Funding and financial assistance
Hughes Hall, like Cambridge University, expects you to have your funding fully in place before starting your course. This is a condition of acceptance. It also means that you should not be distracted from your study by funding worries.
And please note that it is not possible to work part-time in order to fund yourself, given the intensity of a full-time Cambridge course. In any case, the university has strict rules limiting the amount of time for any paid work.
Nevertheless, students occasionally experience financial challenges. Both the university and the college have some funds available to support financial difficulties caused by ‘unforeseen and unforeseeable circumstances’ (the traditional definition), and occasionally for other needs.
Speak to your Tutor if you have financial concerns. They can give you advice, and they will have to comment on any application to college or university funds. NB. For College Grants for Travel, Language Learning, Varsity Sport and PhD Thesis Binding, see the Funding and Prizes page.
College Student Support Funds
To apply for Hughes Hall financial support or assistance, complete the Application Form, and arrange to discuss this with your tutor, who may wish to follow up certain points. Your tutor will then forward your application to the college’s Student Finance Welfare Committee, which meets weekly during term. Note that if you wish to receive help from funds generously given by others, you need to be open about your income and expenditure. The college will respect your privacy and handle this information sensitively.
The College has several funds, and the Student Finance Welfare Committee will allocate sums from the most appropriate fund where they accept that there is genuine hardship and there are funds available. These are:
- Chui Wen Mei Memorial Bursary Fund, generously donated in memory of Ms Chui Wen Mei
- Hughes Hall Hardship Fund, from historic donations and other sources
- Hughes Hall Innominate Fund, for small grants
University Financial Support
For these funds, you must consult your tutor, since some need the tutor to apply on your behalf, and all will need college support from either tutor or Senior Tutor.
There is a helpful round-up of University hardship funds on the University website, including:
- Undergraduate Hardship Fund – Undergraduates facing exceptional or unexpected financial hardship
- Postgraduate Hardship Fund – Postgraduates facing exceptional or unexpected financial hardship
- Medical Support Fund – Any student facing exceptional or unexpected medical costs leading to financial hardship
- Special Hardship Fund for the following purposes:
- Intermitting students
- Students on a year abroad
- Ukrainian students impacted by the war on Ukraine
- ADRC financial support – Students with a disability
- Childcare Bursary Scheme – Students with dependent children
- Student Hardship Loan Fund – Any student who finds themselves in unexpected financial hardship requiring a temporary loan
- Bell, Abbott, and Barnes Funds for undergraduates