Student Financial Bursaries
Student Hardship Bursaries
Scope:
The College can offer limited financial support for students who find themselves in unexpected financial difficulties (e.g. expenses greater than income, sudden unforeseen cost, loss of parental support, etc.)
Eligibility:
All full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students in any year of study.
Amounts:
Students can apply for a bursary for the following amounts per year, depending on what is needed: £500, £1,000, £1,500, £2,000 and a maximum of £2,500. You may receive less than what you apply for; the amount awarded will be decided by the Bursaries Awards Committee.
Alternatively, students may apply for a bursary in the form of an accommodation subsidy, either during term or during the vacation as appropriate in the circumstances.
How Decisions are Made:
Decisions will be made by the Bursaries Awards Committee. This is on the basis of your competed application form, and information discussed with the Financial Tutor.
Students who can demonstrate a shortfall (i.e. income is less than outgoings), and whose living costs are broadly in line with the University estimates (see here), are more likely to be offered a bursary, although individual circumstances will always be taken into account (e.g. exceptional reasons for higher-than-average living costs).
Application Process:
Students are encouraged to apply to the University Financial Assistance Fund first, which can award up to £3,000. Click here for Undergraduates, and here for Postgraduates. Please contact the Financial Tutor if you need assistance with these application forms.
There may also be hardship funding in your department, please make sure that you have made enquiries about those. Some departments may ask for a College contribution, which could result in you getting a much bigger award than by applying solely to the College.
Applications must be made to the Financial Tutor by completing the form below and sending by email to fintutor@robinson.cam.ac.uk. Any application needs support from your Tutor or DoS. There will usually be an in-person meeting with the Financial Tutor, which may be before you embark on any hardship applications, or after you have submitted your application form. The Financial Tutor may also ask you to complete a detailed budget spreadsheet if more information is required.
Application dates:
Applications are open for the first 6 weeks of Michaelmas Term, the first 4 weeks of Lent Term and the first 2 weeks of Easter Term.
Decisions will be made towards the end of Michaelmas and Lent Terms, and in the middle of Easter Term.
Points for you to consider when making your application:
The College is legally limited by its charitable objectives and the terms of individual funds. We therefore cannot support students’ families, directly or indirectly (e.g. students who send money home to their families), apart from legal dependants (e.g. children), and cannot support students who have finished their course of studies (e.g. after graduation). The College is not your employer, so cannot reimburse routine expenses related to your studies – these are for you to budget and manage. Students may make an application if they currently find themselves in financial difficulty or anticipate doing so. Although the College can often respond faster than the University, it still takes time to process an application and applying as early as possible helps avoid any urgent, difficult circumstances.
If you are a Postgraduate student, then you should approach your funder to see if there is any financial support they can give you.
Financial assistance will not be provided for:
- Students who are on intermission
- Students without a student loan, who are otherwise eligible to receive one
- Students who have not made adequate financial provision prior to starting their studies
- Students with access to savings or alternative funding that could meet their shortfall
- Students with high living costs that exceed the University’s estimated annual living costs, unless there is a good reason
- Students paying off debt or overdrafts
- Situations that were foreseen
- Students in their first term of study (unless there are exceptional circumstances)
- Situations that occurred more than 1 term ago
- Students supporting family members or friends
- Currency fluctuations
- Cost-of-living crisis costs that are the sole reason for the application
- Childcare costs
- Visa costs
- Applicants who have already received the maximum award this academic year
- Students applying during the last 6 weeks of their course
If you are awarded a bursary, this will either be offset against your College bill, or paid directly into your bank account – this depends on your circumstances. You may not be awarded the amount that you asked for (it may be larger or smaller).
PhD Extension Funding
Scope:
The College can offer limited financial support for PhD students to help extend their ability to study for one Term beyond their funding period. All applications will be considered individually. A limited number of awards are available, subject to College funds being available.
Eligibility:
Any PhD students:
- Who will start their 4th year during this academic year
- Who are making satisfactory progress towards thesis submission.
- Whose original funding package was for 3 years only (including self-funding)
- Who need help with living costs for one further term of their studies.
- Who are expected to complete their thesis by the end of this further term.
It is not intended for students who have submitted their thesis.
Amounts:
Students can apply once for an award up to a maximum of £3,000. You may receive less than what you apply for; the amount awarded will be decided by the Bursaries Awards Committee.
How Decisions are Made:
Decisions will be made by a committee made up of the Senior Tutor, Financial Tutor and a Graduate Tutor. This is on the basis of your competed application form, and information discussed with the Financial Tutor.
Application Process:
Students must apply to their existing funding source for extension funding first. In particular, the Cambridge Trust offers extension funding (which may require some College contribution, if so please also make a college application).
Students are also encouraged to apply to the University Financial Assistance Fund first, which can award up to £3,000. Here is the relevant section for Postgraduates. Please contact the Financial Tutor if you need assistance with these application forms.
There may also be hardship funding in your department, please make sure that you have made enquiries about those.
Applications must be made to the Financial Tutor by completing the form below and sending by email to fintutor@robinson.cam.ac.uk. Any application needs support from your Departmental Supervisor. There will usually be an in-person meeting with the Financial Tutor, which may be before you embark on any extension applications, or after you have submitted your application form.
Application dates:
Applications are open for the first 6 weeks of Michaelmas Term, the first 4 weeks of Lent Term and the first 2 weeks of Easter Term.
Decisions will be made towards the end of Michaelmas and Lent Terms, and in the middle of Easter Term.