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Finance, funding, scholarships, and bursaries

Postgraduate study is expensive, but there are a number of scholarships available at Jesus College.

University fees

You'll need to pay the University Composition Fee for each year you study at Cambridge, except for the fourth year of the PhD. Before coming to Cambridge, you must have guaranteed funding for every year of your course, including your expected maintenance costs, which are estimated for you during the postgraduate application process. 

It's very unlikely that you'll be able to find extra funding once you are at Cambridge, so please don't count on this. We can't offer financial assistance for fees or living costs. 

College deposit

When you arrive at the College you'll need to deposit a sum of money with us as ‘caution money’, whether you live in College accommodation or not. The money will be refunded after you complete your course, minus any amount taken out to cover damage to College property etc. Most students get their deposit back in full.

Grants, prizes, and bursaries

Some travel and study grants, small bursaries, and prizes are offered throughout the academic year for achievements in sports, specific subject areas, and residencies. There is also a Postgraduate Research Fund, which is available to current postgraduate students by application, to help with the costs of attending conferences and research visits.

Working while you study

The University has specific regulations regarding undertaking employment (whether paid or unpaid) whilst studying and expects students to give careful thought to what would be realistic and manageable alongside their academically demanding study and extra curricular activities. However, where possible within the regulations and other commitments there are opportunities to undertake paid work within College on a temporary and part time basis. The University recommends any work during full-time study is limited to 6 to 10 hours per week (there are different restrictions for taught and research postgraduate students) and this will not be enough to cover your living costs. Further information on the University regulations about working while you study can be found on the Cambridge students website. If you are studying on a student visa (either a Tier 4 or Student visa), it is also your responsibility to be clear about restrictions on working while studying imposed by immigration regulations.

Scholarships

Scholarships at Jesus College are available either by indicating that you would like to be automatically considered for funding in your University postgraduate application, or are directly awarded to candidates of outstanding merit by the College and associated bodies. No separate application to College is required. Selected scholarships available for new courses starting in the 2024/25 academic year are listed below. A full list of scholarships available from Jesus College can be found in the University of Cambridge Student Funding Search database (type "Jesus" in the search box).

Scholarships by Application for new courses starting October 2024

If you wish to be considered for any of the scholarships available to applicants at Jesus College, it is essential that you tick the box in your online University postgraduate application that you wish to be automatically considered for funding opportunities for your new course. Applicants do not need to have an offer of membership of Jesus College at the time of application (and do not need to list Jesus as a preference), but do need to be aware that if an offered award is accepted, the recipient will need to transfer and be a member of Jesus College for their proposed course in order to take up the award. If any further information is needed, please email pgscholarships@jesus.cam.ac.uk.

Embiricos Trust Scholarship (for a PhD or CPGS course starting in 2024/25)

One Embiricos Trust Scholarship is awarded each year to a PhD or CPGS applicant in Physical Science, Engineering or Mathematics, at the University of Cambridge with Greek, Greek Cypriot or British primary nationality. Relevant fields include Engineering and Electrical Sciences, Manufacturing Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine, Natural Sciences, and Computer Science. There can be three concurrent recipients. Postgraduates who have already started their doctorate are not eligible. The candidate, who will be of considerable distinction, will be selected by Jesus College. There is no separate application form.

The scholarship offers an annual contribution of up to £13,500 for a maximum of three years, subject to satisfactory progress.

Gurnee Hart Masters Scholarship (for a full-time Masters course starting in 2024/25)

Up to three Gurnee Hart Scholarships are awarded each year to Masters applicants at the University of Cambridge in History or historical studies (for a course offered by the Faculty of History or Department of History and Philosophy of Science only). The candidate, who will be of considerable distinction, will be selected by Jesus College. The Development and Alumni Relations Office at Jesus College request that the successful applicants write a report, when prompted, detailing what the scholarship has enabled them to achieve, which will be shared with the donor. There is no separate application form.

This scholarship is worth £10,500 for a maximum of one year, subject to satisfactory progress.

Albert Goh and Elizabeth Coupe Scholarship (for a full-time Masters course starting in 2024/25)

One Albert Goh and Elizabeth Coupe Scholarship is awarded each year to a Masters applicant at the University of Cambridge in the Humanities or Social Sciences. The candidate, who will be of considerable distinction, will be selected by Jesus College. The Development and Alumni Relations Office at Jesus College request that the successful applicants write a report, when prompted, detailing what the scholarship has enabled them to achieve, which will be shared with the donors. There is no separate application form.

This scholarship is worth £8,000 for a maximum of one year, subject to satisfactory progress.

Jesus College Hadfield-Rawlinson Graduate Choral Scholarships (available)

This award is available for postgraduate students who have the experience and wish to participate fully in the College choirs either as an organ scholar or choral scholar. The award can be held by one or two postgraduates in any academic year. Current Jesus students are eligible too. Please ask for more information by emailing the Chapel and Choir Office Coordinator at Jesus College. This scholarship is worth £500.

The Dunne Fund (available)

If you're training for the ordained ministry of the Church of England and studying at Jesus College as part of your training, you may be eligible for a scholarship to help cover the cost of your fees. Please contact your theological college principal to find out more. The amount of the award varies.

Directly Awarded Scholarships

The Open Oxford Cambridge AHRC Hogwood Scholarship (for a PhD course)

Jesus College is extremely grateful to the Estate of the late Christopher Hogwood for this generous benefaction. This award allows match funding of a PhD student of outstanding merit and is awarded directly annually for 3.25 academic years (subject to satisfactory research progress), allowing for three scholars to be in residence at any one time. The scholarship for 2024/25 will be match funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Hogwood benefaction administered by Jesus College. The scholarship provides up to 50% of total costs (fees and maintenance) of an AHRC Studentship - the exact amount depends upon the studentship awarded. There is no separate application form. The Development and Alumni Relations Office at Jesus College request that the successful applicants write a report, when prompted, detailing what the scholarship has enabled them to achieve, which will be shared with the donor's family. 

Cambridge UK Masters and Jesus College Scholarship (for a Masters course)

Three Cambridge UK Masters and Jesus College Scholarships are awarded annually to postgraduate applicants ordinarily resident in the UK, to assist with the costs of one year Masters courses. These are joint awards between the Cambridge Trust and Jesus  College, with Jesus College contributing £6,000 (50%) to each award. Recipients of outstanding merit are selected jointly by both bodies, and must be members or postgraduate offer holders of Jesus College.  There is no separate application form.

The John Killen Scholarship (for a Masters course starting in 2024/25)

One John Killen Scholarship is awarded directly in conjunction with the Faculty of Classics. There is no separate application form. The award is made to an outstanding MPhil in Classics applicant, and is selected by the Faculty of Classics. Preference will be given to those with an interest in any of the following areas: the epigraphy and interpretation of Linear B; comparative philology; or the archaeology of Greece in the second millennium BC. The Development and Alumni Relations Office at Jesus College request that the successful applicants write a report, when prompted, detailing what the scholarship has enabled them to achieve, which will be shared with the donor's family. Made available by a generous donation from William and Patricia Burnside, the John Killen Scholarship is named in recognition of Professor Killen’s contribution to teaching and research at Jesus College.

This scholarship is worth £5,000 for the 2024/25 academic year, subject to satisfactory progress.

The Brian and Janis Buckley Scholarship (for a Masters course starting in 2024/25)

One or more Brian and Janis Buckley Scholarships are awarded directly in conjunction with the Faculty of Classics. There is no separate application form. The award(s) are made to an outstanding MPhil in Classics applicant, and selected by the Faculty of Classics. The Development and Alumni Relations Office at Jesus College request that the successful applicants write a report, when prompted, detailing what the scholarship has enabled them to achieve.

This scholarship amount varies, but may be worth up to £7,000 for the 2024/25 academic year, subject to satisfactory progress.

Kenneth Sutherland Memorial Scholarship (for a PhD starting in 2024/25)

One Kenneth Sutherland Memorial Scholarship is awarded every three years. There is no separate application form. The award is made to an outstanding Canadian PhD applicant, the priority is for an applicant planning to study Engineering, and is selected by Jesus College. The award is for £1,500 per year for three years. The recipient must be a Jesus College offer holder to be offered the award, and be highly ranked by the relevant Department.

Harvard-Cambridge Scholarship: John Eliot (for a Masters course starting in 2024/25)

The John Eliot Scholarship provides a full scholarship (fees and accommodation costs) for three terms, plus a stipend to cover living expenses and some travel. There is no separate application form. The recipient is selected annually by Harvard and the applicant must be an undergraduate of Harvard applying to a Masters course. The selection Committee are all former Harvard-Cambridge Scholars.

Nick Mills Memorial Scholarship in Conservation Leadership (for a Masters course starting in 2024/25)

One Nick Mills Memorial Scholarship is awarded each year in collaboration with Fauna & Flora International, and the Department of Geography, to an overseas Masters candidate studying for an MPhil in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge. The candidate, who will be of considerable distinction, will be selected by the Department of Geography. The scholarship is subject to annual confirmation of available funding from the charity Fauna & Flora International. There is no separate application form.

This scholarship is worth £15,000 for a maximum of one year, subject to satisfactory progress.

Other funding sources

Many additional potential sources of funding can be found using the University of Cambridge Student Funding database. It is also a good idea to contact your Faculty to inquire about discipline-specific grants, scholarships or bursaries.

Some students may be eligible to apply for US loans. You can read information on the page linked to above and on the consumer information page.

Research fellowships

In July and August each year we invite applications for paid research fellowships, two in an arts subject and one in a science subject. Fellowships normally last three years, and are open to those who have completed, or are close to completing, their doctoral research. More information is available during July and August on our vacancies page.

If you have any questions about postgraduate scholarships at Jesus College please email us at pgscholarships@jesus.cam.ac.uk.

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