Graduate fees and costs

The cost of studying at the University of Cambridge is broken down into two areas: 

The University Composition Fee (UCF) covers the cost of your education and your College membership. This is the fee levied for teaching, supervision, student support and the facilities you will receive and have access to from the University and your College.

Maintenance is the estimated minimum cost of living during your time at the University. This covers your accommodation/rent, bills, food, books, travel around Cambridge, and other living expenses. For the academic year 2025/26, this figure is estimated at £19,020.

These, along with any additional costs, make up the minimum financial commitment you will be required to demonstrate before you can be admitted to the University. A number of general and course-specific funding opportunities exist to help you meet this commitment, if you apply for these and are successful.

Proof of funding for the cost of your course needs to be in place before you start. You are, therefore, strongly advised to apply to all available sources of funding available to you as soon as possible. For more information about course costs, fees, and funding opportunities, please see the links below.

We appreciate that for many applicants, studying for a postgraduate degree would be impossible without adequate funding to cover the University Composition Fee and the requisite amount necessary to pay for maintenance costs. At Cambridge, there are a number of funding opportunities from a wide variety of sources, including Research Councils, the Cambridge Trust, Gates Cambridge, central University funds, and from colleges themselves.

Grant-making bodies

External grant-making bodies include the seven UK Research Councils, which offer awards across all disciplines. You can apply for grants from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) through the University's Graduate Funding pages, linked below. Applicants in other disciplines will usually be automatically considered for a grant from a Research Council, but it is worth checking whether you need to make a separate application.

Most grant-making bodies pay your full fees plus maintenance costs, although some may only provide awards that partially cover your costs - for instance, fees only. If this is the case, it is important to ensure that you can cover your maintenance costs by other means. 

To maximise our funding for studentships, some of our overall studentship funds are allocated into a Collegiate University Shared Funding Scheme. Academic achievements to date and potential for academic excellence in future research, will play a key part in any decisions. For some King's studentships, we will also take into account other factors, such as applicants who have been disadvantaged in their studies. 

Eligibility

The competition for a King’s studentship is open to any individual beginning a new graduate degree as a member of King’s College and the University of Cambridge. When you apply, we strongly advise you to choose King’s as your first-choice College on the application form, as this will maximise your chances of being offered membership here and of being eligible for a King’s studentship. Most studentships are for full-time students, although part-time students can be considered in exceptional cases.

Value of Studentship

Some of our awards for Doctoral and Masters students provide full funding for University Composition Fees and Maintenance. The value of awards will take into account any existing funding or offers from other funding bodies for the same course. We also make partial awards, of a variety of amounts. King’s studentships are tenable for up to the normal length of the degree and are renewed annually subject to satisfactory progress.

How to Apply

Applications are made via the Cambridge University Applicant Portal.  Simply tick ‘Yes - I wish to apply for funding' in the funding section of the Applicant Portal. This will mean that you will be automatically considered for some funding (e.g. most Cambridge Trust funds, Research Council awards, etc.) You will also be presented with any other funds that you are eligible for, allowing you to choose which ones you wish to apply for and answer any necessary questions.

Application Deadlines

There are 3 main University funding deadlines for the 2026/27 academic year (dates t.b.c. in September 2025):

• 17 October 2025 (for US citizens applying to the Gates Cambridge Scholarship)
• 3 December 2025
• 7 January 2026

Deadlines are course-specific so check the Course Directory to see which funding deadline applies to your course.