Having noted that graduate students at St. Edmund Hall often lack opportunities for additional funding to cover extra academic expenses that may arise during their time at the Hall, the Middle Common Room (MCR) launched in 2015 a graduate scholarship to help its students with such additional expenses during the course of their degree.

The MCR 50th Anniversary Grant, currently funded through termly battling of £5 per student (with an option to opt out), aims to support additional academic expenses that may arise during a student’s time at St. Edmund Hall. These expenses include, but are not limited to:

  • Additional courses, skills training, or language classes.
  • Books
  • Travel expenses to conferences

The scholarship aims to fund the same kinds of additional expenses funded by the College Grant system. Thus, applications for funding should be thought of in those terms.

Eligibility and Application to the Grant

  1. Only Ordinary Members of the MCR – who did not opt out on their battels from contributing to the funds for the 50th Anniversary Grant – are eligible to apply.
  2. Only those who have exhausted their College Grants will be allowed to apply to this scholarship. This either means: all £350 has been claimed OR, if purchasing books, the £50 available for books has been claimed.
  3. As with the College Grants, a signature from a supervisor is required. Applications for funding can be retrospective or prospective; this will not impact the chance of receiving funding.

Further guidelines can be found here.

Those who wish to apply to the fund should send a completed application form to the MCR Academic Rep by Friday of Week 6 of the current term. Decisions and funds will be sent out in Week 8.

Management of the Grant

Once applications have been received, the MCR President, the MCR Academic Rep and the Tutor for Graduates will meet to choose which applicants are successful. Successful applicants will be notified, and asked to provide bank details for direct deposit. The MCR Treasurer will release funds upon notification of successful applications. Surplus funds will be allowed to roll over to the next term if all the raised money has not been claimed. A brief report on the status of the fund will be made by the Treasurer to the first MCR General Meeting of each term.