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Bursaries and Sources of Funding

Scholarships and Bursaries

There are a number of sources of financial support for postgraduate students at Magdalene College in the form of full or part scholarships for both Masters students and those pursuing PhDs.

Some of these are funded from the College's own endowments, others are provided in partnership with other funding bodies. Some are restricted to particular subjects or students from particular countries.

Please see a list of some of the major sources of postgraduate funding at Magdalene below, and contact postgraduates@magd.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions about eligibility or application procedure.

The following studentships, scholarships, and bursaries are available at Magdalene for applicants intending to commence their studies in the 2025-26 academic year.

PhD Funding

Leslie Wilson/Vice Chancellor's Awards (PhD)

The College intends to award one full-cost PhD Scholarship (fees plus maintenance) to a Home student in partnership with the Cambridge Trust studying for a PhD in any field. There is no restriction with regard to subject area. The initial consideration for this award will be given to applicants who name Magdalene as their first preference College.

There is no separate application for these awards. All eligible applicants who apply by the relevant deadline will automatically be considered.

Senior Scholarship (PhD)

Magdalene undergraduates who achieve a First Class result in their final year and continue to study for a PhD at Magdalene are eligible for Senior Scholarships of up to £500 per annum.

Masters Funding

Clutton-Brock Scholarship (MPhil)

The Clutton-Brock Scholarship provides support for a postgraduate student from Zimbabwe for a one year Master’s degree in any subject, but with special emphasis on science, technology and other studies of special importance to Zimbabwe. The Scholarship will provide up to £16,000 towards costs.

There is no separate application for these awards. All eligible applicants who apply by the relevant deadline will automatically be considered.

Donner Scholarship (MPhil)

The Donner Scholarship is open to British and Canadian candidates, of outstanding academic potential, who will be studying at the University of Cambridge for an appropriate MPhil degree in matters relevant to Anglo-North American relations. Successful candidates will have been provisionally accepted for registration on one of the University postgraduate programmes.

The Scholarship will be tenable for one year and covers fees and maintenance. Candidates must have graduated at a University before 1 October of the academic year in which they wish to come into residence. Consideration will normally be restricted to those who have a record of academic excellence consistent with the proposed field of study and who can demonstrate the potential to make a significant contribution to the broader life of Magdalene College. While consideration will normally be restricted to those who have obtained, or who have a strong prospect of obtaining, a first-class Honours degree (or its North American equivalent), evidence of subsequent intellectual development will be taken into account.

Donner Scholarship Application Form

Application deadline: 21 February 2025, 12 noon UK time

Lady Lincoln Music Scholarship (MPhil)

The Lady Lincoln Scholarship in Music of £12,000 is available for 2024 entry to support a student from the UK studying the MPhil in Music. It will be awarded in partnership with the Cambridge Trust Cambridge Opportunity Scholarships (COS) programme. The Scholarship aims to support a student to undertake this course where they would otherwise be unlikely to be able to do so. The Scholarship is tenable at Magdalene College, and direct applicants to Magdalene College, as well as successful applicants to the Cambridge Opportunity Scholarship scheme, will be automatically considered for an award.

There is no separate application for this award. All eligible applicants who apply by the relevant deadline will automatically be considered.

Magdalene - Cambridge Trust Masters Scholarships (MPhil)

Two £12,000 scholarships for students from the UK, awarded in partnership with the Cambridge Trust. There is no restriction with regard to subject area but, all else being equal, one award is likely to be made to a candidate in the sciences or engineering and one award to a candidate in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. Initial consideration will be given to applicants who name Magdalene as their first preference College.

There is no separate application for these awards. All eligible applicants who apply by the relevant deadline will automatically be considered.

Mandela Magdalene Scholarship for South Africa (Masters)

The Mandela Magdalene Scholarship is for citizens or residents of South Africa studying for a one-year Masters degree in the University. In partnership with the Cambridge Trust the recipient of this award may receive a full scholarship (composition fees plus maintenance) or a part-cost scholarship. Preference may be given to applicants intending to study a subject relevant to the development of South Africa. Applicants for the MBA and MFin are not eligible.

There is no separate application for these awards. All eligible applicants who apply by the relevant deadline will automatically be considered.

Roosevelt Scholarship (MPhil)

A Roosevelt Scholarship is available each year for a British or Canadian citizen pursuing a course of study for the degree of MPhil, in a subject relevant to Anglo-American relations. The scholarship provides funds of up to £11,000 towards maintenance costs.

Roosevelt Scholarship Application Form

Application deadline: 21 February 2025, 12 noon UK time

Funding Competitions open for both Masters and PhDs

Goulandris Scholarship (Masters/PhD)

A Gouldandris Scholarship is available for a Greek citizen pursuing a course of study for the degree of MPhil or PhD.

The scholarship will provide up to £12,000 per year towards fees depending on the programme length, and satisfactory annual progress reports. Applicants are expected to apply for other sources of funding and the Goulandris award will be adjusted to take other funds received into consideration.

The offer holder will be selected by Magdalene College. It is a condition of the award that the recipient be a member of Magdalene College or willing to transfer to Magdalene College.

Goulandris Scholarship Application Form

Application deadline: 21 February 2025, 12 noon UK time

Moorman Scholarship at Magdalene College, Cambridge

The Moorman Scholarship aims to support an academically outstanding postgraduate student reading for an MPhil, or a PhD, in the humanities, but with a preference for candidates working in the areas of philosophy, philosophy of science, or the history of science. The scholarship is open to academically excellent applicants from the Caribbean, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom. However, preference will normally be given to an applicant of one of the following categories of ethnicity: Black Caribbean; Mixed–White and Black Caribbean; Black African; Black Other.

The scholarship will cover the requisite University composition fees (including college fees), plus an annual maintenance stipend.

The offer holder will be selected by Magdalene College. It is a condition of the award that the recipient be a member of Magdalene College or willing to transfer to Magdalene College.

Moorman Scholarship Application Form

Application deadline: 21 February 2025, 12 noon UK time

Jardine Foundation Scholarships (Masters/PhD)

Magdalene is one of four Cambridge Colleges able to recommend eligible students for a Jardine Foundation Graduate Scholarship. The Jardine Foundation considers a number of applications each year for students from certain countries in Southeast Asia. They are full scholarships (University tuition, College fee, plus maintenance costs), are available for most graduate degree courses (one, two, or three years), and are not restricted by subject.

Up-to-date information and the application form for 2025 entry will be added in due course.

Application deadline: 21 February 2025, 12 noon UK time

Other Financial Support at Magdalene

Postgraduate Student Research Fund

The Postgraduate Student Research Fund will contribute to trips for conferences or for gathering research data, subject to the availability of funds. Further information and application details are available from your Tutor or the Academic Office. Grants must be approved prior to your trip, and will not be awarded to students who have outstanding College bills.

Additionally, for those living in College accommodation, some rebate on College room rent is available when away on research trips lasting longer than two weeks. Before applying for this, please ensure that you have followed the University guidance on working away from Cambridge.

To apply to the Postgraduate Student Research Fund, or for a rent rebate, please complete and return this form to the Academic Office.

Postgraduate Student Research Fund Application Form

Hardship Funds

The College has a Student Support Fund to provide help to students facing significant and unforeseen financial hardship. Applications should be made via your Tutor.

Ariyarathenam Fund for Medical Students

Dr Arun Ariyarathenam MA MB BChir (Cantab) FRCS (1998), is a graduate in clinical medicine from Magdalene who specialises in Bariatric surgery and Oesophago-Gastric Cancer surgery and is based at the Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. Through his generosity the College has established a fund for medical students in financial hardship and to support a small number of Year 5 student electives.

Applications for funding for student electives are open in Lent Term, and should be applied for through the application form for summer funding.

Applications for support from this fund are made via your Tutor.

Beyond the College

In addition to the funds listed above, which are particular to students studying at Magdalene, there are a large number of funding bodies external to the College from whom our students have been successful in receiving significant funding over the years. Bodies that have provided funding to a large number of Magdalene graduate students in recent years include:

Cambridge-Based

The Gates Cambridge Trust

The Cambridge Bursary Scheme

The Cambridge Trust

Those included in the Cambridge Graduate Funding Competition

Other sources of funding in the University may be found via the Cambridge Funding Search.

External

UK Research Councils

US Loans

Information on applying for a Federal Loan to study at the University of Cambridge.