The Lady Mary Ramsey Fund - joint fund for financial assistance and bursaries

We have a number of financial assistance funds and bursaries dedicated to providing support to undergraduates in cases of unexpected financial need. Some of our older financial assistance funds are limited to particular disciplines or to other special cases, but there is a lot of flexibility within the joint fund to provide support where it is needed.  Contributions to these funds, or the endowment of new ones, are very important and allow us to act quickly, enabling students to focus on their studies rather than their financial difficulties.  In the past year 77 students have benefitted from the Bursary scheme and a further 648 undergraduates received other forms of financial support (including 89 Friends of Peterhouse Well-being grants).  The expansion of these funds continues to play a major part in the Development Campaign.  Donors are also invited to contribute to a subject specific or general bursary named fund.  To name a bursary the donor must pledge £1,500 per year for at least three years.

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Extra Financial Support in 2022-23

Thanks to the continuing generosity of large numbers of Petreans past and present, Peterhouse is in the fortunate position of having funds available for the support of its undergraduates and graduates.  Careful stewardship by the current and previous bursar has ensured that these have grown steadily in value and are now quite significant.  In addition, 73 students were in receipt of Cambridge Bursaries which are partially funded by the College.  Different categories of grant are distributed in different ways. Undergraduate Bursaries are means tested and awarded in collaboration with central bodies as part of the Cambridge Bursaries Scheme.  Peterhouse Research Studentships and Scholarships are awarded by the Research Studentships Committee.  Other grants, such as financial assistance grants, are distributed by the Grants Committee and travel grants are distributed by the Travel Grants Committee. The previous year's figures are shown in brackets.

Undergraduate Bursaries: 73 (75) students were in receipt of Cambridge Bursaries at a total cost to the College of just over £219,451 (£225,774) from the endowment, the Postan Fund, the Dick and Edna Airey Fund and donations from Petreans including the Friends of Peterhouse, Reuben Awards and Digital Gateway grants. 422 grants were awarded to undergraduates, including 45 from the Lady Mary Ramsey bursary scheme.

Research Studentships and Scholarships: 21 (24) full or partial Peterhouse Graduate Studentships were awarded at a total cost to the College of £404,988 (£476,814) including one tuition fee contribution from the Crosthwait Fund, three ESRC match-funded, three AHRC match-funded, one BBSRC match-funded, one Cambridge UK Masters and Peterhouse Scholarship. The majority of the Peterhouse full awards were in the sciences. The studentships were supported from the College’s Graduate Studentship Funds in the Arts and in the Sciences, thanks to the generosity of Petreans. In addition, three sport scholarships were awarded at a total cost of £11,000 (£20,000).  There was also a contribution of £5,000 from the Morgan fund towards a student's tuition fees.

Travel grants: 127 travel grants were awarded during 2022-23 totalling £52,972 (124 totalling £50,195).

Book Grants: 5 (13) awards were made, totalling £552.84 (£1,088).

Cowling Fund: (bursaries for historians) 24 awards (16), totalling £10,995.86 (£6,131.17), but a further 5 (5) awards were given for Vacation Residence Grants, totalling £1,898.06 (£1,596) and 4 (6) awards for the Chapel Retreat, totalling £988.00 (£1,578).

Donation Fund: (awards for financial assistance, vacation residence, medical expenses) 10 (11) awards, totalling £36,913 (£51,721).

Edward Lipman Fund: (financial assistance for graduates and undergraduates in Classics, English, History, Music, and Politics) 3 awards (7), totalling £1,081 (£1,545).

Bruckmann: (support language study and travel abroad related to conferences and research) 47 awards (25), totalling £44,700.28 (£36,870).

Friends of Peterhouse: (variety of purposes: need for financial assistance, medical, welfare, sporting, and research) 110 (75) grants, totalling £26,249.73 (£28,029).

Friends of Peterhouse Wellbeing Fund: (to purchase anything that would help support general well-being during the COVID Pandemic) this was not used in 2022-23 (4 grants were made in 2021-22, totalling £2,593.85 which largely supported yearbook costs).

Stemson: (to help with the cost of representing the University in sport) 21 (32) awards, totalling £5,715.06 (£11,770).

Gehring Fund: for 2022-23 this fund was used for 8 (8) students for Vacation Residence Grants awards, totalling £1,881.25 (£2,257). 

Greta Burkill Fund for Graduates: (for graduate students for a variety of purposes including language courses, travel to conferences and travel for research) 41 (64grants, totalling £30,455.90 (£24,163).

Gunn Studentships: (towards the final year of a Ph.D.)  no awards were made in 2022-23 (none for 2021-22).

Plevy Newman Fund: (for medical students): 13 (12) awards totalling £8,106.50 (£6,983).

Kidd Bequest: (vacation study grants) 65 (50) awards, totalling £23,026.81 (£18,546.).

Mariott Fund: (support of students from Malaysia) 1 award totalling £227.50 (no awards were made in 2021-22.)

Morgan Fund: (support for those seeking ordination) 1 (2) award totalling £5,494.00 (£5,263).

Muir Wood Award:  (for graduates in Maths Engineering and Science attending conferences, financial assistance and long vacation residence) 4 (6) awards, totalling £988.00 (£8,773).

Jeremiah Markland Fund: (support for Classics' students) 6 (3) awards, totalling £1,454.50 (£789).

Herton Family Fund: (undergraduate medicine and science) 4 (5) awards, totalling £1,342.19 (£1,688).

Jepson Fund: (financial assistance for medical students) no awards for 2022-23 (1) award totalling (£299).

Donald Higham Fund: (bursaries and financial assistance for Natural Sciences/Science) 19 (28) awards totalling £6,888.07 (£8,214).

George Crisp Studentship: (medical or theology students) no awards for 2022-23 (1 award totalling £275).

Lord Dacre Language Fund: (History and Classics) 2 (1) awards, totalling £1,490.95 (£600).

Gita Padmanaban Prize: (for physics and mathematics) one annual award in the sum of £300, split between two students in 2022-23 £150 each.

Friends of Peterhouse Student Welfare Initiatives Fund

Named in recognition of the support for student wellbeing we have received over the years from the Friends of Peterhouse.  Donations to this fund will be used for initiatives promoting student wellbeing from the provision of additional counselling and mental health support to yoga classes, etc. During the pandemic, in addition to their usual level of financial support, the Friends of Peterhouse made a very generous grant to support junior members’ wellbeing during lockdown and also paid for the yearbook for those who would have graduated.

Music Scholarships

Alongside the new organ, the College is very keen further to enhance the musical life of the College with the establishment of additional grants and awards for our undergraduate and graduate musicians.

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