Law Studentship (in Law or cognate subjects). The holder of the Studentship must be, or seek to be, a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in the University of Cambridge. The Studentship is open to candidates of any nationality.
This scholarship is awarded as part of the central University funding competition. Note, that there is no separate application through Sidney Sussex College for this award. Candidates do not need to nominate Sidney Sussex as their College of first or second choice in order to be considered. Once you put an application through the central University system, requesting in the appropriate place to be considered for centrally administered funds, it will automatically also be considered for the Evan Lewis-Thomas Law Studentship.
Further details of the University's central funding competitions, including deadlines, can be found at www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/fees/funding/index.html.
- Howard Research Studentships
The Basil Howard Research Studentship was established by the College Council on 13 November 1991 at the bequest of Basil Alvin Howard (matriculated 1913). The holder of the Studentship must be, or seek to be, a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in the University of Cambridge. The Studentship is tenable in any subject and is open to candidates of any nationality.
This studentship will be awarded as part of the central University funding competition. Note, that there is no separate application though Sidney Sussex College for this award. Candidates do not need to nominate Sidney Sussex as their College of first or second choice in order to be considered, however applicants who have been accepted by Sidney Sussex will be given priority in consideration. Once you put an application through the central University system, requesting in the appropriate place to be considered for centrally administered funds, it will automatically also be considered for the Howard Research Studentship.
Further details of the University's central funding competitions, including deadlines, can be found at www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/fees/funding/index.html. Please address any queries to graduate.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk.
- Scott Morton International Research Studentship
Sidney Sussex College is offering the Scott Morton International Research Studentship thanks to the generous donations by Professor Michael Scott Morton and Mrs Mary Scott Morton. The holder of the Studentship must be, or seek to be, a candidate for the degree of Ph.D. in the University of Cambridge. The Studentship is tenable in any subject and is open to candidates from the USA only.
This studentship will be awarded as part of the central University funding competition. Note, that there is no separate application though Sidney Sussex College for this award. Candidates do not need to nominate Sidney Sussex as their College of first or second choice in order to be considered, however applicants who have been accepted by Sidney Sussex will be given priority in consideration. Once you put an application through the central University system, requesting in the appropriate place to be considered for centrally administered funds, it will automatically also be considered for the Howard Research Studentship.
Further details of the University's central funding competitions, including deadlines, can be found at www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/fees/funding/index.html. Please address any queries to graduate.funding@admin.cam.ac.uk.