Funding Opportunities

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University Funding

Information on studentships and scholarships managed by the University can be found on the Postgraduate Study Funding pages.

A range of funding opportunities is available to support your postgraduate studies at Cambridge. Students can be:

  • Fully funded, where funding is given for course and living costs 
  • Partially funded, where funding is given for some costs and the student covers the rest of their costs independently 
  • Self-funded, where the student covers their study costs independently 

When to look for funding

  • You should look for funding opportunities at least a year before your course starts. If you're starting a course in January or April, you should look for funding even earlier. You may need to apply for funding 18 months before the start of your course. 
  • It can be incredibly hard to find funding after you have accepted a place or started your course, and you should not expect to find funding at that point.  
  • In 2024-2025 about 64% of the University's doctoral students and 14% of the Master's students were fully funded. Even though the competition for fully funded studentships is very intense, we encourage applicants to indicate on their application form that they would like to be considered for these competitions.

Institute of Criminology Scholarships and Studentships

The Institute has a small number of scholarship and studentships, details of which are outlined below.

Wakefield Scholarship

Eligibility Criteria
  • The Wakefield Fund Scholarshipis for persons intending to pursue a course of advanced study or research at the Institute of Criminology. 
  • This scholarship is open to any person who was born or educated in Australia*, New Zealand or Canada.  [* If two or more candidates born or educated in Australia are equally well qualified, preference is given to a candidate who was born or educated in South Australia].
  • PhD, MPhil and MSt applicants and current students can apply, however, preference is given to applicants intending to pursue a PhD in Criminology or who are currently a PhD in Criminology student.

Award Details

  • Scholarships are awarded annually, for one year, and the Scholarship awards will only go towards University fees. Scholarship Awards do not usually exceed the full value of University fees.
  • The value of a Scholarship is determined by the Managers of the Wakefield Fund at the time of election and it will take into account the financial circumstances of applicants.
  • Previous scholarship recipients are not automatically considered or awarded funding for subsequent years of study. To be considered for a second or third year of funding (three years is the maximum duration of funding), a new application form will need to be completed and submitted by the deadline advertised below.
  • Applications received after the application deadline will not be considered. 

Possible Award Value

  • Between £5,000 - £20,000.

Application deadline (for all courses)

  • Tuesday 13 January 2026

Forms

Manuel López-Rey Studentship

Criteria
  • The Manuel López-Rey Studentship is open to any person who is, or is about to be, registered as a graduate student at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge.
  • The Manuel López-Rey Fund Managers give preference to candidates who are citizens of countries in which, in the opinion of the Fund Managers, there is a particular need for the development of the study of criminology.
Eligibility
  • PhD, MSt and MPhil in Criminology applicants or current students who meet the fund criteria can apply. 
Award Details
  • A studentship is tenable for one year, in the first instance.
  • Previous studentship recipients are not automatically considered or awarded funding for subsequent years of study. To be considered for a second year of funding, a new application form will need to be completed and submitted by the deadline advertised below.
  • The value of a Studentship is determined by the Fund Managers at the time of the election.
  • The Studentship may not be available in every academic year.
  • Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
Possible Award Value
  • Between £1,000 - £7,000
Application deadline (for all courses)
  • Tuesday 13 January 2026
Forms

Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentships

Criteria / Eligibility

Since 2006, the Jerry Lee Foundation has supported the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, in creating a Centre dedicated solely to the advancement of experimental criminology.  It also pledged to fund a programme of doctoral studentships at the Institute of Criminology. 

Applicants to the Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentship will need to meet the following criteria:

  • Plan to undertake a part-time PhD in Experimental Criminology, and have received an offer of place to start in any term, in the following academic year. Please note: The Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentships will be awarded shortly after the funding application deadline (see below). Therefore, we strongly encourage applicants planning to apply to submit their PhD application as soon as possible.
  • Be currently employed - most likely in a criminal justice agency. [Studentships will be awarded to applicants who can deliver a high-quality experiment in the context of their employment, for example a randomised controlled trial, where the employer will allow and accommodate study for a PhD.]
  • Be eligible to pay Home Fees.
Award Details
  • The Studentship will cover £6,214 per annum towards part-time Home Fees, up to a maximum of five years’ study.
Application Deadline
  • Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with the final deadline for applications to be received: Thursday 14 May 2026.
Forms

Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentship - Application Form

Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentship - Referee Form. [Please note that references should be sent to: graduate.administrator@crim.cam.ac.uk by the application deadline]

Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentship - Employee Form. [Please note that employee form should be sent to: graduate.administrator@crim.cam.ac.uk by the application deadline]

MSt in Applied Criminology, Penology and Management

  • Most course participants apply for funding from their service or organisation. The applicant's organisation will normally be required to contribute a proportion of the funds, although some participants self-fund their studies.
  • There are limited funding opportunites available from the University, due to the start date of the course.
  • The Institute provides some funding opportunities: Wakefield Fund, details of which can be found on this page.
  • UK residents, and some EU residents, may be eligible to apply for UK Government funded Postgraduate Master's Loan. The GOV.UK Student Finance webpage also provides details on other funding options i.e. Postgraduate Scholarships for international students.
  • Overseas students may be eligible to apply for Chevening Scholarships, funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The selection criteria and other details for these can be found on the Chevening website.

Timpson Bursary - Third Sector

(For those working in the third sector in criminal justice)

We are pleased to announce that we will again be offering a 50% fee bursary for the Masters in the Applied Criminology, Penology and Management programme in 2025 for people working in the third sector relating to criminal justice. The bursary is awarded from the benefaction of Mr James Timpson, an ardent supporter of those with lived experience of the penal system and those that work in the third sector to support them. Mr Timpson is passionate about employing ex-offenders and works closely with HMPPS to improve the lives of his employees by creating an empowering workplace culture.

Prospective students for the MSt in the Applied Criminology, Penology and Management, will need to be working in the third sector in the area of criminal justice (third sector is defined as non-governmental and non-profit making organisations including charities, voluntary and community groups, cooperatives, etc.) and satisfy the application criteria for the course.

Criteria / Eligibility

The Timpson Bursary is open to any person working in the third sector in criminal justice. 

Award DetailsThis bursary will be awarded for the duration of the MSt course, and will cover 50% of the fees for each year (total £11,000 over two years).
Application DeadlineSunday 30 November 2025 (for course starting in March / April 2026)
Form

Please note that the application form and references should be sent to: sgc@crim.cam.ac.uk by the application deadline.

Timpson Bursary – Lived Experience

Criteria / Eligiblity

We are pleased to announce that we will again be offering a 50% fee bursary for the Masters in the Applied Criminology, Penology and Management programme in 2025 for prospective students with lived experience of the penal system. The Bursary is awarded from the benefaction of Mr James Timpson, an ardent supporter of those with lived experience of imprisonment and those that work in the third sector to support them. Mr Timpson is passionate about employing ex-offenders and works closely with the prison service in the UK to improve the lives of his employees by creating an empowering workplace culture. Mr Timpson is offering a bursary to prospective students with lived experience of the penal system.

Prospective students for the MSt in the Applied Criminology, Penology and Management, will need to be working in the field of criminal justice and satisfy the application criteria for the course.

Having a criminal conviction does not, of itself, prevent people from studying at Cambridge. However, the University has safeguarding duties towards all its students and staff and there may be occasions where these have to be placed ahead of other considerations. During the application process, in certain circumstances, you must provide full details of your criminal conviction.  This enables the University to assess the risk posed to individuals and the wider University community, identifying where this risk is unacceptable or where specific actions or support are needed to mitigate the risk to an acceptable level. We encourage prospective students to apply as early as possible to allow time for any required assessments. More details of the assessment process and requirements can be found here: https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate-applicants-previous-criminal-convictions

Please note that an application for the Timpson Bursary is separate to your application for entry onto the course; you must also apply for admission onto the course through the University online application form.

Award DetailsThe Timpson Bursary will be awarded for the duration of the MSt course and will cover 50% of the fees for each year (total £11,000** over two years).
Application deadlineSunday 30 November 2025 (for study in 2026)
Form

Please note that the application form and references should be sent to: sgc@crim.cam.ac.uk by the application deadline.

MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management

  • Most course participants apply for funding from their service or organisation. The applicant's organisation will normally be required to contribute a proportion of the funds.
  • There are limited funding opportunites available from the University, due to the start date of the course.
  • The Institute provides some funding opportunities: Wakefield Fund, details of which can be found on this page.
  • Overseas students may be eligible to apply for Chevening Scholarships funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The selection criteria and other details for these can be found on their website.
  • US Veteran Affairs Benefits. Anyone who may be eligible for the funding/loan should first visit the US Department of Veteran Affairs website and apply for benefits. More information can be found here.  Applicants should also contact StudentLoans@admin.cam.ac.uk , quoting 'VA Benefits' in the subject line of the e-mail if applying for VA benefits or have any questions.
  • UK residents, and some EU residents, may be eligible to apply for UK Government-funded Postgraduate Master's Loan. The GOV.UK Student Finance webpage also provides details on other funding options i.e. Postgraduate Scholarships for international students