Funding for Prospective Students

Below you will find an overview of the main schemes through which our students receive funding. If you indicate on your Graduate Application Form that you wish to be considered for funding and you apply by the relevant deadline, you will be automatically be entered into a competition for all major awards for which you are eligible. There are some additional sources of funding for which you will have to apply separately: you can check for these by using this funding search tool. The colleges that comprise the University of Cambridge frequently offer one or two graduate studentships per year, so you are advised to check their websites for any for which you may be eligible. Full information on all sources of funding listed below may be obtained from the Graduate Admissions Office, and the current level of fees for each course may be found here. 

If you indicate that you wish to be considered for funding, your application will initially be ranked by the Centre according to detailed University-wide criteria; these rankings are then moderated and combined with those of other Departments and Faculties across the University to form a central list, and it is on the basis of this list that awards are made. Some of the most important factors in ranking applications include your academic record so far, the knowledge of the field you have demonstrated across different elements of your application, and the strength and originality of your research proposal. 

• MPhil funding for UK/EU students
• MPhil funding for International students
• PhD funding for UK/EU and International applicants

MPhil funding for UK/EU students

• British and EU applicants are eligible for an award under the Doctoral Training Partnership funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), as long as the dissertation they intend to write falls under one of the five broad areas of enquiry set out here. There is no separate application form; strong MPhil and PhD applications will be put forward for this funding if you apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline and tick the box stating you wish to be considered for all available funding.
• UK applicants are eligible for the Cambridge UK Masters Scholarships scheme, if you apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline and tick the box stating you wish to be considered for all available funding.
• The Centre is able to offer a small number of Simón Bolívar bursaries of up to £5,000 to help meet the costs of fees and maintenance for the MPhil in Latin American Studies. All applicants will automatically be considered for these bursaries on merit, but are also required to apply to all other available sources of funding. Both Home/EU and International students will be considered. An applicant receiving full funding from a public source becomes ineligible for a Bolívar bursary, which then passes to the next eligible applicant. 
• Applicants who wish to study Latin American literature or culture (including film and visual arts) may be eligible for a Gibson Spanish Scholarship, which provides part-funding for the MPhil or PhD. Scholarships awarded are generally in the region of £3000 to £4000 per year and are tenable for up to three years. They are open to any student currently, or about to be, registered as a graduate student at the university. The deadline is usually in May each year, for students wishing to start a course in October of the same year. You will need to apply separately for this funding.
• Robert Gardiner Memorial Scholarships are intended to assist or enable students of Irish universities to proceed to the University of Cambridge. The Electors will give preference to applicants who are applying for a Master's degree with a view to progressing to research at a later date.

MPhil funding for International students

• International applicants may apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. The application deadline is usually as early as October for the US round, but candidates for the International round need only apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline. You will need to submit additional materials with your application. 
• The Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust offers full-cost and part-cost scholarships. You will automatically be considered if you apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline and tick the box stating you wish to be considered for all available funding.
• Applicants who wish to study Latin American literature or culture (including film and visual arts) may be eligible for a Gibson Spanish Scholarship, which provides part-funding for the MPhil or PhD. Scholarships awarded are generally in the region of £3000 to £4000 per year and are tenable for up to three years. They are open to any student currently, or about to be, registered as a graduate student at the university. The deadline is usually in May each year, for students wishing to start a course in October of the same year. You will need to apply separately for this funding.
• Venezuelan women applicants should apply to the Menca de Leoni Studentship (via Newnham College) which offers a substantial partial studentship to a Venezuelan woman wishing to read for the MPhil in any subject. Information is available here.
• US applicants may apply for the Marshall Scholarship, and a number of our recent applicants have been successful in securing funding via this route.

PhD funding for UK/EU and International applicants

• British and EU applicants are eligible for an award under the ESRC Doctoral Training Partnership funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, as long as the dissertation they intend to write falls under one of the five broad areas of enquiry set out here. There is no separate application form; MPhil and PhD applications will be considered for an award if you apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline and tick the box stating you wish to be considered for all available funding.
• British and EU applicants are eligible for an award under the AHRC Doctoral Training Partnership funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, as long as the dissertation they intend to write falls within the Council's subject areas. There is no separate application form; you will be considered for an award if you apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline and tick the box stating you wish to be considered for all available funding.
• The Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust offers full-cost and part-cost scholarships. You will automatically be considered if you apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline and tick the box stating you wish to be considered for all available funding.
• International applicants may apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. The application deadline is usually as early as October for the US round, but candidates for the International round need only apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline. You will need to submit additional materials with your application. 
• Vice-Chancellor's Awards (UK/EU applicants) and Cambridge International Scholarships (international applicants) are made to the most outstanding applicants for the PhD, across all subjects. There is no separate application form; you will be considered for an award if you apply by the general University Funding Competition deadline and tick the box stating you wish to be considered for all available funding.
• Applicants who wish to study Latin American literature or culture (including film and visual arts) may be eligible for a Gibson Spanish Scholarship, which provides part-funding for the MPhil or PhD. Scholarships awarded are generally in the region of £3000 to £4000 per year and are tenable for up to three years. They are open to any student currently, or about to be, registered as a graduate student at the university. The deadline is usually in May each year, for students wishing to start a course in October of the same year. You will need to apply separately for this funding.
• The Bennett Studentship will be awarded to a PhD applicant whose work falls substantially within the area of Public Policy. No separate application is required, but eligible candidates should state in the finance section of the Graduate Application Form that they wish to be considered for the Bennett Studentship and indicate that their first choice of college is Churchill College.