The Alumni Fund - Access and Outreach
The Alumni Fund - Supervision System
The Alumni Fund - Generous Bursary Scheme
The Alumni Fund - Inspirational Learning Environment
The Alumni Fund - Pioneering Research

Corpus is committed to ensuring the best candidates apply here and are supported throughout their studies, by helping with their academic costs, teaching needs and maintenance.

Old Members can help by committing any amount to the Alumni Fund, either as a one-off donation or a regular gift.  Small amounts add up to large and effective sums when supported by the majority of alumni.  If we work together, we can build a Fund to change the lives of future students.

Please contact the This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you would like to receive our Alumni Fund brochure and donation form.   It is also possible to donate to the fund online, please follow the links on the 'How to Give' page.

“Being on a scholarship to Corpus Christi, I feel real gratitude on a personal level for the generosity of those who fund scholarships and bursaries to the College. It is only through the support of funds like the Alumni Fund that many students like myself are able to have the life-changing experience of studying at Cambridge. The College runs a wide access program, sending a team out to schools where the students wouldn't think of applying to Cambridge because of the financial barriers.  The wonderful thing about the Alumni Fund is that it makes coming to Corpus a realistic possibility for those students. Not only is that a wonderful thing for individual students, the College also benefits from having access to the best possible students from all backgrounds, who will realise their potential at Cambridge and go on to contribute to society. With the funding changes coming in next year, the challenge of keeping the College open to students of all backgrounds is going to increase. Through the generous support of alumni, we can meet that challenge.
The College also funds travel grants to enable students to gain international experience that enhances their studies. A travel grant last year helped me travel to Botswana for the World University Debating Championships. It was an unparalleled opportunity to develop my skills, represent the College and help spread debating to a region of the world where the idea of student debating is only just beginning to take off.”  Maria English, 1st year undergraduate.

The Alumni Fund - Access and Outreach

Corpus will always strive to attract students from all backgrounds and works hard to dispel the misconceptions that Cambridge is for the financially privileged.  The College employs a Schools Liaison Officer to make visits to both state and independent schools to build relationships with pupils and teachers.   Current Corpus students also volunteer to make visits to schools that have no history of sending pupils to Cambridge.  A good access programme, combined with the availability of scholarships and bursaries, helps to ensure that the College receives a large pool of applicants to choose from, and is therefore able to make offers to highly talented individuals to study at Corpus.

 “Without the help of the Alumni Fund I, quite simply, would not be at Corpus. When I was in the last year of secondary school, Dr Melanie Taylor came to give a talk at my school as part of the ‘Northern Ireland Initiative’. Most of the students there had not considered Oxbridge as a viable option, but hearing Dr Taylor present the more human and less intimidating side of academic life at Cambridge dispelled all the negative stereotypes which had formed in our minds. For me, the access work the College carries out, which is largely funded by the Alumni Fund, is of vital importance for attracting brilliant students whose schools don’t push them towards Oxford and Cambridge. “
James Bell, 2nd year undergraduate.

If 30 Old Members were to donate £23 each month for 1 year to the Alumni Fund, the cost of employing a Schools Liaison Officer could be covered for 1 year.

The Alumni Fund - Supervision System

The greatest strength of a Cambridge education is the individual or small group supervision system that students experience.  This provides a stimulating forum for learning through in-depth discussion and thorough exploration of subjects.  Unfortunately, government funding is no longer enough to meet the costs of providing such a system.  The College uses income from the Alumni Fund to maintain this high quality method of teaching and attract first-class academics.

 “… the opportunity for one-to-one discussion and academic support achieved through the supervision system that we have here is utterly invaluable.

I certainly found the concept of supervisions an extremely daunting concept when I first arrived…. I quickly came to love it though- and it is this that sets Cambridge education apart.

Certainly, some of my friends who are studying the same subject in other universities have had a total of one essay for the entire of last term and they never see their tutor. By contrast, I had six essays last week (I am indeed lucky to still be alive!) and I see my supervisors four times a week….I know that I would not stand a chance of achieving my full potential without the brilliant support system we have at Corpus. I would certainly never attempt to write six essays in one week without someone breathing down my neck with essay deadlines!”
Esther Longworth, 1st year undergraduate.

If 33 Old Members were to donate £44.33 each month for 1 year to the Alumni Fund, the College’s cost of employing a teaching officer could be funded for 1 year.

The Alumni Fund - Generous Bursary Scheme

One in four Corpus students is now benefitting from a scholarship or bursary.  This means that students are less focussed on financial worries, leaving them free to focus on their studies and make the most of their time at Corpus.  The College would like to continue to offer book and travel grants and to help with accommodation costs and tuition fees.  The Alumni Fund provides vital support for these funds.

“The alumni fund is a really important cause because it does so much to ease the financial burden on students from lower income backgrounds.  Studying at Cambridge is stressful enough without the burden of financial worries.   There are bursaries available for students who find themselves unexpectedly in financial trouble.  I've had several friends in this situation and it's been a real relief to them to know that the college can provide hardship assistance between £25 and £3000.”
Miranda Murphy, 3rd year undergraduate.

 “The project I'm most interested in is the Hardship Bursaries on offer…..These are immensely important in ensuring people from all backgrounds and financial circumstances can go to university, especially one as great as the University of Cambridge, particularly given the imminent increase in tuition fees as Government cutbacks to Higher Education hit harder and harder.”
Sami Alsindi, 1st year undergraduate.

“At the moment, Corpus helps two of my closest friends in Corpus who would struggle to study here without the support which the College gives them. The great thing about the system at Corpus is that they assess each student's circumstances individually. For example, if someone's parent were to lose their job, then Corpus would take this into account and step in straight away if the student needs help and support. The government system only takes account of a student's family's financial situation a year ago - which is an absolute joke. Corpus, on the other hand, understands that things can change quickly and the student support is very flexible. Corpus has a strong belief that no student should be deprived of the education which they have earned and deserve here.”
Harry Dempsey, 1st year undergraduate.

If 7 Old Members were to donate £32.50 each month for 1 year to the Alumni Fund, a student could be offered a support bursary to help pay their living costs for 1 year.

The Alumni Fund - Inspirational Learning Environment

The College offers accommodation to all its students for the length of their degree.  This means that Corpus is their home for at least three years and it is important that the facilities are comfortable and functional.  The ancient buildings are beautiful and unique but put increasing pressure on the College’s finances with an expensive programme of maintenance.  Rents are kept as low as possible for students at Corpus, being heavily subsidised by the College.  Donations to the Alumni Fund will help the College provide affordable student accommodation and maintain the College’s buildings.

 “The most iconic thing about Cambridge (and which attracts all the tourists) is the beautiful buildings; Corpus is famous for having some of the oldest inhabited buildings. But, beautiful old buildings tend to be crumbly buildings, and it is estimated that over £10million will need to be spent on maintaining them over the next decade. It's really important that these fantastic buildings, with so much history and heritage are preserved for future generations of Corpus students.”
Miranda Murphy, 3rd year undergraduate.

If just 2 Old Members were to donate £16.25 each month for 1 year to the Alumni Fund, a student’s room could be refurbished.

The Alumni Fund - Pioneering Research

Corpus currently has over 200 graduate students and Leckhampton House is considered one of the best graduate homes in Cambridge.  Research funding has been cut in recent years due to the economic difficulties faced all over the world and it is important that Corpus continues to support research as much as possible.   Corpus expects to award at least six graduate scholarships each year, including two PhD scholarships valued at £13,000 a year.  Grants are available to cover research expenses and to support students engaging in substantial fieldwork or visiting archives or labs away from Cambridge. Limited hardship funds specifically earmarked for fourth-year PhD students are also available.

 “… if Corpus is to keep attracting the very best research students, and ensuring that they can carry out important research, the College needs to ensure that the funding is in place to support their studies. Through the Alumni Fund, the College can offer around six graduate scholarships each year.  If the College is to ensure that the best research students come here, because of their potential to research and irrespective of their financial circumstances, it is very important that the Fund continues to raise the money to support these scholarships.” 
Philip Murray, postgraduate.

If 83 Old Members were to donate £10.83 each month for 1 year to the Alumni Fund, a PhD scholarship could be provided.

Please consider supporting the Alumni Fund by giving an amount you can afford, either on a regular basis or as a one-off donation.  Every donation toward the Fund counts and makes a real difference to Corpus students.