Stormzy Scholarship for Black UK Students

The Stormzy Scholarship supports Black UK students studying any undergraduate course at Cambridge.  

Applications for the Scholarship usually open in August.

About the Stormzy Scholarship

The Stormzy Scholarship was launched in 2018. It has provided financial support to over 50 Black UK students helping to transform their University experience. This began with 2 students each year, before the scheme was expanded in 2021.

In 2023, HSBC UK pledged a further £2m in support of 30 of the Stormzy Scholarships over 3 years (2024-26). The #Merky Foundation will continue to fund a further two students per year.

Over 500 Black UK students have arrived to take up their courses at Cambridge in the past three years. But there is still work to be done to ensure that Black UK students apply to study at the University, feel at home here and achieve their full potential.

Number of scholarships available

Scholarships are available for at least 10 Black students starting their studies in autumn 2025.

What the scholarship offers

For 2025-26, the total award to each student for the year will be £20,000. If you are awarded the Scholarship, you can still access a Cambridge Bursary (if you are eligible).

The Stormzy Scholarships:

• are non-repayable
• cover the full cost of tuition fees
• provide a maintenance grant

This significantly reduces the need for you to take out government or commercial loans.

You will receive support for the undergraduate part of your degree. This is usually 3 years (including for Medicine and Veterinary Medicine). If your undergraduate course is 4 years long, you will receive the scholarship for 4 years.

How to apply

Applications for 2025 have now closed. Details about scholarships for 2026 entry will be available here later this year.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for a Stormzy Scholarship, applicants must:

1. Have one of the following categories of ethnicity:
   • Black African
   • Black Caribbean
   • Black Other
   • Mixed – White and Black Caribbean
   • Mixed – White and Black African
   • Other mixed background (to include Black African, Black Caribbean or Black Other)
2. Have a confirmed place for entry to the University of Cambridge for a first undergraduate degree, and due to commence study in October 2025. (You can check the status of your offer on UCAS Hub.)
3. Be a UK student and have been assessed for fee status as 'home'. You were advised of your fee status in the offer letter issued to you earlier this year. If you are in doubt, please contact the Cambridge College that has offered you a place.
4. Have applied to Student Finance (England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland) for a tuition fee loan and maintenance loan, and have received confirmation that you have been assessed and will receive financial support. An income assessment must have been conducted and consent given to share the information with the University. Please note that if you are awarded a Stormzy Scholarship you will be able to reduce the amount of loan you take out to zero, but you will still need an income assessment from Student Finance to be able to receive the Cambridge Bursary.

Contact us

If you have questions about the Stormzy Scholarship, email ugscholarships@admin.cam.ac.uk.