Financial support for applicants

Here at the Institute of Continuing Education, we believe that finances should not be a barrier to an individual pursuing their passions and career goals. The University is committed to widening access to higher education, so we offer a variety of financial support and bursaries. 

As part of a Master of Studies application, there is a £50 application fee, however this can be waivered via two schemes. You can check your eligibility to waiver this fee here. Once you have been offered a place, it is possible to be accepted onto a payment plan that will extend across your time studying- this can be set up for any of our Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses too.  

If you are an overseas student, you may have access to support available to you through your community, employer and/or via student loans. For example, we have worked with students from the United States previously wishing to enrol on one of our MSt courses. They have found success applying for Smart Option Student Loan ® via Sallie Mae Funding. Please see further information on this loan option here.  

  If you live in the UK, you may be entitled to domestic forms of funding support. 

Firstly, if you are a UK student on a course that could enable you to apply for a student loan and you have a disability, mental health condition or specific learning differences which affects your ability to study, you may be able to apply for a Disabled Student's Allowance (DSA). Designed to help you buy or rent equipment to aid you in your studies or to pay for the services of support workers to assist you, this loan aims to prevent anything limiting you in your studies. You can find further information on eligibility and the types of support available in the Disabled Student’s Allowance Guide on the GOV.UK website. 

Secondly, if you are a UK student, you may be eligible to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan to help with course fees and living costs while you study. Whether you qualify for a Postgraduate Master’s loan depends on certain criteria. Please visit the GOV.UK website for more information, link provided here: https://www.gov.uk/masters-loan/eligibility. 

Finally, if you are currently serving in, or have previously served in the British armed forces, you may be eligible to apply for the Ministry of Defence Enhanced Learning Credits scheme. This promotes lifelong learning and provides financial support in each of a maximum of three separate financial years and enables higher level learning of a nationally recognised MSt course. To learn more about this ELCAS scheme, please visit their website, linked here. 

At the Institute, we are delighted to say that bursary options are opening the Cambridge learning experience to more learners. There is a broad offering of course specific bursaries, and you can see the full list available and find our more here. We also have an offering of concessions, which you can see more about here. 

There are also a few other funding options you might consider looking into. You could apply to the University's Access to Learning Fund, which administers limited funds provided by the government to relieve financial hardship that might impact upon a student's participation in higher education. The fund cannot normally be used to meet the cost of tuition fees but can provide additional financial help to meet other course-related costs. A variety of individual grants are available from grant-making trusts. You can usually consult the Directory of Grant Making Trusts at your local library. In some instances, your employer may be willing to offer you financial support for your personal and professional development. 

We know that for many potential adult students, paying for the costs of studying at a leading university like Cambridge can be challenging. We hope you consider studying with us and optimising the funding options available to you, should this be a concern.  

You can find out more details about our funding support options here. Please do not hesitate to contact enquiries@ice.cam.ac.uk if you have any questions.