• The Wakefield Fund Scholarship is 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

• Wakefield Scholarship Application Form
• Wakefield Scholarship Referee Form.  [Please note that references should be emailed to: graduate.administrator@crim.cam.ac.uk by the application deadline]. 

• 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.

• PhD, MSt and MPhil in Criminology applicants or current students who meet the fund criteria can apply. 

• 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.

• Between £1,000 - £7,000

• Tuesday 13 January 2026

• Manuel Lopez-Rey Application Form
• Manuel Lopez-Rey Referee Form.  References should be sent to: graduate.administrator@crim.cam.ac.uk by the application deadline

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.

• The Studentship will cover £6,214 per annum towards part-time Home Fees, up to a maximum of five years’ study.

• Applications will be considered on a rolling basis, with the final deadline for applications to be received: Thursday 14 May 2026.

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]

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.

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

• Timpson Bursary (Third Sector) - Application Form
• Timpson Bursary (Third Sector) - Referee Form
• Timpson Bursary (Third Sector) - Employer Proof Form

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

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.

• Timpson Bursary (Lived Experience) - Application form
• Timpson Bursary (Lived Experience) - Referee form

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