Wolfson BME MPhil awards

Recent events have brought issues of disparity of opportunity to the fore not only for people from BME backgrounds but also from any background that is at a disadvantage by means of race, class, gender or other circumstance.  The University of Cambridge and its Colleges are committed to widening participation for underrepresented groups through a programme of support for projects and awards, to increase access and provide opportunities to students during their time with us. 

Working closely with our Senior Tutor on widening participation has highlighted the issue that more funding opportunities are generally available for undergraduate and PhD study; there is very limited funding for MPhil study currently and so this is a barrier for able students to continue their studies.  Wolfson will help bridge this gap between undergraduate and postgraduate study, enabling more students to continue in their academic journey.

In 2020, Wolfson is proud to launch a new fundraising initiative to provide awards and project funding to help address this imbalance, starting first with a focus on providing funding to students from BME backgrounds experiencing educational disadvantage. 

Donations in increments of £1,000 are sought to help us achieve this.  We are delighted that some of our Wolfson community have already joined us in taking this forward and generously given a gift towards this fund.

My time at Wolfson was a truly wonderful and eye-opening education on the diverse paths we each take in our academic careers, the wide range of challenges that have been overcome by many along the way, and the plethora of opportunities our collective collaboration can lead to. This not only left me feeling incredibly fortunate to have studied at Wolfson, an epicentre of Cantabrigian diversity, but also with a desire to give back and support the College in continuing on this mission of academic inclusivity and excellence.

Graham Mills (PhD Medicine, 2014)