Various sources of funding exist for those wishing to pursue study at the Institute of Criminology. The following is a summary of some studentships, scholarships and awards available to prospective students.

• University Funding
• Institute of Criminology Funding
• Other Potential Funding Resources

University Funding

For information on how to apply for the studentships and scholarships below, please read the funding pages of the Postgraduate Admissions Office website. This website provides comprehensive information about how to apply for funding, and a search tool which allows you to search for the competitions you are eligible for.

There are several centrally administered funding opportunities which exist for postgraduate students. It is important to understand that the competition for full studentships is intense, but we encourage you to indicate that you would like to be considered for these competitions. In general, Criminology students are successful in most of the funding competitions, and, in a typical year, we will host students who have been awarded funding from all of the major funding bodies such as the ESRC DTP, Gates Cambridge and the Cambridge Trust.

ESRC DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership)

The Institute is pleased to participate in the ESRC DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership) at the University of Cambridge.  A range of studentships are available across the social sciences at Cambridge.  If you are interested in how society works and how it can handle global challenges, a DTP studentship will give you a world-class training programme, with access to leading international scholars both at Cambridge and other DTPs, and a wide community of fellow social scientists.

You can find out more about ESRC DTP studentships here. 

Please contact the Graduate Administrator to discuss your interest in applying for a DTP studentship.

Gates Cambridge Scholarships

Gates Cambridge Scholarships are designed to support students of outstanding academic merit and leadership potential from every country of the world except the UK. Preference will be given to those judged particularly committed to serving their communities, and students from the USA will be considered first.

Full details and application deadlines can be found on the Postgraduate Admissions website or on the Gates Cambridge website.

2024-2025 Application year

Cambridge Trust

Full details of Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust awards and application deadlines can be found in the Postgraduate Admissions website or on the Cambridge Trust website.

Institute of Criminology Funding

Wakefield Scholarship

Please note that there are two deadlines:

• Wakefield Scholarship - Application Form
• Wakefield Scholarship - Referee Form

Please submit your application form and references to: graduate.administrator@crim.cam.ac.uk

Manuel López-Rey Studentship

The Manuel López-Rey Studentship in Criminology is awarded from the Manuel López-Rey Fund, given to the University by Mrs Grace López-Rey in memory of her husband, Professor Manuel López-Rey, a former Visiting Fellow of the Institute.

• Lopez-Rey - Application Form
• Lopez-Rey - Referee Form

Please send your application form and references to: graduate.administrator@crim.cam.ac.uk

Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentships

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 has also pledged to fund a programme of doctoral studentships at the Institute of Criminology.  

• Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentship - Application Form
• Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentship - Referee Form
• Jerry Lee Doctoral Studentship - Employee Form

Please send your application form and references to: graduate.administrator@crim.cam.ac.uk

MSt in Applied Criminology, Penology and Management

Most course participants apply for funding from their service or organisation. Some students provide their own funding, at least in part.
Funding available from the Institute and University that we are aware of is detailed on this page. Unfortunately, much of this funding is not available to MSt students.

However, overseas students may like to note that they 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. The applicant's organisation will normally be required to contribute a proportion of the funds.

There is some provision for Professional Student Loans and further details can be found at: Professional and Career Development Loan

**2024-2025: Timpson Bursary**

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 2024 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 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 deadline for the bursary for study in 2024 is 11 Jan 24.  

• The Timpson Bursary is open to any person working in the third sector in criminal justice. 
• It 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).
• Please see details on the Postgraduate Funding Search. 

Application form: PDF or Word.

Please your application forms, and references to sgc@crim.cam.ac.uk

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 normal processes. 

MSt in Applied Criminology and Police Management

Most course participants apply for funding from their service or organisation. Some students provide their own funding, at least in part.  Unfortunately, much of the funding from the Institute and University is not available to MSt 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 their website. The applicant's organisation will normally be required to contribute a proportion of the funds. MSt applicants from Canada, New Zealand and Australia are eligible to apply for a Wakefield Scholarship to contribute towards their fee's.

Other potential funding sources

Funding for Overseas Students

Overseas students at the Institute have in recent years been supported by various institutions, including the British Council, the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, the Fulbright-Hays programme, the Rotary Foundation, the Canada Council, the Laidlow Foundation, the Rhodes Trust. You will need to look at the organizational websites for information.

Loans

For more information about the kinds of loans available to home and overseas students, please check the information on the Postgraduate Admissions website.