University of Cambridge - Cambridge Bursary Scheme

What the Cambridge Bursary Scheme gives you

You will receive a non-repayable grant of up to about 4,050 EUR per year (£3,500) to cover your living costs whilst studying at the University of Cambridge. The amount depends on your household income and is paid once per term. If your household earns £25,000 or less per year, you will receive the full amount. Above this, up to a maximum of £62,215, the grant is gradually reduced to a maximum of £100 per year. Some students receive an increased grant of up to £5,600 per year: students of clinical medicine and veterinary medicine in their later years of study, students classified as financially independent by the student loan company, and former boarding school pupils. You will also receive an additional £1,000 per year (the ‘Education Premium’) if you were entitled to free school meals during your secondary school years or if your school received the ‘Pupil Premium’ at any time. The grant is awarded annually for the entire duration of your undergraduate degree. It is funded by the University of Cambridge from charitable donations.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are a full-time undergraduate student and are studying for your first degree at Cambridge. This also applies to certain students of medicine, veterinary medicine and architecture in later semesters, as well as to some postgraduate medical students and MPhil students.
• Field of study: Every subject and every college in Cambridge.
• Nationality or status: You are a UK domestic student, an Irish national, or have ‘settled’ or ‘pre-settled’ status in the United Kingdom.
• Financial need: Your household income is £62,215 per year or less. If you are considered financially independent, your own income will be taken into account instead.
• Student finance: You are paying tuition fees to the University of Cambridge and have applied to the Student Loans Company for student finance. You are not obliged to accept the loan, but you must have submitted an application.

How to apply

No separate application is required. You will automatically be considered as soon as you apply for student finance from the Student Loans Company and consent to your income details being passed on to the university. The application deadline is 30 June each year. Any means-testing that has not been completed by this date will not be taken into account.

How realistic are your chances?

This is not a means-tested grant. Entitlement is automatic: if you are studying at Cambridge and your household income is at or below £62,215,, you will receive this grant. Around a quarter to a third of undergraduate students in Cambridge are eligible for this. The only step you really need to take is to submit an application to the Student Loans Company and have your income assessed before the deadline on 30 June.