You should find funding opportunities at least a year before your course begins.
How you apply for funding and by which deadline depends on the course and funding you’re applying for.
External funding will have its own arrangements and you should contact the funder directly for guidance.
Funding deadlines
There are 3 main University funding deadlines for the 2025/26 academic year:
- 16 October 2024 (for US citizens applying to the Gates Cambridge Scholarship)
- 3 December 2024
- 7 January 2025
Deadlines are course-specific so check the Course Directory to see which funding deadline applies to your course.
Your full application (including references) must be submitted by 23:59 GMT on the relevant funding deadline.
Department and College funding may have different deadlines. Check their funding information for details.
Applying via the Applicant Portal
To be automatically considered for funding
You can apply to be considered for most University funding through your course application in the Applicant Portal.
In the funding section of the portal, tick the box: 'Yes - I wish to apply for funding'.
You will then be considered for:
- Most Cambridge Trust funds* (visit the Cambridge Trust website)
- Harding Distinguished Postgraduate Scholars Programme (Funding Search website)
- Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) (where eligible)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) (where eligible)
- Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) (where eligible)
- Some department and College funds
*Some Cambridge Trust funds have quite specific eligibility requirements. It may not be obvious if you are eligible for these funds from the information given in your application. You will be able to specify any funds you feel you are 'particularly eligible' for in your application. This is not compulsory but it will help us identify the most suitable funding for you.
To be considered for more funds by giving additional information
You can apply for other funds through the Applicant Portal that require you to complete extra fields within the form or upload an extra application form. These funds include:
- Gates Cambridge Trust (see Gates website) - complete extra questions in the Applicant Portal and nominate a third reference.
- Medical Research Council (MRC) iCASE studentships - you will need to select from a list of available projects.
- Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) - choose a specific project from the NERC list and note this in the funding section of your application
- Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) - complete and upload an extra form (available from the Open-Oxford-Cambridge website).
- Some department and College funds - you may need to 'opt-in' for funding in the Applicant Portal and fill out a separate application form.
To be considered for these funds, you will need to apply by the course funding deadline.
Applying via a separate form
Some University funds may ask for a separate application form. This is because they are administered separately.
The Postgraduate Funding Search lists many of these funds. You should also check individual funding websites, including College and department websites.
Some of the Cambridge Trust’s partners need you to submit a separate application form. You will still need to tick 'Yes - I wish to apply for funding’ in the Application Portal. Check the Cambridge Trust website for details.
The deadline for these separate funding applications may be different to your course funding deadline.
College funding
Colleges at Cambridge offer some financial support to students but the majority of funding is not provided by them.
Most College funding opportunities are listed in the Postgraduate Funding Search. You can also find College funding information on College websites.
To be eligible for College funding, many Colleges will ask you to select their College as a preference in your application. Some Colleges may still consider you for funding even if you did not select them. If you receive funding from a College, you must transfer to that College to accept the funding.
After you apply
After applying for funding:
- The department will consider your complete application for admission.
- The department will assess your funding application.
- Your application will be considered by the funding bodies for all the eligible funding opportunities you applied to and are eligible for.
Applications that are missing one or both references are incomplete. The department will choose whether to consider incomplete applications for funding opportunities.
Funding decisions
Offers of funding and offers of admission are usually made separately.
Most funding bodies start making offers from March. If you do not get a funding offer by July, you should assume your University funding application has not been successful. It’s unlikely that you will be given confirmation that your funding application was unsuccessful.
Contact the individual funding bodies for information on the status of your funding application. You can also check the Funding Search to find out when offers are made for University funds.