In addition to the student support funds directed at unexpected financial hardship and the dedicated awards for vacation placements and projects, each year the College makes a number of awards to contribute to students’ costs relating to particular activities such as travel, sports or music. Some grants are made to College societies and clubs.
You should also consult Section 5.5 for information about funds for subject-related other funding opportunities.
5.6.1 College General Travel Grants
Every year, the College awards some General College Travel Grants and Vacation Study Grants, whose purpose is to assist students with trips that would normally be relevant to a student’s studies. The total amount available is limited.
Postgraduate students should not use this form except for purely recreational travel. Please apply to the designated funds.There are separate forms and processes for applications at any time of the year which are outlined in the Graduate Guide pages.
In some Departments, funding is provided by the University to make contributions towards maintenance costs and travel for activities which are a compulsory element of Tripos (the approved list of courses is sometimes referred to as the ‘Pink List’). The Fellow for Grants (Professor Daping Chu) or your Director of Studies can advise on eligibility. The College will not expect to fund activities that are covered by this list and that are required by your Department or Faculty, whose responsibility it is to support such course requirements.
General College Travel and Vacation Study Grants are awarded to help with funding for trips not covered through the list mentioned above. Grant applications should be submitted to your Tutor by 9 a.m. U.K. time on Friday 10th May so that your Tutor can forward the completed application with their comments to the Fellow for Grants, who will then make recommendations to the Tutors collectively. The application form will be opened during the academic year, and all students will be notified when this happens. Application forms can be completed online here.
The Tutors have agreed that priority in making grants will normally be given to projects that contribute directly to a student’s academic studies; such travel will usually be given priority over plans, which, while still beneficial, have less immediate relevance for Tripos. Other criteria taken into consideration will include financial need, the quality of proposal and planning of the trip and its impact for the student’s career or future, and whether a student has previously received a travel grant. Exceptionally a Tutor may support a case that non-academic-related travel should be granted funding, for example, if an applicant has never previously travelled overseas. Consideration may be given to a student’s disciplinary record in the year of application.
Applicants will be asked to provide as full costings as possible, covering all travel and associated costs of the trip, including subscriptions, activities, and associated expenses. They should also clarify what they expect to contribute financially themselves and/or raise from other sources, including the College’s academic-related funds. Directors of Studies will be asked to comment on the academic value and relevance of the travel. Retrospective grants may be considered if the expenditure occurred after 1st October of the academic year in which the application is made. They will not usually be considered for activities that were undertaken earlier than that date except with the prior approval of the student's Tutor and the Fellow for Grants.
5.6.2 Specific Funds
Travel Grants are funded from a range of different funds, some of which support particular kinds of travel but are considered through the standard application process. If you are thinking of directing your application to one of these grants you simply indicate so on the form. You should discuss this with your Tutor before submitting your form.
The following funds require only the standard application form, including a clear indication of the fund to which the student wishes to apply:
- The Borradaile Fund is available for zoology related travel with a preference to undergraduates.
- The Cott Fund exists primarily to assist junior members of the College who wish to travel overseas to engage in a biological or anthropological scientific expedition/research project.
- The Terry Dixon Memorial Travel Fund has the priority to support any students travelling to Japan.
- The Medical Mission Fund is for religious (Christian) related trips and must be used for the activities which can be regarded as missionary and medical in nature.
In all cases it is a condition of accepting a grant from the College that the student will undertake the travel for which they applied and that they shall submit a brief report on their travel or activities by the Division of the Term after it has taken place. Please use this form to submit a report.
The College’s support for travel does not imply that it is responsible for the safety of the traveller. These are independent projects. Tutors will expect their students to confirm that applicants for these funds have undertaken any appropriate risk assessments and that they have checked Foreign Office advice on their destination(s). The College also encourages any traveller to ensure that they have all appropriate vaccinations before they travel.
.jpg)
