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Funding in Oxbridge


Feanor

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Does anyone know when people tipically find out about decisions regarding scholarships and funding in Cambridge and Oxford (such as the Claredon Fund)? 

 

It is complicated to decide wheter to take an offer without knowing the whole financial scenario and I can't seem to find this information online...

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There is some funding done through the colleges of the university I know that much. If you Google Oxford/Cambridge colleges you'll find a list of the colleges on campus and can see what scholarships they offer and what type of students the college caters to. (And by college, I don't mean the university, but the smaller divisions among campus.) So that is one way you may be possibly funded.

I am not sure about other scholarship opportunities, but I will say this much, it's probably very competetive. The UK works on a different system than the US so all universities from Oxford University to Kingston University, all cost the same. Total costs should come to somewhere in he 10,000 pound ballpark range. From a quick glance, I'd say that would convert to somewhere around 16,000 dollars. Anyway, as I was saying, because in the UK university generally costs less because tuition is regulated, it will likely be very difficult to find funding.

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Yes, I know I'll have to wait until I have my college offer in order to be considered of any of it's scholarships, but I was wondering about the university-wide ones since they've asked for a reply on their offer by mid February. Sure, I will proceed as if no scholarships will be awarded, but I don't want to miss any opportunities elsewhere by accepting an offer too soon. At least it seems my acceptance is not binding before I accept the college's offer, which should take quite a few weeks to come...

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Well, as noted earlier, there are indeed scholarships available directly from the university, but they'll likely be very competitive and highly based on need for financial assistance. I can't think of any opportunities you'd miss, but you probably should contact an advisor directly to be sure. There may be special funding available to foreign students I'm not aware of. From my previous research on the universities though, it would appear most scholarships come from the colleges.

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Does anyone know when people tipically find out about decisions regarding scholarships and funding in Cambridge and Oxford (such as the Claredon Fund)? 

 

It is complicated to decide wheter to take an offer without knowing the whole financial scenario and I can't seem to find this information online...

 

I can only comment on Cambridge's funding timelines, but as an international student (I'm assuming you're from Brazil?), you should find out about funding from the Cambridge International Trust starting in March and ending sometime around June. I think Gates Cambridge announces shortlisted candidates for non-US in March. Colleges have their own funding timelines, so I would suggest not waiting until you have your college offer before applying in case you miss their deadline. College funding timescales run the gambit--one scholarship I'm applying to at St. John's announces results in April, while King's announces scholarship recipients in August, so it really all depends. I imagine Oxford is similar, but I think it's safe to assume that the funding processes at Oxford and Cambridge are separate and independent. Boa sorte!

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I think April is the time for most results to come out. You have chosen a great course, by the way.

 

Well, as noted earlier, there are indeed scholarships available directly from the university, but they'll likely be very competitive and highly based on need for financial assistance. I can't think of any opportunities you'd miss, but you probably should contact an advisor directly to be sure. There may be special funding available to foreign students I'm not aware of. From my previous research on the universities though, it would appear most scholarships come from the colleges.

The vast majority of scholarships are not at all need-based, but only merit based. The only 'sort of need based' scholarships are the HFCE ones, that are given out based on merit for those who qualify as coming from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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Thank you very much for this information, this is very helpful Zigsun. Still, it seems that if I accept Oxford's offer now (but get admitted to Cambridge later), I could possibly miss a Cambridge scholarship I'd be considered for... is that correct? They want me to accept the initial offer by February 16...

 

Are you a MFoCS graduate, Kleene? It does sound amazing and I'm inclined to take their offer, but in case Cambridge makes me an offer for Part III it will be a really tough decision to make.

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Are you a MFoCS graduate, Kleene? It does sound amazing and I'm inclined to take their offer, but in case Cambridge makes me an offer for Part III it will be a really tough decision to make.

I can imagine. I am a current MFoCS student. Last year I had the tough decision to make between MFoCS and an MSc in CS in ETH Zurich (I am predominantly a computer scientist). Probably for you the decision will also depend on what field you want to specialize in. Cambridge is the place to be for maths in general, but Oxford has some amazing research groups and MFoCS is a unique course.

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I am mostly interested in Category Theory and fields such as Algebraic Topology and Homological Algebra, so the course has a nice appeal...and I've had a look at some papers on Categorical Quantum Mechanics and it looks rather interesting. Would you say, however, that it is a good pick for people more concerned with the pure mathematics' side? That's a major concern, when comparing to Cambridge's Part III.

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I am mostly interested in Category Theory and fields such as Algebraic Topology and Homological Algebra, so the course has a nice appeal...and I've had a look at some papers on Categorical Quantum Mechanics and it looks rather interesting. Would you say, however, that it is a good pick for people more concerned with the pure mathematics' side? That's a major concern, when comparing to Cambridge's Part III.

If you are interested in CQM, Oxford probably has the best research group in the world. They are pioneering really amazing stuff at the moment. Even though I do not intend to continue in QM, I have taken two quantum courses simply because it is so interesting.

 

I think the courses in pure maths on offer are pretty good. However, my maths background is obviously not as strong as yours, so you might think differently. Some people joined this course because it is one of the few (good) pure maths courses. Some people barely take any CS options.

Edited by Kleene
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Thanks for the feedback, I was a little worried about that since I have next to no knowledge of CS, its good to hear people have managed to take it as an almost pure maths course. What is your college? And do you mind mentioning where you are applying to?

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I am in Balliol. Great college, especially for grads because we have a graduate complex where most people live. The MCR is very active.

 

So far I am only applying to stay in Oxford (with the CS department). I do have some back-ups, but I have not applied there yet to avoid the situation of having to accept one offer before hearing from Oxford.

I don't know what it is like in Cambridge, but I do think that the Oxford course structure makes it rather awkward to apply for PhDs for the next fall. Most applications deadlines were before we had even finished the first term. We had no grades whatsoever yet. On top of that, the course does not end until the end of September so that you will have a late start with your PhD unless you go for a UK uni. Therefore, many students are taking a year out.

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Thank you very much for this information, this is very helpful Zigsun. Still, it seems that if I accept Oxford's offer now (but get admitted to Cambridge later), I could possibly miss a Cambridge scholarship I'd be considered for... is that correct? They want me to accept the initial offer by February 16...

 

Are you a MFoCS graduate, Kleene? It does sound amazing and I'm inclined to take their offer, but in case Cambridge makes me an offer for Part III it will be a really tough decision to make.

 

No problem! I think your best bet is to tell the Cambridge department that you applied to that you have an offer from Oxford and that you need to know the status of your application. My guess is that if you applied more than a month ago, they may have already made a decision on your application, so it's worth asking. If they've already decided to accept you and they nominate you for University funding, then they'll forward your application to the appropriate funding bodies before the deadline. Also, I think you can withdraw from an offer that you've accepted (at least I remember that being an option when I accepted my offer last time), but you should email graduate admissions at Oxford to be sure.

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I am in Balliol. Great college, especially for grads because we have a graduate complex where most people live. The MCR is very active.

 

So far I am only applying to stay in Oxford (with the CS department). I do have some back-ups, but I have not applied there yet to avoid the situation of having to accept one offer before hearing from Oxford.

I don't know what it is like in Cambridge, but I do think that the Oxford course structure makes it rather awkward to apply for PhDs for the next fall. Most applications deadlines were before we had even finished the first term. We had no grades whatsoever yet. On top of that, the course does not end until the end of September so that you will have a late start with your PhD unless you go for a UK uni. Therefore, many students are taking a year out.

 

It's the same at Cambridge--you apply for "leave to continue" from the masters to the PhD during the first term. Also, Feanor, I have a friend doing the PhD in Pure Maths who studies Category Theory, so at least you wouldn't be the only one if you receive an offer/decide to go to Cambridge! :)

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Thanks for the advice :) I suppose I will wait for the first week of February before contacting the universities and think about the possibilities meanwhile. People are pushing me to go to Cambridge in case I get an offer (I have an acquaintance there and two of my recommenders are Cambridge alumni), but I will try to be objective. It is still really hard to decide hah.

 

And your friend has a really good taste on Mathematics, Zigsun  ;)

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I think it really depends on where you want to go after your MSc. Obviously, it is easier to stay on for a PhD than to switch. If you want to do a PhD in Computer Science or in Oxford, go for Oxford (especially if you are interested in categorical quantum or categorical linguistics). Otherwise, just go for Cambridge. It has by far the best maths reputation in the UK, probably also in the world.

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I suppose you are right, Kleene. I'll have to think for some more time. And it seems Cambridge can detect my thoughts, because as soon as I started complaining that their decision was taking too long and that I would most likely just accept Oxford's offer my application status switched to "application with the degree committtee"" :P

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