Studying at Cambridge is expensive. International PhD fees alone can exceed £30,000 a year before living costs. That is why college-level awards matter. The St John’s College Benefactors Scholarships are among the most useful of those awards because they can cover both fees and maintenance, they are open to any discipline, and they do not require a second application form.
The official listing on the University of Cambridge Postgraduate Funding Search is titled for the 2026 cycle, but the current details apply to the 2027/28 academic year. About nine awards are expected. Results are usually released in April or May.
This guide explains what the scholarship actually pays, who is eligible, how the hidden 1 March deadline works, and what you should do now if you want a realistic chance.
Scholarship Summary
- Host Country: UK
- Host University: University of Cambridge (St John’s College)
- Scholarship Type: MSC Scholarships/PhD Scholarships
- Eligible Countries: All Countries
- Scholarship Benefits: Full tuition fee, Living stipend, etc.
- Award value: £35,000 ~ £65,000 (annual)
- Award purpose: Fees (Home), Fees (International), Maintenance
- Award duration: Course length (from nine months to three years)
What the Benefactors Scholarship Actually Covers
St John’s states that the award is intended to cover maintenance costs and fees. The University funding search lists the combined annual value as £35,000 to £65,000. The range is wide because Home and International composition fees differ sharply, and a one-year MPhil costs less in total than a three-year PhD.
On the College’s own page, the most recently published breakdown (for 2025–26) was a maintenance grant of £20,700 plus the approved University composition fee. Figures are reviewed each year, so treat the £35,000–£65,000 band as the planning range, not a guaranteed cheque.
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Scholars may also apply for extra help:
- a capped, retrospective contribution towards the cost of travelling to Cambridge at the start of the course
- a capped contribution towards a return journey home at the end of the course
- support for fieldwork, conferences and other essential academic expenses
The scholarship is reduced if you receive other funding. If you later secure a large award from another body, St John’s can withdraw both the scholarship and the College place. You are expected to apply for every other research award for which you are eligible.
Successful scholars may be asked to submit an annual report on their studies to the College Council.
See Also:
- St Johns College Benefactors Scholarships 2027 At University of Cambridge UK
- Deans Impact Scholarship At Imperial College London 2027/28 in UK
- Imperial Global Future Leaders Scholarship 2027/28: The Award Most Applicants Overlook
Who Can Apply for St Johns College Benefactors Scholarships
The competition is for full-time postgraduate study only. Part-time courses are not eligible.
Eligible groups include:
- applicants seeking admission to St John’s as full-time PhD candidates
- applicants seeking admission as full-time MPhil students
- applicants for the Master of Advanced Study (MASt) in Mathematics who intend to continue to a PhD
- applicants for the LLM
- current St John’s members whose work will count towards a PhD
- former St John’s students returning for postgraduate study
Members of other Cambridge colleges who have already started a PhD or Certificate of Postgraduate Studies are not normally eligible. If you are at another college and thinking of naming St John’s as a preference, contact the St John’s Postgraduate Office first.
Academic merit is the basis of the award. Scholars-elect are normally expected to meet a high academic condition, typically the equivalent of a Cambridge First or Distinction.
Nationality is not a barrier. Both Home and International fee-status students can be funded.
How Long the Award Lasts
Duration follows the course:
- MPhil, MASt or LLM: normally one year
- PhD: normally three years, subject to satisfactory progress
- shortest listed tenure: nine months
If you take an MPhil (or MASt/LLM) with a clear plan to continue to a PhD, the first award covers the one-year course only. You can enter a later Benefactors competition for up to three further years. Continuation usually depends on a Distinction or other distinguished performance.
The award is not automatically extendable beyond the advertised course length.
The Application Process Most People Get Wrong
There is no separate Benefactors Scholarship form for new applicants.
St John’s considers you automatically if:
- you apply to the University of Cambridge through the Applicant Portal
- you are eligible for College membership at St John’s
- your University application has been received by St John’s before 1 March 2027
That last point is the one that catches people. Departmental selection can be slow. An application submitted in February may not reach the College until after 1 March. Older College guidance therefore advised applying to the Postgraduate Admissions Office by the end of November. That remains sensible advice even though the hard College cut-off is 1 March.
You must also meet the University funding deadlines for your course. For 2027/28 entry the main University funding deadlines are 8 December 2026 and 6 January 2027 (14 October 2026 for US citizens applying for Gates Cambridge). Course deadlines can differ from funding deadlines. Check both in the Course Directory.
Current St John’s PhD or CPGS students applying for second- or third-year funding must request a competition form from the Postgraduate Administrator. That form is also due on 1 March. Students who already hold a full grant from another body before 1 March cannot enter.
Useful links:
- Cambridge postgraduate applications
- Applying for University funding
- Cambridge Postgraduate Funding Search
Timeline You Should Work To
- October 2026: Gates Cambridge deadline for US citizens (if relevant)
- 8 December 2026 and 6 January 2027: main University funding deadlines
- As early as possible, and well before 1 March 2027: submit a complete University application so St John’s receives it in time
- 1 March 2027: College receipt deadline for automatic consideration
- April–May 2027: typical results window
- October 2027: start of the 2027/28 academic year
Offers of admission and offers of funding are separate. An admission offer does not mean you have the Benefactors Scholarship.
How Competitive Is It?
St John’s is one of the most heavily applied-to postgraduate colleges in Cambridge. Recent College reports show hundreds of postgraduate applications and a much smaller number of funded places. About nine Benefactors awards are expected. That is a small field.
What improves your odds:
- a first-class or equivalent record and a tightly argued research proposal (for PhD) or a strong academic statement (for MPhil)
- naming St John’s in a way that actually results in the College receiving the file before 1 March
- applying for every other award you are eligible for (Gates, Cambridge Trust, departmental studentships, research-council awards)
- a supervisor or department that is prepared to support you
What does not help:
- a late application that arrives at the College after 1 March
- assuming the scholarship is needs-based (it is merit-based)
- treating the College award as a substitute for University funding deadlines
Why St John’s Matters Beyond the Money
A Benefactors Scholarship is also a College membership decision. St John’s is a large, historic college with a substantial postgraduate community, its own funding competitions, and extra academic grants such as the Learning and Research Fund. Scholars may be invited to formal events including the Admission of Scholars and the Foundation Dinner.
College life does not replace departmental supervision, but it does change the practical and social conditions of a Cambridge degree: accommodation access, dining, welfare, and a second academic community.
Read the College’s wider postgraduate funding pages alongside the Benefactors listing so you understand how this award sits next to other named scholarships and shared schemes.
Click Here to See other Scholarships.
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Practical Checklist Before You Apply
- Confirm your course is full-time and listed as Masters or PhD (including MASt and LLM where relevant).
- Check Home versus International fee status and the current composition fee for your course.
- Submit the University application early enough for processing delays.
- Select college preferences with the 1 March receipt rule in mind.
- Apply for all other eligible funding.
- Keep copies of your application and note when St John’s is likely to have received it.
- If you are already at St John’s and need continuation funding, email the Postgraduate Office for the competition form well before 1 March.
Start with the official listing and the College page. Those two documents override any secondary summary, including this one, if details change.
The Benefactors Scholarship will not remove every financial risk of a Cambridge degree. It can, for a small number of applicants, remove the largest ones: fees and basic living costs. The price of entry is not a second form. It is an early, complete University application that actually reaches St John’s before 1 March 2027.
Official sources: