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Murray Edwards College
University of Cambridge

College funding and awards

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    Murray Edwards has a number of awards available for both undergraduates and postgraduates. Many of these are funded by the Rosemary Murray Fund, which is generously supported by alumnae.

    Details of how to apply for funding awards are given below. Applications are considered by the Student Funding Committee, which meets once a term. Application forms should normally be submitted to the Tutorial Office by  9 November, 13 February, 21 May.

    Please note: the deadline for the Rosemary Murray Travel Awards and Gateway Challenges Funding is 5 May. 

    The Tutorial Office will email all students to remind you of the dates in plenty of time.

    Please note: in almost all cases, awards will not be made from multiple sources for the same purpose. Students will not, for example, be able to receive both an Academic Needs award and a Rosemary Murray Travel Award for the same project. However, students can apply for both a Travel Award and Gateway Challenges Funding for the same project, and may also sometimes make multiple use of certain other restricted funds for the same project (e.g. Brian Evans Travel Fund, Clinical Elective Funding).  

    Please note: successful applicants will be asked to provide receipts covering the amount of the award. In some cases you may be asked to write a report about how you spend the money awarded.

    If you have any questions about your application, please speak to the Tutorial Office, your Tutor, or the Finance Tutor – they will all be very happy to advise.

     

    Academic awards and prizes

    Rosemary Murray Academic Needs Fund

    The Rosemary Murray Academic Needs Fund provides graduate and undergraduate students with funding in connection with their studies, such as research expenses for dissertations or projects, or special equipment needs. Applications are not normally considered for books or laptops.  Please note, awards are usually for something which would provide added value to your studies, they are not intended to cover compulsory elements of courses.

    • Awards: usually between £50 and £300.  
    • Eligible: graduates and undergraduates
    • Deadline: 9 November, 13 February, 21 May.
    • How to apply:
    1. Undergraduate Academic Needs Form - this will need to be discussed, signed and supported by your Director of Studies.
    2. Postraduate Academic Needs Form - this will need to be discussed, supported and signed by your supervisor.
    Paula Browne Scholarships 

    The Paula Browne Scholarships are generously funded by Lord Browne of Madingley, and have been awarded in memory of his mother Paula since 2005. Since then, over 22 students have been supported.

    The scholarship is awarded annually to one or two students who have impressed us with their exceptional potential and require financial support in order to take up their place.

    Students are usually from the EU (not UK), occasionally from overseas or of refugee status.

    We are extremely grateful to the John Browne Charitable Trust for enabling the College to assist outstanding students in this way.

    • Scholarships are awarded for three years of study, support for a fourth year may be granted with prior agreement.
    • Each Scholarship is for £3,000 per academic year – funding is as a credit to the Scholar’s College account.
    • Each Paula Browne Scholar is asked to write a report for the John Browne Charitable Trust at the end of each academic year.

     

    Barbara White Fund: Academic Placements

    The Barbara White Fund provides support for students undertaking academically-related placements over the summer vacation, such as working in a laboratory or assisting in a research project at Cambridge or another university.  Usually made to help with costs of living away from home. 
    Awards: £100 per week may be made for a total of up to five weeks.  

    • Eligible: undergraduates
    • Deadline: 9 November, 13 February, 21 May.
    • How to apply: Undergraduate Academic Needs Form - this will need to be discussed, signed and supported by your Director of Studies.  NB PLEASE CHECK THE BARBARA WHITE FUND BOX ON THE FORM.
    • Successful applicants will be asked to provide receipts in the amount of the award.
    The Posen Fund: Academic Placements (Natural Sciences students)

    The Posen Fund provides support – often accommodation costs - for students undertaking academically-related placements over the summer vacation.  Preference will be given to Biological Natural Scientists but applications from students studying other subjects, especially Physical Natural Sciences, may be considered should sufficient funds remain.

    • Awards: up to £1000
    • Eligible: undergraduates. Preference will be given to Natural Scientists but applications from students studying other subjects may be considered should sufficient funds remain.
    • Deadline: Division of Easter Term - 21 May
    • How to apply: Undergraduate Academic Needs Form - this will need to be discussed, signed and supported by your Director of Studies.  PLEASE CHECK THE POSEN FUND BOX ON THE FORM.
    • You will be asked to submit a 500-word report by the start of the Michaelmas Term, which will then be given to the donor.
    Language courses

    Modern and Medieval Languages students may apply for funding for language courses during vacations. Awards will be up to £600 in total to cover the course-fee and travel (but not living expenses). Students are normally eligible for only one such award during the course of their degree. Please note: this cannot be used in relation to the year abroad.

    • How to apply: Undergraduate Academic Needs Form - this will need to be discussed, signed and supported by your Director of Studies.
    • Deadline: 9 November, 13 February, 21 May.

    Cambridge University Language Programmes (CULP)
    Any students (undergraduate or postgraduate) wishing to take any of the courses offered through Cambridge University Language Programmes (CULP) may apply for help with the cost. The standard award is 50% of the course fee, paid on production of the end of course certificate. 

    • To apply, please complete this webform.  Retrospective applications will not be considered.

    AJ Pressland Fund Travel Bursaries
    Administered by the Language Centre, the AJ Pressland Fund offers bursaries of up to £1,000 to support language study abroad during the Long Vacation for students within the Schools of Biological Science, Clinical Medicine, Physical Science and Technology.

    Postgraduate Research and Fieldwork Fund  

    This provides small grants to postgraduate students to assist with research or fieldwork expenses, such as travel costs to present papers at seminars or conferences, or to consult archives. Applications will also be considered for exceptional costs in the production of a thesis, e.g. the provision of photographic materials. Grants from the Postgraduate Research and Fieldwork Fund can be used to supplement funds available from other sources such as departments and faculties but will not be awarded in addition to an Academic Needs award for the same project. Requests for research equipment/lab supplies should be made to the Academic Needs Fund (see above).

    • Award: up to £300 over the period of a standard masters; up to £900 (maximum £300 per year) over the whole period of your PhD course.
    • Eligible: postgraduate students
    • How to apply: Postgraduate Research Application Form. Students must ask their supervisors to include a brief supporting statement and to sign the form. Successful applicants will be asked to provide receipts in the amount of the award.
    • Deadline: 9 November, 13 February, 21 May.
    Clinical Elective Funding

    These funds are available one time only for supporting travel for Murray Edwards College's veterinary and medical students. However, they are mainly used to support the expenses incurred by clinical students in connection with their electives or equivalent activities. The sum of money available for distribution each year is not large enough to underwrite completely the projects submitted. The Awarding Committee tries to make grants which can be regarded as "pump priming" rather than total funding.

    Allocation of the awards, as with virtually all grants for professional development or research, is on the basis of competition; the sum awarded reflects not only the total costs that the applicant envisages incurring but also the quality of the presentation. It is hoped that an application to the Clinical Elective Funds will form the basis for further applications to other bodies. In this respect, the awarding committee may sometimes feedback what are intended to be friendly criticisms when the application is felt to be in need of improvement. Candidates are advised to discuss the matter with their Director of Studies before submitting.

    The application should preferably be word processed and consist of:

    1. Completed Clinical Med Cover Sheet 
    2. An up-to-date version of the applicant's CV
    3. A clear and concise statement of the purpose for which the grant is sought (about 400-600 words)
    4. An estimate of the costs likely to be incurred (fares, extra costs of subsistence above normal expenditure, special equipment, etc.)
    5. A statement of the candidate's financial position, in particular whether or not other grants have been obtained to help fund the travel. It will not disadvantage an application if other funds have been obtained and it might even increase its standing in the competition; the sole aim of this request is to prevent the unlikely event of overfunding.

    If appropriate, applicants should also submit evidence they have been accepted by the institution where they intend to work.

    Please note the amount available has been between £300 - £500 - please ensure you do not quote the total cost of your Placement on the Cover Sheet and on the estimate of the costs where else you are applying for funding.  

    The submission date for 2023/2024 Clinical Elective Funding is the 13th of March 2024. Applications should be submitted to the Tutorial Office at Murray Edwards College.

    Late applications will not be accepted - if you are in the process of applying for a Placement where the closing date is still open please submit an application with as much information as possible and when/if accepted email the acceptance to the Tutorial Office.

    On return, successful applicants are required to submit a short report of their work to the Tutorial Office by 31 October.

    If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Tutorial Office before submitting your application. 

     

    Funding for educational assessments

    If you are referred for a diagnostic assessment for a Specific Learning Difficulty by the DRC [Disability Resource Centre], the College will pay for 50% of the cost of the assessment.

    For further details, please see the Students with Disabilities page.  

    You should discuss this application with your Tutor or your Director of Studies.

    Scholarships & prizes

    Rosemary Murray Scholarships

    Rosemary Murray Scholarships of £400 are awarded each year to those undergraduates who perform outstandingly well (a First Class result in any part of the Tripos, including Part III). It is also offered to those doing one-year LLM, MCL or MAST courses who obtain marks equivalent to a First.

    Robin Hammond Prize in English

    One award of £250 is made annually to the English undergraduate who obtains the highest mark in an exam paper or dissertation for English Literature Part I, Paper 4 (Renaissance 1500-1700).  Dr Robin Hammond was appointed College Lecturer in English at New Hall in March 1954 and, along with Dame Rosemary Murray, was one of the two senior members at New Hall at its foundation. Dr Hammond directed studies in the Arts subjects, and she and Dame Rosemary worked as a team to manage the College and its students.  After New Hall moved to Huntingdon Road, Dr Hammond was Tutor and then Senior Tutor before retiring in 1974. Before her death, Dr Hammond was delighted that alumnae wished to establish this prize in her honour.

    Dorothy Gabe Scholarship

    One award of £400 is made annually to the student with the best first from the MML finalists.  (The recipient of this award may not also receive a Rosemary Murray Scholarship.)

    Mary Dyson Scholarships in Engineering

    These awards will be advertised to current Engineering students who are eligible to apply as follows:

    • Second or third year students who have achieved a 1st or high 2:1 at the end of the previous year
    • Demonstrable interest in mechanical/electronic/aerospace/aerothermal engineering
    • Passionate about engineering

    The Award is £2,500 with a guaranteed interview for a Dyson internship (but award holders are not required to apply for the internship). Recipients of this scholarship will be required to write a report by 30 October for the donors. Eligible students will be emailed with application details in the Michaelmas Term.

     

    Sports awards and funds

    Awards for Blues Level Sport (undergraduates and graduates)

    The College is delighted and impressed by the number of Murray Edwards students who are playing sport at Blues level. We are very keen to offer an easily understandable way of rewarding students for their Blues achievements that can be applied across all cases.  

    In any academic year:

    • Any student who is in Blues training (but has not received a Blue as yet) will be eligible to apply for £75 towards their training costs.  
    • Any student who has achieved a Half Blue will receive £150, and any student who receives a Full Blue will receive £200.

    Students in receipt of a Blue will be eligible to apply for one award annually, irrespective of the number of sports they play. Any student who receives money for Blues training, and subsequently receives a half or full Blue, can apply for the remainder of the appropriate award (i.e. a further £75 for a Half Blue and £125 for a Full Blue); any student who receives money for achieving a half Blue and who then goes on to achieve a Full Blue, can apply for a further £50 to bring their total award up to the Full Blue award of £200: the application for the top-up to the award must be made in the same academic year as the initial award.  

    • How to apply: applications for the awards will be made using the Blues Funding application form, which should be signed by the student's Coach/Team Leader and by the Tutor or Graduate Tutor.
    • Please note: by the end of the academic year of the award, we ask students to provide the College with a photograph of them engaged in their sport so that we can properly celebrate their achievements.
    • Deadline: 9 November, 13 February, 21 May  
    Hawks Charitable Trust

    The Hawks Charitable Trust provides grants to current Cambridge University students whose sporting activities are inhibited by financial constraints. For further information and an application form, see the Hawks Club website.

     

    Music awards

    Any student who plays a musical instrument may apply for College music awards. See the Music section for further details.

    Additionally, any student who is part of the Inter Alios Choir may apply for a Choral Scholarship of £100. Members of the choir will be sent further details in the Lent Term.

     

    Travel awards

     

    Rosemary Murray Travel Awards

    Rosemary Murray Travel Awards are made each year to undergraduate students (postgraduate students are not eligible) for travel which may be for academic or other purposes. The value of awards may be up to £200.

    Please note: the quality and clarity of the application will be taken into consideration when awarding funds.

    How to apply: application form
    Deadline: applications need to be submitted electronically to the Gateway administrator (gateway@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk) by 5 May 2023.

    The following are essential:

    •    All sections of the form must be completed
    •    Your Tutor must signify their agreement by sending the completed form to Tutorial
    •    The proposed budget should have been properly researched
    •    How do you plan to raise the budget total? How much do you expect to receive from other bodies you have applied to?
    •    You must read the Responsibilities and Requirements at the end of the application form
    •    You must have made a reasonable risk assessment.

    Final year students are eligible for these awards but must intend to use the award before October. Year abroad students are eligible to apply. The funds must not be used to fund the year abroad itself but may be used to travel elsewhere in Europe (if local regulations allow this) after the end of the year abroad. No student will receive a total of more than £500 in Rosemary Murray Travel Awards during their degree.

    All recipients are expected to submit a report on their travels upon their return.

    Please note: awards from this fund can be held in conjunction with Gateway Challenges Funding.

    Brian Evans Awards for Travel to New Zealand

    Rhiannon McKinnon, née Evans (NH 1997-2000 History), has set up a travel fund in her father’s name. Rhiannon lives in New Zealand and has donated funds for students who wish to travel to New Zealand for academic purposes.  The donor is happy for the award to be made to a student of any discipline. She has met a number of students from the UK who are in New Zealand on electives. She would hope to meet with the student during their time in the country.

    Applications will be assessed on the academic value of the trip to New Zealand. If there are two applicants who both have excellent plans and good reasons for wanting to go to New Zealand, then the award may be split in that year. In the case of two or more eligible applicants, the Senior Tutor will liaise with the donor, providing some basic background on each student and her travel proposal. There is a maximum award of £1,000 per student.

    Please complete the application form and submit it to the Tutorial Office, signed by your Director of Studies, by the Division of Easter Term - 21 May.  This award will be awarded subject to any travel restrictions in place at the time.

    Panton Trust Awards

    The Panton Trust is a small registered charity, which provides grants for projects concerned either with
    any animal or animals
    or wildlife in any part of the world
    or with the environment of the UK or any part thereof.

    The Trust provides sponsorship for student projects (graduate or undergraduate), with the support of their College. These should not be conventional laboratory research projects; they are normally expedition projects with serious animal/wildlife objectives. The projects may be in any relevant field including (but not limited to) geography, botany, veterinary medicine, zoology or biology but in all cases, they will have serious objectives.

    Those wishing to apply should read the Panton Trust information to check the Trust's criteria before submitting a Panton Trust application form and detailed outline of their project. The form must be signed by your Director of Studies.

    The deadline for submitting applications to the Tutorial Office is 16:00 on 15 March 2024.

    Gladstone Memorial Trust Travel Awards

    The Gladstone Memorial Trust Travel awards are intended to give students in their first or second undergraduate years at Oxford or Cambridge an opportunity to travel abroad and extend their knowledge of foreign countries. Final year students are not eligible but students in the third year of a four year course are allowed to apply. The awards are not intended to support scientific expeditions or projects connected with academic courses of research.

    The deadline for application is early February.

     

    Support for financial difficulties

    Murray Edwards is keen to support all its students and we recognise students face a number of financial pressures, which can lead to difficulties. Financial hardship is when you cannot meet your basic living costs for good reason. A guide on what you might expect to spend on food and other necessities is available on the University website.

    Please note: applications for Student Financial Support are normally for help with living costs, not to cover tuition fees or college bills, which should be covered by a student loan. The College cannot help students pay for tuition fees or their College bills.  
    Students experiencing financial difficulties should speak to their Tutor or the Finance Tutor as soon as difficulties bcome apparent. They will be able to offer help and advice on applying to relevant College and University funds. These include the following.

    Rosemary Murray Fund for Financial Hardship.  

    Applications are considered in strict confidence by the College's Student Funding Committee.  
    Applicants will be expected to have applied for any other funds for which they may be eligible and to have applied for the maximum loans for which they are eligible.
    Application forms should be submitted by 9 November, 13 February, 21 May.  

    How to apply:

    Undergraduate students

    In order to apply to the Rosemary Murray Fund for financial hardship, please download the two-part undergraduate application form and complete both parts in collaboration with your Tutor or the Deputy Senior Tutor. (Please note that this is an Excel file, with page 1 on the first tab at the bottom of the screen and page 2 on the second tab.)

    In cases of severe financial difficulty, and where there is a clear academic or tutorial need for a student to remain in College over the vacation, the student should also see their Tutor to discuss their circumstances. Exceptionally, College hardship funds may be used to help students with vacation rent. However, students who are aware they will need to spend vacations in College are reminded to consider the 39-week leases early on in the room ballot process.

    Postgraduate students
    Postgraduate students who experience financial difficulty should see their Graduate Tutor in the first instance and may apply for hardship funds by completing the postgraduate application form.

    University Hardship Fund

    The University Undergraduate Hardship Fund is a centrally-administered fund which can consider a range of student hardship applications. Applicants must be candidates for the BA Degree who have shown proficiency in their studies and who are recommended by their Tutor or the Deputy Senior Tutor. The Awarders aim to distribute the funds as fairly as possible to those undergraduates in greatest need and pay particular attention to financial problems caused by unforeseen change of circumstance.
    Applications must be submitted by your Tutor or the Deputy Senior Tutor by 1 November, 13 February, 21 May.

    Cambridge Bursary Scheme

    The Cambridge Bursary is a means-tested bursary scheme available for UK and EU students, including clinical veterinary and medical students, who come from a household with an annual income of between £25,000 and £42,620.  These bursaries are now administered by Student Finance. The bursaries are a gift, not a loan, and are calculated for the University by Student Finance.

    Eligibility and application: UK and EU students who are eligible for a student loan do not need to apply but will be assessed automatically on the basis of the information submitted to Student Finance. Once their bursary has been approved, recipients will receive a letter from the Senior Tutor; this may be at any point during the academic year but is usually within the first two weeks of term. Please read the information available on the Cambridge Bursary website. Contact the Tutorial Office Manager if you have any questions after reading the information on the site linked above.

    A similar bursary scheme is offered to every student from Scotland who qualifies for a Students Outside Scotland Bursary; to every student from Northern Ireland who qualifies for a Maintenance Grant from the Northern Ireland Assembly; and to every student from Wales who qualifies for a Welsh Government Learning Grant.

    The Alborada Trust will support 10 recipients of full bursaries on a yearly basis over the course of three years, starting in October 2021.

    Enhanced Bursary Scheme

    The Enhanced Bursary Scheme builds and expands on the success of the 2018-19 pilot scheme, which was set up to enhance the Cambridge Bursary Scheme by:

    • Extending the reach of financial support to a wider range of students – particularly those students whose household incomes are between £42,620 and £63,000 per year.
    • Increasing financial support to students who had already qualified for the Cambridge Bursary Scheme – based on a fairer and smoother sliding scale.

    Your eligibility will be calculated from information you submitted to Student Finance. 

    If you have any questions about this scheme please contact Student Accounts or the Tutorial Office

     

    Financial support for student parents

    The Cambridge Guide for Student Parents offers a range of useful information for student parents, including a section on finance and funding.

    The DfE guide 'Childcare Grant and other support for student parents in higher education' is available on their website and gives detailed information on the Childcare Grant and other financial help available to HE students.

    As Murray Edwards College is a participating member of the University Childcare Bursaries scheme, eligible overseas and EU students may apply for the University's Childcare bursary to help with the costs of government-regulated childcare. Funds are available to assist with meeting childcare costs for pre-school age children, and for after-school care costs. The bursary is funded by a mixture of College contributions and Government funding.

    Application forms must be completed with the support of a student's College Tutor.

     

    Support for health-related needs

    The Crane's Charity is the principal medical charity in the University. It exists to provide financial assistance to members of the University who are in residence and need treatment for physical or mental health problems, or for injuries resulting from accidents, provided that the treatment cannot be obtained under the NHS.

    Applications to the Crane's Charity are made via a student’s Tutor and should to be supported by adequate medical evidence.