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 Graduate 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. Part-time PhD students may apply for up to £350 as may research MPhil students; 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.)

The Scott Morten Fund and Whittington Fund

These funds are for students visiting MIT, or visiting from MIT and to support students in Earth Sciences and Biology. They are available on the same terms as the North America Foundation Fund and Parry Dutton Student Fund.

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: Postgraduate level students pursuing Doctoral or Masters level degrees 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

The application process is open for candidates who wish to spend the 2025 -2026 academic year at Yale University. The application closing date is 9am on Monday the 20th of January 2025. 

The programme dates are Mid-August 2025 to May 31 2026.

Please download the application form and submit the completed form by email to the Postgraduate Office.

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 2025. 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 Studentships

The Council of Sidney Sussex College is offering a Research Studentship commencing in October 2022, which will be awarded via the University's central funding competitions. 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 by a student 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 her/his thesis once completed.

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 Studentships

(This studentship is not available in 2021/22 admission round.)

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.

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.

Hanadi Jabado Bursary

The Hanadi Jabado Bursary is open to female students from Lebanon who wish to study for an MBA at Judge Business School.

Each award can be up to the value of £5,000 per year, and will depend on the need of the student.

Candidates should apply for admission to the Cambridge MBA through Judge Business School in the usual way. At the same time they should send a covering letter explaining the need for the bursary and copy of their CV to the College by email to gradoffice@sid.cam.ac.uk.

For further details about the bursary contact the Postgraduate Office. For further information about the MBA programme visit the Scholarship and Funding page at Judge Business School.

Joyce Coutu Scholarship

The Joyce Coutu Scholarship is open for a North American female MBA student at Judge Business School.

Sidney Sussex College will provide one scholarship of £1,000 each year to an exceptional North American female MBA student at the Judge Business School. Recipients will be offered the option to live in single College-owned accommodation during their MBA studies.

Eligibility

For North American female MBA students only. First or high upper second class degree. GPA above 3.5 (out of 4) or equivalent from a recognised university. Minimum GMAT score of 680. 3 years' full-time post-graduation work experience.

For further details, please contact the Admissions Officer at Judge Business School by phone (+44 (0)1223 337053) or email (mba-admissions@jbs.cam.ac.uk).

Alternatively visit the Joyce Coutu Scholarship information at Judge Business School.

Candidates should apply for admission to the Cambridge MBA in the normal way.

All applicants who are made an offer of admission to the MBA programme will be considered for the Scholarship separately by Sidney Sussex College. Scholarships will be awarded on a first come first served basis, so it is advisable to apply early. Scholarships are conditional on the applicant taking up the offer of admission to the MBA programme.

To apply for a scholarship, follow the application instructions specified on the Judge Business School website. Please do not send your application direct to Sidney Sussex.

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.

(The information provided below is subject to change)

Two new Studentship will be awarded via the University's central funding competitions in 2020/21 admission round (to commence in October 2021). 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

Two new Howard Research Studentships in sciences have been awarded to Michael Craig (PhD, Neuroscience) and Corinne Benedek (PhD, Polar Studies) for three years commencing 2015/16. This Studentship will not be advertised as available again until 2019.

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 men or women of any nationality.

One new Studentship in AHSS subjects will be awarded via the University's central funding competitions in 2019/20 admission round (to commence in October 2020 or shortly thereafter). 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.