Glossary for fees and funding
This page offers a dictionary of Cambridge terms. A full University of Cambridge glossary is available on the Cambridge University Library website.
Award
A non-repayable payment to a student, for instance a Financial Assistance award.
Bursary
A non-repayable payment to a student for a specific purpose. A bursary may be means-tested, and assists with payment for tuition fees, living costs, or incidental items such as fieldwork or equipment. It can be a one-off or a regular payment.
Exhibition
A monetary reward for academic or extra-curricular achievement.
Fees-only award
A studentship that pays for tuition fees but not living costs.
Fellowship
A studentship that allows students to undertake a period of study or research, frequently at another higher education institution or an external organisation.
Financial assistance
A payment made by the University or a College to help students in financial need.
Financial liability
The cost of study as calculated by the University, which all applicants must demonstrate they can meet before their offer of admission is confirmed. It is made up of tuition fees and living costs.
Full award
A studentship that pays for tuition fees and living costs.
Funding body
An organisation that provides funding for students in the form of studentships, bursaries, etc., for instance The Cambridge Trust.
Grant
A one-off payment to a student for a specific purpose. Grants are usually for smaller items, such as travel.
Indicative fee
The amount that a Research Council pays the University towards a PhD student’s tuition fees.
Loan
A payment to a student for tuition fees, living costs or both. It is usually provided by an external organisation but may be administered within the University (e.g. U.S. federal and private loans). A loan is repayable.
Maintenance costs
The cost of living during a student’s course.
Prize
A monetary or non-monetary reward for academic excellence. Prizes are non-repayable financial awards made by departments to students who have performed exceptionally in academic studies. For more information visit the Scholarships, Travel Awards and Prizes pages.
Research allowance
A part of a studentship designated for a specific research purpose, e.g. conference attendance. The allowance may be held by a department, college or by the University and is accessed by a student when need arises.
Scholarship
A regular non-repayable payment to a student to assist with the costs of study. It may cover all or part of a student’s tuition fees and living costs.
Stipend
A regular payment to a student for living costs.
Studentship
A regular non-repayable payment to a student for the full costs of study (tuition fees and living costs).
University Composition Fee
The fee for tuition and College membership. The tuition fees you pay for your course depend on whether you are a Home or international student. Please visit the Fees status glossary and the Fees Q&A page for more information. International student fees are higher, find out more on the international students’ website.
Vacation bursary
A payment to a student for living costs that allows the student to remain in Cambridge during a vacation to work on an extra-curricular research project, academic work or to take up an internship. It may be means-tested.