Funding
Offer holders are required to demonstrate that they are able to meet the minimum financial commitment for their course. For information on course costs see the Postgraduate Admissions website.
Funding opportunities are very competitive. You are strongly advised to apply for all sources of funding for which you might be eligible for, both internal and external to the University. Please discuss opportunities with your prospective supervisor.
We also welcome applications from international applicants seeking national Government scholarships or local awards. In all cases, we ask that potential applicants identify an appropriate Research Group leader and agree a joint area of research before submitting a full application via the centralised University Postgraduate Admissions. Our departmental Postgraduate Administrator will respond directly to any enquiries (pgadmin@plantsci.cam.ac.uk).
Applicants to PhD in Plant Sciences and MPhil in Biological Science
In your application, when asked ‘Do you wish to apply for funding?’ please tick the box ‘Yes - I wish to apply for funding’.
Your application will first be assessed by the Department. If you are successful in securing an offer, you will then be eligible for entry into University funding competitions.
There are many funding opportunities at Cambridge from a wide variety of sources including the Cambridge Trust Scholarships, Gates Cambridge Scholarships, Colleges and Research Councils. Full details can be found on the Postgraduate Admissions website. You can also use the Cambridge Funding page to find out which type of funding they might be eligible for and how and when to apply.
Funding opportunities enabling widening participation can be found on the Widening Participation page. UK-domiciled students of Black or Black-mixed ethnicity are eligible for Alexander Crummel Scholarships. Please visit the Cambridge Funding page for the latest information. We invite students from Africa who wish to study for an MPhil (advanced study or thesis) with us to consider their eligibility for the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Programme.
The deadline for University Funds applications (including Cambridge Trust and Gates Cambridge) for academic year 2027-2028 is 8 December 2026. For US citizens resident in the USA, who want to be considered for Gates funding, the deadline is TBC October 2026. For full details see the page on how to apply for funding.
UKRI-funded opportunities
You can make applications to more than one course but please note that each course and program may have its own deadline, its own application portal, and may require different applicant documents. You should check the deadlines and requirements for each program very carefully.
• The Cambridge Biosciences DTP, funded by UKRI, unites leading institutes including Cambridge, Babraham, NIAB, and Sanger. These are fully funded scholarships providing 4 years of research funding, fees and a stipend. Students must select specific funded projects advertised at the portal and make an application to the BLPS22 PhD course. The application deadline for 2027 entry is 8 December 2026. Competitive applicants will be nominated by the Department for consideration and interview by the BBSRC programme.
• The NERC CREATES Doctoral Landscape Award (DLA) funds postgraduate research in climate change biology, conservation, ecology and environmental plant/microbial physiology. To apply to this program, first agree on an area of study with a supervisor and submit an application to PhD in Plant Sciences - course code: BLPS22. Competitive applicants will be nominated by the Department for consideration and interview by the NERC programme. The application deadline for 2027 entry is December 8th 2026.
• The Plant BioDesign Doctoral Focal Award is a UKRI-funded Engineering Biology Doctoral Focal Award (DFA). This innovative programme will train the next generation of scientists to design and engineer plants that tackle global challenges in food security, clean growth, and environmental sustainability. To apply to this program, you should must apply to specific project at the programme portal. These are fully funded scholarships providing 4 years of research funding, fees and a stipend. The application deadline for 2027 entry has not yet been announced.