Guidelines for Scholars

If you receive a scholarship from the Trusts, you must inform the Trusts in writing of all other scholarships, bursaries, awards or grants which you have been offered or have accepted, giving full details of the source, amount and conditions.  Failure to provide full details may lead to the cancellation by the Trusts of your scholarship.

If you receive a full-cost scholarship from another source, the offer of an award from the Trusts will lapse and you will be offered the status of Honorary Trusts’ Scholar, which entitles you to an invitation to the Trusts’ welcome event and annual scholars’ reception, but bears no monetary value.

If you are awarded a minor scholarship (part-funding) from another source, the Trusts reserve the right to adjust the value of your scholarship.  If you receive a full maintenance allowance from the Trusts, you will be allowed to retain the other scholarship at the Trusts’ discretion (i.e. as a contribution to other expenses, such as conferences, fieldwork etc,).  If you receive other awards of a higher level, the Trusts may reduce your scholarship in order to save money to support other scholars.

Medical reports may be required by some of our funding partners as a condition of a scholarship, and you will be informed if this is necessary. You must then submit a satisfactory medical report before your award can be confirmed.

Travel to the UK:

• You must ask your College and, in the case of graduate students, your Department or Faculty, for advice about the date when you should arrive in Cambridge in order to be ready for the start of the academic year.  If you wish to come into residence in Cambridge at any time other than the date suggested, you must obtain the permission of the College, of the Trusts and, in the case of graduate students, of the Board of Graduate Studies.
• You are responsible for obtaining the travel documents necessary for travel from your home country to the UK (e.g. visa to enter the UK, and exit permit from your own country), and you should ensure that you apply for these documents in good time.
• It must be emphasised that under no circumstances should you travel to the UK and arrive in Cambridge unless you have fulfilled all conditions for admission to the University and to your College.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships (CSS):

• Commonwealth Shared Scholarships include the offer of a return airfare to the UK by the most economic route.  This will be booked and paid for by CCT.
• CCT will provide you with an airline ticket to the UK from the international airport closest to your home, via the cheapest available route, and a ticket back to your home country on completion of your course of study.
• Whilst every attempt will be made to accommodate your preference, the Trust reserves the right to make the flight booking on what it considers to be the best available date.  You must not make your own travel arrangements unless specifically instructed to do so.
• You will only be issued with a ticket by CCT or its travel agent after you have formally accepted the scholarship offer by returning the completed Scholarship Acceptance Form to CCT, satisfied all requirements set by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC), which includes a Medical Report and Acceptance Declaration, and fulfilled all conditions for admission to the University.
• You are reminded that you are responsible for obtaining the documents necessary for travel from your home country to the UK.
• If you are entitled to an airfare to return home, you will receive, in good time before the end of your course of study, the appropriate travel form from the Trust.  This form should be completed by you and by your College Tutor or Supervisor who must certify that you will have completed the course of study by the proposed date of travel.  The form must then be returned to the Trust for authorisation before the booking can be made.
• You are reminded of your undertaking to return to your home country within two weeks of the end of your course of study, which is stipulated in the award paperwork.  This is non-negotiable and means, unfortunately, that it will not be possible to stay on in the UK for the graduation ceremony.  If a delay occurs for no reason you will forfeit payment of your homeward airfare.  If at any time the possibility of a delay arises, you must advise CCT immediately, with a supporting report from your Supervisor.
• You must also obtain in advance the permission of the CSC to delay departure for the purpose of further study. There is a specific procedure for this, which entails the completion of a ‘Request to Remain in the United Kingdom for Further Study’ form whereby you must provide evidence of full funding for the study period.  Any queries should be directed to CCT.

Contribution to travel:

• If you have the offer of a contribution to an airfare, you must make your own travel arrangements.
• Some scholarships specifically include the offer of a fixed contribution to an airfare, which has been calculated on a country-by-country basis and will relate to the cost of an economy airfare to the UK by the cheapest available route.  This fixed amount, which will be paid at the same time as your first maintenance payment on arrival in Cambridge, will be specified in your offer letter.
• If your scholarship provides a contribution to an airfare home, you will be sent a form towards the end of your course of study to be countersigned by your College Tutor or Supervisor, certifying that you have completed your studies.  The Trusts will not consider applications for contributions to travel home if the date of travel is more than three months after the completion of your final examination or the formal end of the course of study, unless the express permission of the Trusts has been obtained in advance.
• Some students with certain scholarships have signed an undertaking to return to their home country after the end of their course of study.  No application for a contribution to an airfare home will be considered if the date of travel is more than one month after the end of the course, unless you have obtained in advance the Trusts’ permission to delay departure.

Scholarships which do not provide an airfare:

• If the award does not provide an airfare or contribution to an airfare, it is your responsibility to make and pay for all necessary arrangements for travel to the UK and home again after you have completed your course of study at Cambridge.
• You should not, under any circumstances, make unbreakable arrangements to travel to Cambridge before your admission to the University has been confirmed.

Most overseas students require a visa for studying in the UK.  If you require a visa you must ensure that you have a student visa, valid for the full length of your course, before you travel to the UK for the start of your course.  Non-EEA students in certain science and technology subjects are also required to obtain an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) clearance certificate.

If you require entry clearance to study in the UK, you will need sponsorship from the University. The Trusts’ offer letter does not constitute sponsorship, so you will require a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).  For further information, please consult the University’s Points Based Immigration (PBI) office.

To help your visa application run smoothly, keep your information in the University CamSIS database as up to date as possible.  It is essential that the University, which will be your ‘visa sponsor’, has current contact details for you.

Prepare early and apply at the right time, as the application and visa process can take a long time.  You should prepare as much of your visa documentation as possible in advance of making an application.  However, the earliest date you can make an application for a visa is three months in advance of the start of your course, i.e. 1 July if you are starting your course at Cambridge in early October.  You should apply for your visa when you have all the required documentation:

• offer letter from the Trusts
• confirmation of admission from your College or the Board of Graduate Studies
• Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) from the University’s Points Based Immigration office
• your personal documentation

and as soon as possible after the earliest application date.

The Trusts can provide a sponsor letter, which is required for extensions/work visa applications.  However, some scholarships have a ‘return to the UK’ time limitation (for example, the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships).  In this instance, the Trusts will be unable to issue supporting documentation for a visa application until the student is released from the terms and conditions of their scholarship.

Please bear in mind, if you are planning to be away for all or part of the summer, that it is your responsibility to ensure you gain the correct visa in time for the start of your studies in the UK.

Finally, please note that the Trusts do not pay visa costs for new students or visa renewal costs for students currently in Cambridge.

Some of the Trusts’ awards are full-cost and therefore include the payment of the University Composition Fee and approved College fees, as well as a maintenance allowance sufficient for a single student.

Fees:

The fee element of any scholarship, where relevant, is paid directly by the Trusts to the relevant College in January of the Lent Term. If you have a query about fee payments due from the Trusts to your College, please contact your College Tutor.

Maintenance:

If your scholarship includes a maintenance allowance, or a contribution towards maintenance, it will be paid as follows:

Cheques for maintenance allowances are made out in your name, and sent to your College Bursar, who will arrange for collection by/delivery to you. The Trusts normally send maintenance cheques to Colleges by the first week in each term as follows:

Please give formal acknowledgement of receipt of your maintenance cheque when you collect it from your College. Any queries about maintenance allowances should be made in the first instance to your College Tutor or appropriate College Officer.

Please note that the Trusts cannot change the dates on which payments of allowances are normally made. Only in very exceptional circumstances may you request payment in advance of the scheduled date; you must seek advice and assistance from your College Tutor in the first instance.

Colleges sometimes require advance payments.  You are strongly advised to plan ahead the use of your resources in advance, taking into account the schedule of payments by the Trusts and the requirements of the College.  The Trusts do not make provision for advance payments to Colleges.

When you arrive in Cambridge you will automatically be given a University e-mail address, ending in @cam.ac.uk.  You may choose to use that as your main email address, or you may choose to keep a personal email address.  If the latter, please arrange for all mail sent to your @cam.ac.uk address to be forwarded to your personal address, to ensure that messages from your College, Department and the Trusts reach you.

Postal correspondence from the Trusts is always sent to you at your College.  It is your responsibility to ensure regularly that mail sent to the College is collected.

In the case of an emergency, the Trusts may need to contact you at your residential address in Cambridge (if different from your College).  It is therefore essential that you ensure that your College Tutor has at all times an accurate and up-to-date address, and telephone number if possible, where you can be contacted urgently.  Please also ensure that the contact details on your self-service pages of CamSIS are kept up-to-date.

We realise that international students arriving for the first time in Cambridge may feel disorientated. We hope to assist you in settling into life here as quickly and smoothly as possible, so that you can start your studies immediately.

There are many sources of information and support available. Any queries or problems regarding your academic work should be addressed to the relevant person in your Department in the first instance. Any queries or problems regarding your accommodation or other domestic issues should be addressed to the relevant person in your College in the first instance.

Early in the Michaelmas term, the Trusts hold a welcome event for all new scholars, at which you will be able to meet Trusts’ staff and Trustees, find out more about how we work, and meet other scholars from many different countries.

Please take the time to read the relevant information on the University website and related sites.

For undergraduates: see both the University website and the CUSU website

For postgraduates: see both the University website and the Graduate Union website.

The tenure of any scholarship given by the Trusts is strictly subject to you making satisfactory academic progress.  Directors of Studies and Supervisors are requested to inform your College Tutor if your academic progress is giving cause for concern and, in turn, College Tutors are requested to inform the Trusts.  The Trusts also circulate an Annual Review Report form which has to be completed by both you and your Supervisor.

The resources of the Trusts are limited and do not permit the Trusts, in any circumstances, to pay allowances for a spouse, partner, children or other dependants.  No student, whether partially or wholly supported by the Trusts, and in particular no student who receives a maintenance allowance sufficient for a single student, is permitted to bring a spouse, children or other dependants into residence in Cambridge without prior permission.

Such permission will be granted only if you satisfy the following conditions:

• if you are an undergraduate or affiliated student, you must obtain prior permission from your College, and give the necessary financial guarantees to the satisfaction of the College;
• if you are a graduate student, you must obtain prior permission from both the Board of Graduate Studies and your College, and additional financial guarantees must be provided to the satisfaction of both.

Your College Tutor must certify that you have adequate accommodation in Cambridge for your spouse or dependants for the period of your course of study and that payment for this accommodation is within your guaranteed means.

Your College Tutor must also certify that adequate financial provision has been made to pay for the travel costs of your spouse or dependants to return to their country of origin on completion of your course of study at Cambridge.

The Trusts reiterate that they cannot provide a marriage allowance, dependants’ allowance,  married accommodation, or financial help for the provision of such accommodation, or airfares for your spouse and dependants, either to enable them to join you in Cambridge or in order to return home.

Debt:

• Please note that the Trusts disclaim all responsibility for debts (whether to the University, the College, tradesmen, banks, finance houses, hire-purchase arrangements or to any other person or institution) incurred by students supported wholly or partially by the Trusts. The Trusts will not act as guarantors for loans or debts.
• You are warned that the Trusts reserve the right to pay your maintenance allowance direct to your College, if the College so requests on the reasonable grounds of failure to settle outstanding debts to the College or other bodies or efficiently to manage personal finances.

Illness:

• The Trusts expect applications for any medical expenses to be dealt with by your College. The Trusts will deal as sympathetically as possible with problems arising from illness, but recommend that costs are minimised wherever possible by obtaining intermission for the period concerned.
• If, while in Cambtridge, you develop a physical or other ailment which might seriously impede your academic progress, you must discuss your situation with your College Tutor and ask them to communicate this information to the Trusts.
• In general you are advised to consult, in the first instance, your College Tutor, Director of Studies or Supervisor about any problems that you may encounter.

Intermission will normally be given by the Trusts if your Tutor and Director of Studies or Supervisor recommend in writing that such a course of action is necessary, and, in the case of graduate students, the Board of Graduate Studies agrees.

Such permission must be sought by your College Tutor and Supervisor on your behalf, in advance if possible.  In cases of illness, intermission can be applied for retrospectively, if it is felt that your studies have suffered due to your medical condition.

Information as to what constitutes graduate Intermission can be found on the Board of Graduate Studies website.

If permission to intermit is approved in advance, your scholarships will be suspended for the period of intermission and will recommence when you return to studies.

If permission to intermit is approved retrospectively, the Trust will expect a refund of any fees from your College and of any maintenance by you.  If you have encountered hardship difficulties during this period, the Trust will sympathetically consider an application to retain full or part of any maintenance payment.  Letters of support from your College Tutor and/or Supervisor are advisable.

The Trusts have limited resources for the provision of additional grants for purposes such as fieldwork, attendance at conferences, overruns or hardship.  Summer schools and study tours are not included.

The Trusts’ application form can be collected from the Trusts’ offices or downloaded.  When completing an application form, please bear in mind the points detailed in each of the required sections.

Undergraduates, students on one-year taught postgraduate courses and students receiving part-scholarships are not normally eligible for additional grants from the Trusts.

Permission for Leave to Work Away to carry out fieldwork will normally be given by the Trusts if your Tutor and Director of Studies or Supervisor recommend in writing that such a course of action is necessary, and (in the case of graduate students) the Board of Graduate Studies agrees.  Such permission must be sought by the College Tutor and Supervisor on your behalf in advance if possible.

Information as to what constitutes graduate Leave to Work Away can be found on the Board of Graduate Studies website.

If permission is granted, and depending upon when you started your studies at Cambridge, the following will happen:

If your course started before 1 October 2010:

• Your scholarship will not be paid for the period of Leave to Work Away, as tuition and College fees are not payable during that time;
• If your scholarship pays a maintenance allowance, you are not normally entitled to that while you are away from Cambridge;
• If you wish to request exceptional payment of maintenance while you have Leave to Work Away, you must apply using the Trusts’ application form.  Supporting references from your College Tutor and Supervisor are required, together with an indication of the resources available from the College and the Department. There must also be a cost breakdown of the requested amount. You must give full details of all other applications which you have made, or are intending to make, for the same purpose, including the amount for which you have applied and the date when a decision on that application is expected.  The application cannot be considered if this is not shown;
• Under no circumstances should you write directly to the Trusts’ funding partners who may contribute towards the cost of your scholarship.  All requests for assistance should come to the Trusts, via your College Tutor or Supervisor;
• It is your responsibility that the form is completed accurately and sent to the Trusts at least six weeks before a decision is required.  You will be informed of the outcome of your application as soon as possible;
• Additional sources for funding for graduates are the Cambridge Philosophical Society (if a member) and the Smuts Memorial Fund administered by the Board of Graduate Studies.

If your course started on or after 1 October 2010:

• Your tuition fees will continue to be paid for the period of Leave to Work Away.  If you have a postgraduate scholarship which covers only a contribution towards the University Composition Fee, and feel you require the funds in order to complete your fieldwork studies, you must apply to the Board of Graduate Studies
• If your scholarship includes a maintenance allowance, you are not entitled to this while you are away from Cambridge;
• If you wish to request exceptional payment of maintenance while you have Leave to Work Away, you must apply using the Trusts’ application form.  Supporting references from your College Tutor and Supervisor are required, together with an indication of the resources available from them.  There must also be a cost breakdown of the requested amount. You must give full details of all other applications which you have made or are intending to make for the same purpose, including the amount for which you have applied and the date when a decision on that application is expected.  The application cannot be considered if this is not shown;
• Under no circumstances should you write directly to the Trusts’ funding partners who may contribute towards the cost of your scholarship.  All requests for assistance should come to the Trusts, via your College Tutor or Supervisor;
• It is your responsibility that the form is completed accurately and sent to the Trusts at least six weeks before a decision is required.  You will be informed of the outcome of your application as soon as possible;
• Additional sources for funding for graduates are the Cambridge Philosophical Society (if a member) and the Smuts Memorial Fund administered by the Board of Graduate Studies.

During the tenure of a PhD award, the Trusts can consider no more than one application for funding towards a conference.  Applications should be made using the Trusts’ application form.

Applications, which must include a breakdown of the requested amount, require supporting references from your College Tutor and Supervisor, together with an indication of the resources available from your College and/or Department.

You must give full details of all other applications which you have made or are intending to make for the same purpose, including the amount for which you have applied and the date when a decision on that application is expected.  Unless this is shown, the application cannot be considered.

Under no circumstances should you write directly to the Trusts’ funding partners who may contribute towards the cost of your scholarship.  All requests for assistance should come to the Trusts, via your College Tutor or Supervisor.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the form is completed accurately and sent to the Trusts at least six weeks before a decision is required.  You will be informed of the outcome of your application as soon as possible.

Awards from the Trusts for a PhD are of three years’ tenure.  Even though you may remain on the Register of Graduate Students for a further 12 month ‘writing up’ period, and will normally be automatically exempt from payment of the University Composition and College Fees during that time, please be aware that only in exceptional circumstances do the Trusts consider requests for further grants for maintenance on any overrun of studies.

If a first probationary year, or Certificate of Postgraduate Study, is a requirement of the PhD, the Trusts’ award is subject to satisfactory progress and confirmation of being registered formally by the Board of Graduate Studies for the PhD.

If you require maintenance for a tenth term or beyond, you should apply for Hardship Funding from the Board of Graduate Studies.

The Trusts will consider applications for tenth and subsequent terms if:

• you have the support of your College Tutor and Supervisor;
• it can be shown that reasons beyond your control have contributed to the need for extra time;
• it is certain that no further fees (either University or College) are payable on your behalf;
• applications have at the same time been made to as many other potential sources of funding as possible, including, where appropriate, the schemes administered by the Board of Graduate Studies mentioned above, your Department and your College.

Any support from the Trusts will normally be limited to no more than a contribution towards maintenance costs for a brief additional period.  Applications for additional support will be considered by the Trusts if advance warning, preferably of not less than two terms, has been given to the Trusts in writing by your Supervisor.

Each graduate student is required to give a Financial Guarantee to the Board of Graduate Studies before they are able to take up their place.  The aim of the Trusts is to enable as many new students as possible to take up their places, and normally you cannot be considered for funding after you come into residence.  If, however, you run into financial difficulties, the first point of contact should be your College Tutor, who may then consider referral to the Trusts.

The Trusts will consider applications for assistance:

• if it is clear that the hardship has occurred because of an unforeseeable change of circumstances since you came to Cambridge.  This would include bereavement or illness.  It would not necessarily include the failure of overly optimistic funding plans;
• if help from the Trusts would enable you to complete your degree course, and without that help you would not be able to do so.

If your College decides to help, we will take account any financial aid that they offer.  A hardship payment from the Trusts would be a one-off payment, not exceeding £5,000.

If you are a graduate student, you should apply to the Board of Graduate Studies as well as to your College and Department for any hardship awards for which you are eligible.

From time to time, in order to promote the purposes of the Trusts and their funding partners, you will be invited to social events organised by the Trusts.  It would be very much appreciated if you could try to attend these events, even in those cases when they are necessarily held at short notice.

Full contact details of the Trusts can be found on our Contacts page.

Normal office hours are 09.00 to 17.00, Monday to Friday.

Please note that the College fee paid by the Trusts is the formal fee approved each year by the University, and does not include any expenses incurred by you at your College (such as accommodation, meals, kitchen fixed charge etc.).