Think Forward for student access
The average debt after a three year undergraduate degree for a UK student at Cambridge is now an estimated £55,380. While our poorest students can borrow much of the money they need, this can act as a deterrent to considering a university education. Churchill has a long tradition of welcoming students from non-traditional Oxbridge schools and regions forged by a desire to help combat entrenched social and economic disadvantage by improving equality of access and equality of opportunity.
Bursaries and hardship grants make a significant difference in encouraging students to apply to Churchill who otherwise might fear getting into debt, and to their educational outcomes once here. These bursaries have only been made possible because of generous alumni support.
- Over 100 undergraduates currently receive a means-tested Cambridge Bursary
- 68% receive the maximum annual bursary of £3,500, awarded to those with family incomes lower than £25,000.
- The total expenditure for UGs on bursaries, grants & awards in 2019/20 was £482k
- A record 80% of offers to UK students in the 2021 UCAS round have been made to maintained sector pupils – significantly above the Office for Students (OfS) target of 65%.
Now more than ever before, it is vital that the College has at its disposal the funds needed to continue to reach, support and transform as many of the best young minds as possible, regardless of their financial circumstances.