Cambridge small island scholarships fit for the King

It is offering a programme of postgraduate scholarships to celebrate the retention of Patronage of the Trust by the King and in support of the Association of Commonwealth Universities’ Commonwealth fellowship initiative to support Small Island Developing States of the Commonwealth.

Launched to coincide with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2024, the programme will recognise the interconnected nature of challenges facing Small Island Developing States.

Commonwealth Small Island Developing States are among the most vulnerable countries in the world, facing numerous economic and environmental shocks, youth out-migration and skills shortages in public services, and experiencing disproportionate and deeply damaging effects of climate change.

The aim of the new scholarship programme is to support students who demonstrate outstanding academic ability, by enabling them to benefit from studies at the University of Cambridge in the fields that address these critical issues in their communities.

The programme represents an investment by the Trust of around £2 million over six years. This will fully support 10 students at the University of Cambridge with the first recipients taking up their places in the academic year 2025-26.

The King, himself a Cambridge alumnus, has supported the work of the Cambridge Trust for many years, serving as Patron since 2010.

The new scheme builds on the previous programme of Climate Action Scholarships, the ‘HRH The Prince of Wales Scholarships for Small Island Nations’, which the Cambridge Trust and the University established in 2022 (when His Majesty was The Prince of Wales) to support students from small island nations to address climate change.

The Trust has had the privilege of integrating some of His Majesty’s priorities into further previous scholarships. The HRH The Prince of Wales Commonwealth Scholarships marked the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth and the King’s 70th birthday in 2018.

Under this programme, 20 fully-funded scholarships were provided to University of Cambridge postgraduate students from Commonwealth nations whose studies focused on themes affecting the future of the Commonwealth, such as climate change, culture and finance.

Helen Pennant, Director, Cambridge Trust, says: “The Trust is delighted to be able to continue its work with His Majesty The King by launching this important new programme.

“I hope these scholarships will make a difference both to the students who receive them and to the countries they come from as they face the many challenges of climate change.”

The scholarship programme

The King’s Cambridge Commonwealth Scholarships for Small Island Nations will support students wishing to undertake their studies at the University of Cambridge in any subject with a focus on strengthening capacity in key themes within Small Island Developing States of the Commonwealth.

Scholarships will be tenable at any College within the University of Cambridge and available to students who meet the following criteria:

• They are citizens of or normally resident in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Commonwealth. Commonwealth SIDS are: Africa: Mauritius, Seychelles, Asia: Maldives Caribbean and Americas: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Pacific: Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu.
• They are studying at PhD level at the University of Cambridge and pursuing courses in any subject with a focus on strengthening capacity in key themes within Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Commonwealth.