If you find yourself in a situation of unforeseen financial hardship, you should contact the Tutorial Office (if you are an undergraduate) or the Postgraduate Office. They are the best source of support and information.
Additional financial support in the form of studentships, bursaries and grants are available to help fund other opportunities.
If you’re seeking financial advice, or are worried about money, the best person to start with is your Tutor, or the University’s Financial Support pages may be able to help answer some of your questions.
Hardship Grants
Churchill College puts funds aside to support students facing hardship. The Development Office support these funds by raising money for the Student Support Fund and we’re grateful to our donors who enable this.
Applications for College Hardship Grants usually come from the Tutor, accompanied sometimes by letters or documents from the student. Â The Grants are administered by the Financial Adversity Support Committee (Senior Tutor, Bursar, Senior Postgraduate Tutor, Finance Tutor plus two other Fellows) and are available to any student, undergraduate or postgraduate facing financial difficulties that are not the fault of the student and were unforeseen and unforeseeable at the time of admission.
To apply for a Hardship Grant, you should show that you have applied to all appropriate University Funds, particularly e.g. the Cambridge Bursary Scheme, and Cranes Fund (see below). The Committee recognises that the assessment procedures used by the Student Loans company (upon the outcome of which Newton Trust and University Hardship Funds applications may necessarily depend) can be rather rigid, and may fail to take into account exceptional circumstances.
The Committee will normally require full information from Tutors (including possibly sensitive information about the resources available to the student’s family) together with advice from the Tutor. The Financial Adversity Support Committee relies heavily on this advice when making grants. The Committee is not in the habit of interviewing students directly and must rely on students, guided by their Tutors, to present an honest assessment of the need and the justification for the need for a grant.
When the need for financial support from the Hardship Fund is sufficiently urgent that it cannot wait until the next meeting of the Financial Adversity Support Committee, the Senior Tutor (for undergraduates) or the Senior Postgraduate Tutor (for postgraduate students) has the authority to approve an emergency loan from the Hardship Fund to a maximum of £250.
Emergency loans
An emergency loan can be awarded up to a value of £250. The loan is free of interest and must have a repayment date not more than four months from the date of authorisation.
The Senior Tutor or Senior Postgraduate Tutor has to certify that in their opinion, the loan is required urgently for reasons of hardship that could not have been foreseen at the time of admission of the student, and there is no reason to believe that the loan will not be repaid by the due date.
Tutors can apply directly to the Senior Tutor/Senior Postgraduate Tutor if they have a case where they believe that an emergency hardship loan is necessary.
Applications
If you want to apply for a College Hardship Grant or Loan:
- Complete the the first part of the application form
- Complete the income and expenditure form.
- Attach one to the other and take them both to your Tutor for further discussion.
- The deadlines for consideration are 15th November (Michaelmas), 15th February (Lent) and 15th May (Easter). In an emergency the committee can consider applications on an individual basis.
University financial support
There are many funding opportunities at Cambridge from a wide variety of sources.
For details of current hardship funds please visit the University Website.
“Cambridge Bursaries”, or the Cambridge Bursary Scheme, are available to students for students with home fee status taking any undergraduate course of study at the University of Cambridge. The value of each bursary is calculated on a sliding scale based on your SLC assessment up to £3500 per annum. The College and the University fund the Cambridge Bursary scheme for Churchill students in a ratio of 2:1.
All UK students applying for a student loan to the SLC will be automatically considered for a Cambridge Bursary provided they do not tick the box opting out of sharing financial information with the University.
Other University funds include:
Childcare Bursary Scheme for EU and overseas students
The Crane’s FundÂ
The Medical Support Fund (Crane’s Charity) provides financial assistance to students in financial need who need treatment for physical or mental illness. The treatment applied for should not be conveniently or readily obtainable under the NHS. The scheme is funded by the Crane’s Charity. More information about the Crane’s Charity is available here.
Students are expected to have discussed their application with their College Tutor prior to applying.
College Bursaries & Funds
Financial support for sporting activities, musical and drama tours etc
Grants are made by a Committee consisting of the Senior Tutor, Senior Postgraduate Tutor, Finance Tutor, and other Fellows. Such grants (up to a maximum of £350) are usually made for sports or similar expenses where the student is representing the University or playing at national level, or for specific events or travel which are related in some way to the student’s University activities. The Small Grants Committee will wish to know that any applicant for their funds has explored the possibility of getting funding from the University funds, such as the Hawks Charitable trust.
Sports & Arts Representation Grants
Sizarships
Sizarships are monetary awards available for students who take on roles within Music, Theatre and Visual Arts.
Music scholarships
Churchill College offers numerous scholarships and bursaries to talented musicians in all styles both through the University-wide choral, organ, and instrumental schemes and through its own internal scheme.
Language Bursaries
Churchill College will refund half the cost of fees for one course a year at the University Language Centre under the CULP programme, to any Churchill student.
ISLA Gift: for UK students of Black Caribbean and/or Black African descent
The ISLA Gift Cambridge at Churchill College is a financial award designed to support and encourage UK students of Black Caribbean and/or Black African descent who are either pursuing undergraduate study at Churchill College or are current offer-holders.
The award was launched in partnership with alumni Imani Jeffers (U15) in 2021. Successful recipients who are current students at the College will be given cash awards of £200 in recognition of outstanding academic achievement (GCSE or equivalent or above) or exceptional achievement in; Music, the Arts, Sports, Science and Technology outside the curriculum ie Olympiads; scientific or technological creativity or innovation, extra-curricular initiatives creating a positive social, education and community impact or other extra-curricular activities. It is typically open for applications in October.
Travel and Vacation Grants
Undergraduate Travel Funds
Funds to support travel that is for academic or intellectual purposes or which is likely to bring benefit to disadvantaged people, especially in the developing world.
Undergraduate Vacation Funds
Support for undergraduates considering research opportunities during the vacation.
Postgraduate Travel Grant
Support with the cost of travel to conferences and medical electives.
Chapel Grants
The Chapel Trustees have a small travel fund to provide for the award of a number of bursaries for undergraduates and postgraduate students to assist with the cost of some specific travel, ideally having a religious connection. Awards will be made in the region of £200 and the Trustees will request a short account from travel bursary holders at a Chapel service during Michaelmas Term. These Chapel bursaries are independent of College travel grants and it is perfectly acceptable to apply for both.
To apply, write a single document of no more than 2 A4 pages giving details of the itinerary, purpose and approximate cost of the travel and send it as a PDF or Word attachment to the Chairman of the Trustees.
2025 postgraduate studentships / scholarships
The College works closely with the Cambridge Trusts and, in addition to the opportunities below, will be offering 1 funded AHRC place at Churchill College.
This is a full studentship for a full-time PhD student in Humanities, Arts or Social Sciences at Churchill College. It provides for living costs at published UKRI rates for three years, and covers the University Composition Fee for the course duration. Applicants must be at the Home rate.
The award is provided in collaboration with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Selection will be made by the College. All applications meeting the criteria will be considered, with priority for those indicating Churchill College as a first preference
Gulbenkian-Yuval Cambridge PhD Studentship
The Gulbenkian Yuval Studentship offers a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in any subject area for applicants from outside the UK. Provides for living costs at published UKRI rates for three years, and covers the University Composition Fee for the course duration. Applicants should be at the Overseas rate, and those who have indicated Churchill College as a first preference in their application may be given priority.
The award is provided in collaboration with the Cambridge Trust and selection will be made jointly by the College and the Trust. Applications should be made by ticking the Cambridge Trust funding box in the applicant portal.
Supported by donations from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and former Gulbenkian Scholar Gideon Yuval.
Palestinian StudentshipÂ
The Churchill College Palestine Studentship provides a full studentship for a full-time MPhil or other one-year Masters student at Churchill College in any subject area for applicants from Palestine. Provides for living costs at the published UKRI rate for the relevant year, and covers the University Composition fee for the course.
Selection will be by the College and all applications meeting the criteria will be considered.
Applicants should be normally resident in the West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem and be current students or graduates of a West Bank, Gaza or East Jerusalem university.
Those who have indicated Churchill College as a first preference in their application may be given priority.
Chinese Medical PhD Studentship
The Chinese Medical Students Fund offers a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in organ transplantation research for applicants from China. Provides for living costs at published UKRI rates for three years, and covers the University Composition Fee for the course duration. Applicants should be at the Overseas rate, and those who have indicated Churchill College as a first preference in their application may be given priority.
United Nations Least Developed Countries (UN LDC) Overseas PhD
Churchill College LDC Studentship offers a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in any subject from a nation on the UN-LDC list. Provides for living costs at published UKRI rates for three years, and covers the University Composition Fee for the course duration.
By point of admission, applicants must have completed a previous degree at a recognized university in a country appearing on the UN LDC list, be a national of an LDC country, and would otherwise face significant economic challenge to attend in Cambridge..
The award is provided in collaboration with the Cambridge Trust and selection will be made jointly by the College and the Trust. Applications should be made by ticking the Cambridge Trust funding box in the applicant portal. Priority may be given to applicants who have selected Churchill College as first preference college in their application.
Bill Brown PhD Studentship
The Bill Brown Engineering Fund provides a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in Engineering for applicants from the UK. Priority will be given to applicants intending to undertake interdisciplinary research. Provides for living costs at published UKRI rates for three years, and covers the University Composition Fee for the course duration. Applicants should be at the Home rate and should have selected Churchill College as first preference college in their application.
Frank Hahn PhD Studentship
The Frank Hahn Economics Teaching and Research Fund provides a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in Economics for applicants from the UK. Provides for living costs at published UKRI rates for three years, and covers the University Composition Fee for the course duration. Applicants should be at the Home rate and should have selected Churchill College as first preference college in their application.
There may be other funding opportunities for smaller amounts once applicants have a conditional membership at Churchill College. Studentships is a term used interchangeably with scholarships.
The College also has some funds to help with conference travel, language learning, and for unforeseen financial emergencies which can occur once a student is already in Cambridge.
