Skip navigation

Loans, Bursaries and Grants

cash

Fees

Living Costs

Loans, Bursaries and Grants

There are three main sources of funding for home students to cover tuition fees and living costs:

  • Govermnent Maintenance Grant

  • Cambridge Bursary

  • Student Loan

Government Maintenance Grant

This is a means-tested grant of up to £2,906 in 2010-11 (it will go up with inflation) that you'll get every year of your degree. You will not have to pay back any of the maintenance grant. The means-testing takes into account your household income. Students whose household income is £25,000 will get the maximum grant of £2,906 a year. If your household income is between £25,000 and £50,000, you will receive a reduced government grant.

Cambridge Bursary.

The Cambridge Bursary (or Newton Trust Bursary) is also a means-tested grant of up to £3,400 (£5,650 for some mature students) every year of your degree. Again, you will not have to pay it back. You will receive information about signing up for the bursary in your first couple of weeks, but every student who qualifies for a government maintanence grant will also receive a Cambridge Bursary. There is no additional assessment, and you should only need to provide notification of your LEA assessment.

Student Loans.

There are also student loans available to help with living costs. Student loans are repayable at the same rate of interest as of inflation, calculated from when you start your course. Like your fees, you will only start repaying your loan after you graduate and are earning £15 000 or more. There is also some respite from fees repayment, so that you can take 'repayment breaks' in the future, if, say, you plan to save to put down a mortgage on a house.

Other

There are other sources of funding available such as:

The Access to Learning Fund – a maximum of £3,500 to students who need more help to meet living costs after applying for everything available.

Disabled Students' Allowances – Both the government and the University have funds to help disabled students through university. This may be in cash awards or equipment such as laptops.

Student Parents – The government offer money to students with young children to help with child-care and other costs.

College Bursaries/Scholarships - Many colleges have their own bursaries/scholarships along with hardship funds.

Working

Be prepared for not being able to work during the term. The long holidays (the summer holiday is just over three months) give you plenty of opportunity to work and earn extra money. As well as the normal summer jobs, there are hundreds of internships, where you can earn a fortune at the same time as getting incredible work experience. Though some students will work a few hours in a College library or bar, the University doesn't like people to work during term time, and from a student perspective, you're unlikely to either want or need to work.

Finding Out More

University

The university leaflet on finance also has more information. To find out how much you should receive from the Cambrige Bursary, visit the Newton Trust website and use the 'bursary calculator'.

LEA

It's worth contacting you Local Education Authority (LEA) to find out exactly what financial help you can expect and how to apply for it. Contact details for LEAs in England and Wales are on the DfES website.

CUSU

You can contact the CUSU Access Officer with any questions you have about finances in Cambridge.

Student Finance Direct.

The government Student Support website also has general information about grants and fees for next year.

The Student Calculator

The student calculator is a website that helps you think about your lifestyle and its costs, and how best to budget.