Welcoming the University's new enhanced bursary scheme

Today, the University of Cambridge unveiled a new enhanced bursary scheme that will award more than £100 million to students across all the Colleges over the next decade.

Dr Holly Canuto, Senior Tutor of St Catharine’s, commented, “I warmly welcome the University of Cambridge’s new enhanced bursary scheme funding over £100 million in bursaries across the next ten years. More St Catharine’s students than ever before will now be eligible for bursary support from the University, in addition to the wide range of support available from the College. I’m enormously proud that today’s news has been made possible thanks to the generosity of St Catharine’s alumnus and Honorary Fellow David Harding and his wife Claudia, who share our commitment to enabling students to enjoy all the benefits of a Cambridge education, regardless of their personal financial circumstances.”

David Harding studied Natural Sciences at St Catharine's 1979–1982, and subsequently founded and ran two of the world’s leading investment management companies. The Harding Challenge, established by David and Claudia Harding as part of their £100 million gift to Cambridge and St Catharine’s in February 2019, was designed to underpin this expansion in bursary provision. Far more students will qualify for support since the threshold for eligibility will rise from the current maximum household income of £42,620 to £62,215. The University expects 25–30% of students will be eligible for the enhanced support (currently it’s around 20%). Once fully rolled out, around 700 students will also qualify for an additional £1,000 because they were eligible for free school meals.

Find out more about the existing support available at St Catharine's for undergraduate students and postgraduate students.