Eligibility

Eligibility criteria for the programme

Applicants must meet all the criteria in Part A. We strongly encourage applications from undergraduates currently studying at higher education institutions where research experience may not be as readily available as in more selective institutions and applicants who meet the Part B criteria.

This programme is NOT open to applicants who:

• are in their first or final year of undergraduate study at the application deadline;
• are studying (or previously studied) at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford or the London School of Economics; 

Part A

To be eligible for programme, you must meet the following criteria: 

• Have, or expect to have, and be able to prove your right to live and work full time in the UK for the duration of the programme. Right to Work checks will be carried out for successful applicants. 

• Be in the penultimate year of your course.  Applicants must be undergraduate students who are in their second year (or third year of a four-year course) at the time of application.  First and final year students are not eligible.

• Have achieved, or be on track to achieve, a final undergraduate degree grade of a strong 2:1 or 1st in a humanities or social sciences subject.  If your transcripts demonstrate that your grades are on an upward trajectory towards the upper range of a 2:1 or above, we encourage you to apply. 

• Have an interest in undertaking a postgraduate degree (MPhil or PhD) in a humanities or social sciences subject. 

• Not have completed, or be currently studying, a postgraduate degree (e.g. MPhil, DPhil, PhD, etc.) or have an offer to start a postgraduate degree or have applied for a postgraduate degree course. 

AND

• Meet at least one of the following criteria: 

  • Have been in receipt of free school meals at secondary school; 

    • We will ask you to provide a letter or other notification from your school as part of your application if you select this criterion.

  • Be in the first generation of your family to study at undergraduate level (if any of your parents, stepparents, or guardians attended university and obtained an undergraduate degree by the time you were 18)

  • Have been a young carer under the age of 18 or have/ had caring responsibilities during your undergraduate study (providing unpaid support for an ill or disabled family member who could not manage without this help, e.g. who has a physical or mental health condition, or misuses substances)

  • Have entered university at undergraduate level from a care background or as a Foyer resident;  

    • We will ask you to provide a letter from the Local Authority or Foyer as part of your application if you select this criterion.

  • Be estranged from your parents/guardians (i.e. you are studying for your undergraduate degree without the support and approval of a family network);

  • Be either a single parent, or lone guardian of a young person who is aged under 18 and/or is still in full-time education. 

Part B

SHARE welcomes applications from candidates who in addition to the Part A criteria, also identify as belonging to groups that are underrepresented at postgraduate level in the social sciences. These include the following: 

• Mature undergraduate students/ those who would be mature postgraduate students (i.e. aged 21 or over at start of undergraduate study or 25 or over at start of postgraduate study)

• Those who identify as belonging to one of the underrepresented ethnicities in social sciences:

  • Currently underrepresented ethnicities in the social sciences and humanities are: Black British, Mixed Black British, British Bangladeshi, British Pakistani, British Arab, and British Indian.  

  • Please note that SHARE is open to students of all ethnicities. 

We also encourage applications from candidates who: 

• receive the maximum Maintenance Loan for undergraduate study; 

  • If you received partial state support then you will not meet this criterion.  

  • We will ask you to provide a scanned copy of the Student Finance (or Student Awards Agency Scotland) Notification of Award letter for the full amount of maintenance received if you select this criterion. This should detail any loan/grant in addition to the standard government loan that all UK resident students are eligible for. Any screenshot must include:  

    • your name;

    • the name of the issuing authority (i.e. Student Finance England); and

    • the amount of funding received and confirmation of this. 

• have refugee status

• are not studying at a Russell Group university.

We consider socioeconomic background using the Social Mobility Commission’s Toolkit. 

Primarily we are looking for evidence of academic potential within the context of your education and circumstances to date. We will ask you to describe your circumstances in your application, and you should refer to the relevant criteria above. In some cases, we will ask for further documentation to support your application.  Any information you share with us will be held securely and confidentially by our applications team but may be viewed by the reviewing panel which makes decisions on who should receive an offer. 

The School of the Humanities and Social Sciences aims to widen participation in postgraduate education at the University of Cambridge, by using positive action under the Equality Act 2010, where appropriate, to tackle the underrepresentation of certain groups.