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 (apply by 13 Jan)
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). Applicants must specify Hughes Hall as their first choice college in their university application.
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 13 January 2023.
Top-Up PhD Scholarships (apply by 13 Jan)
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
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 13 January 2023.
All scholarships are for courses starting in October. All those who are offered a university place will be informed of the outcome of their Hughes Hall scholarship application in April.
Edwin Leong Scholarships for PhD in Life Sciences
Two full scholarships are awarded every three years for full-time PhDs in Life Sciences, with preference for studies related to ageing or paediatrics. The scholarships cover both fees and maintenance for all three fee-paying years, and are kindly provided by a benefactor in conjunction with the University of Cambridge via a Vice-Chancellor’s Award (for a Home/EU student) or a Cambridge International Scholarship (for an Overseas student).
Recipients are selected in consultation with the relevant university departments, and must accept membership of Hughes Hall.
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
Kindly provided in memory of an alumnus who lost his life in a terrorist attack while working to help prisoners.
- One award of £7,500, offered to a student from a Widening Participation background. The recipient will be selected in conjunction with the Institute of Criminology, following its admissions process and timetable, and must accept membership of Hughes Hall.
Patrick and Linda Yip Scholarship for LLM or PhD in Law
Kindly provided by an alumnus of the college. One award of £2,500, offered in preference to a fully or partially self-funded student. 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 must submit the combined HH Postgraduate Law Scholarships Application Form to scholarships@hughes.cam.ac.uk by 19 May 2023.
Other College Awards
Hughes Hall – CJBS Scholarship for MSt in Social Innovation
- One award of £10,000, as outlined in the HH-CJBS MSt Scholarship particulars. To apply you must submit the HH-CJBS MSt Scholarship Application Form to scholarships@hughes.cam.ac.uk by 31 May 2023.
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, for PhD, MPhil or MASt. Full award.
- Edwin Leong Hughes Hall Scholarships, for graduates of CUHK, for MPhil or MASt. Full award.
- Ho Tim Foundation Hughes Hall Scholarship, for graduates of S H Ho College at CUHK, for MPhil or MASt. Full award.
- Tse Family Hughes Hall Scholarship, for graduates of HKU, 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, nominating Hughes Hall as their first choice college.
Travel grants
Hughes Hall offers £250 a year travel grants to all its students, and additional support to Education PhD and MPhil students, and provides financial support to individuals learning new languages through the University’s Language Centre, playing University sports at first and second team level, and prizes for high achievement for final year undergraduates and a number of MPhil courses.
There is information about these awards in the Student Centre Funding and Prizes pages.
Other Cambridge Awards
Applicants should apply for every other form of financial assistance open to them, including awards from the UK Government and sources in their home countries.
- Cambridge University has several funding schemes for postgraduate students.
- The Cambridge Trust also offers a range of full and partial scholarships to students from all countries.
- The Cambridge Bursary Scheme for UK undergraduates is jointly funded by the University and its colleges, including Hughes Hall. It offers generous bursaries on a sliding scale depending on household income, with a higher rate for mature students resident in Cambridge all year round.
