A range of awards to help you thrive
We encourage applications from the best students and do all we can to open doors to top-level academic study for brilliant applicants who might not otherwise be able to come to Cambridge.
Most of our awards require applicants to name Hughes Hall as their first choice college in their University application and to join the College when they commence study.
Our range of scholarships, bursaries, and other forms of financial support, continue to grow, and we welcome students with funding from elsewhere in the University and beyond. This page details the scholarships, other awards and grants available – please email scholarships@hughes.cam.ac.uk.
We want to encourage applications from the best students and do all we can to open doors to top-level academic study
PhD Scholarships
Full PhD Scholarships
You can apply to receive one of two full Hughes Hall PhD Scholarships which are awarded each year, in conjunction with the University of Cambridge, to applicants for full-time PhD study in any subject. These cover both fees and maintenance for all three fee-paying years. Maintenance will be paid by Hughes Hall at the agreed rate, and fees via a Vice-Chancellor’s Award (for a Home/EU student) or a Cambridge International Scholarship (for an Overseas student).
These awards are available to applicants of all nationalities and for all subjects, and are tenable for up to three fee-paying years, subject to annual review, however, not for applicants who are awarded full funding from other grant-giving bodies, or students who have already started their doctoral study.
To apply:
- you must complete your Cambridge University PhD application and in this:
- specify Hughes Hall as your first choice college
- apply for funding from the Cambridge Trust (necessary for all co-funding): https://www.cambridgetrust.org/scholarships/
- and complete our HH Scholarships Application Form and submit it to scholarships@hughes.cam.ac.uk by 31 May 2024.
Top-Up PhD Scholarships (subject to review)
Hughes Hall offers several smaller scholarships of £2,500 per year, kindly provided by benefactors. These are awarded on the same conditions as above, including that applicants must specify Hughes Hall as their first choice college in their university application. One award for any PhD will be available each year.
- Elizabeth Cherry Scholarship for PhD, with preference for the Arts
- Hong Kong Alumni Scholarship for any PhD
- Sarah Squire Scholarship for any PhD
Those who send in application for the Hughes Hall Full PhD Scholarships will also be considered for the top-up awards.
All scholarships are for courses starting in October 2024. All those who are offered a university place will be informed of the outcome earliest by June.
Law Awards
Hughes Hall has a large number of grateful alumni and other generous donors for Law and can offer a growing number of scholarships.
The Hughes Hall/Institute of Criminology Jack Merritt Scholarship
This is kindly provided in memory of an alumnus who lost his life in a terrorist attack while working to help prisoners. There is one award of £7,500, offered to a student from a Widening Participation background. The recipient must apply via the normal routes to the University of Cambridge and be accepted by the Institute of Criminology. The recipient must also name Hughes Hall as their first-choice college.
Patrick and Linda Yip Scholarship for LLM or PhD in Law
This is kindly provided by an alumnus of the college. There is one award of £2,500, offered in preference to a fully or partially self-funded student. This is open to all applicants for LLM or for PhD in the Faculty of Law (or another department if topic is sufficiently law-related), with preference for those who name Hughes Hall as their first-choice college.
- Applicants for the law awards must submit the HH Postgraduate Law Scholarships Application Form to the Scholarship team at scholarships@hughes.cam.ac.uk by 31 May 2024.
Other College Awards
Hughes Hall – CJBS Scholarship for MSt in Social Innovation
A £10,000 award has been made available in partnership with Cambridge Judge Business School for applicants on the MSt in Social Innovation. Candidates must select Hughes Hall as their first College choice. To apply for this funding, applicants will be required to submit an application directly to Cambridge Judge Business School (MSt in Social Innovation).
Candidates must have received an offer to join the programme in October 2024 and membership at Hughes Hall before they can be considered for the scholarship. The application deadline will be 31 May 2024.
Hong Kong Awards
The following awards kindly provided by benefactors are open to graduates of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) who apply to Hughes Hall to study in Cambridge:
- Doris Zimmern Hughes Hall Scholarships, for graduates of HKU applying for PhD, MPhil or MASt. Full award.
- Ho Tim Foundation Hughes Hall Scholarship, for graduates of S H Ho College at CUHK applying for MPhil or MASt. Full award.
- Tse Family Hughes Hall Scholarship, for graduates of HKU applying for MPhil or MASt, with preference for Education or Science.
Full awards cover University overseas fees to a maximum of the PhD science fee; a maintenance allowance at the standard rate; and a settling-in fee. For courses with a higher fee, recipients fund the difference themselves. Applications for these scholarships must be submitted to HKU or CUHK as appropriate. Applicants must also apply to the University of Cambridge, specifying Hughes Hall as their first-choice college.
