Summer Bursaries
Important Note for EU students who commenced their studies in 2021-22 or afterwards
Following the Education (Student Fees, Awards and Support) (Amendment) Regulations 2021, EU nationals (except Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland), other EEA and Swiss nationals will no longer be eligible for financial support from Student Finance England for courses starting in the academic year 2021-22, unless they are covered by the citizens’ rights provision of the Withdrawal Agreement. Students who will not be entitled to financial support from Student Finance England will also no longer be eligible for funding from the Summer Bursaries scheme. They will still be eligible for funding from the Undergraduate Academic Research Projects Fund for their summer projects.
EU students who entered the College in / before October 2020, as well as EU students with settled or pre-settled status who are eligible for funding from SFE, will remain eligible for the Summer Bursaries.
Bursary Details
We are very pleased to invite all eligible undergraduates to enter the competition for the 2025 Summer Bursaries.
The aim of the Summer Bursaries competition is to enable eligible students to pursue educational interests or career development opportunities, for a period of up to 8 weeks during the Long Vacation 2025.
Eligibility
Eligibility
You are invited to apply to the Summer Bursary competition if you meet the following criteria:
- You are an undergraduate student at St John’s (MVST students are only eligible during the first three years of their course);
- You are eligible for support from Student Finance England (or other regional body in the UK);
- Your household income is below £67,000;
- You are returning to St John's in the 2025-26 academic year to continue your undergraduate studies or to pursue a postgraduate degree *; and
- You are planning to spend a significant part of the summer engaged in an academic, educational or career development activity.
*Applications from students who intend to progress into the fourth year of their degree programme but do not yet know if they will be accepted into the fourth year will be assessed on a discretionary basis. We may seek feedback from their Directors of Studies and we may decide to award the Summer Bursary on condition that the student is subsequently accepted for the fourth year of the degree programme. Each application that falls into this category will be reviewed independently and it will be at the discretion of the College to add a condition or not.
*Students who, for practical reasons, cannot pursue an activity or project during the Long Vacation but could plan an activity during the Christmas or Easter vacation instead, may be exceptionally considered for funding. Such requests will only be considered when there are reasonable restrictions which do not allow a student to undertake a project during the summer, and not when this is a matter of preference. Funding of projects taking place during Christmas or Easter vacation will only be possible in years when not all available funding has been exhausted for summer projects. We would expect you to apply during the normal application round but we understand that some projects cannot be arranged so far in advance. Please contact Student Services to discuss your request as early as possible, and no later than the division of Michaelmas Term for activities during the Christmas holidays and the division of Lent Term for activities during the Easter holidays.
Activities
Example activities
Some examples of summer activities eligible for a summer bursary are: research projects; summer courses at other Institutions; exploring new academic and educational interests; unpaid work experience; and volunteering work. This list is not exclusive and any activity which would clearly add value to your career and personal development could be considered.
The College will not fund unpaid internships at commercial organisations. The responsibility to pay their interns lies with the employers and interns who are classified as workers are entitled to the Minimum National Wage.
Language courses
The College will, in principle, support participation in language courses abroad at any level beyond introductory. Students who do not have basic skills in a language are encouraged to take the introductory course at the Language Centre in Cambridge.
Paid internships / Funded projects
If you are undertaking a paid internship or have other sources of funding for your project, either from the College or from an external organisation, your application will be considered and assessed only if you have a shortfall and the total funds that you have access to do not cover the cost of living during your project or the cost of the project.
Projects / Internships at the University of Cambridge
Students who undertake internships or research projects organised by and held at Faculties, Departments or Institutes affiliated to the University of Cambridge ordinarily receive remuneration at the National Living Wage rate. We expect you to check with your supervisor and/or the hosting Faculty / Department / Institute whether the placement will involve remuneration. In the event that there is not any remuneration, the College may be able to partially fund your project.
Conservation / Environmental / Development projects organised by external organisations in developing countries
Students who wish to participate in volunteering projects in developing counties, especially when a high programme participation fee is charged, are strongly advised to exercise due diligence when determining whether the volunteering activity that they will be involved in will actually benefit the country where it takes place. Students are also reminded that there are numerous opportunities for volunteering work in the UK.
Applying
Applying
Details of how to apply, including deadlines and further details are available on the 4th Court Student Services page. Click on 'Summer Funding'