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 2023 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 2023.
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 2023-24 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.
Activities
Example activities
Some examples of summer activities for which you can apply for funding are: research projects; summer courses at other Institutions; exploring new academic and educational interests; unpaid work experience; and internships. This list is not exclusive and any activity which would clearly add value to your career and personal development could be considered.
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
The application system will open in the week of 13th February 2023. There will be two decision rounds this year:
- Early round: The applications which will be submitted by Monday 13th March 2023 will be considered at an early round and applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application by mid-April 2023.
- Final round: The closing date for the final round is Monday 8th May 2023 and applicants will be notified by mid-June 2023.
Students who wish to apply will have to complete the Summer Funding Application Form 2023 and upload it to the "Your CV" upload area on the online application form. On the online application form, there is a field about "Previous exchange experience" - please leave this blank as this is not relevant.
Please note that students who wish to also be considered for a Grant for an Undergraduate Academic Research Project (UARP) do not need to complete a separate form.
Student Services would be happy to respond to informal enquiries and requests for information.
All payments will be made at the beginning of July 2023. Successful students will be asked to submit a report by 1st October 2023.