Tiarks and Schröder Scholarships (German Section)

This MPhil Scholarship, funded by the Schröder Fund, will be offered from 1 October 2026, and is open to students of any nationality undertaking one of the MPhil courses in the MMLL Faculty and specialising in German topics. Depending on other funding sources, the Scholarship will cover full or part costs for one year. Only applicants who have applied for Gates (by 15 October 2025) or central University funding sources (by 7 January 2026) will be considered. A letter of application, stating the MPhil course that the candidate proposes to undertake in 2025-26, their particular German interests, and the means by which it is proposed to finance the course, including all sources of income, available or applied for, in that period, must be sent to the Director of the German Section, by e-mail to german@mmll.cam.ac.uk, so as to arrive not later than 14 February 2026. Applicants for the Scholarship should state that they are willing for the papers they have submitted as applicants for admission to the relevant MPhil to be scrutinized for the purposes of the award. It is expected that the award will be made in March 2026.

The Tiarks German Scholarship Fund has as its objective the furthering of German studies in Cambridge. It supports postgraduate work in the following ways: Tiarks Scholarships may be offered to candidates for one of the MPhil courses in the MMLL Faculty who will be specialising in German topics or to prospective PhD students who will be in their first year of research in the German Section in 2026-27.

Tiarks Grants. Small grants, particularly for travel, may be made to graduate students studying German topics in the German Section, provided that funds have already been sought from the applicant's college.

The current conditions and the methods of application for these awards are given in the notices below.

Tiarks German Scholarships: notice

The Electors to the Tiarks German Scholarship give notice that they intend to award Tiarks Scholarships for the academical year 2026-27. The Scholarship value will depend on the other sources of income available to the successful candidates. Only applicants who have applied for Gates (by 15 October 2025) or central University funding sources (by 7 January 2026) will be considered. The Electors are unable to offer full funding.

Applications are invited from:

  • candidates for the MPhil in Literature, Culture and Thought who are offering at least one German module in 2026-27;
  • candidates for the MPhil in Film and Screen Studies who will be working on a German topic in 2026-27;
  • candidates for the MPhil in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics who are taking at least one Germanic module in 2026-27;
  • prospective PhD students who will be in their first year of research in the German Section in 2026-27.

A letter of application, stating the course of study or research which it is proposed to undertake in 2026-27 and the means by which it is proposed to finance the course, including all sources of income, available or applied for, in that period, must be sent to the Director of the German Section, by e-mail to german@mmll.cam.ac.uk, so as to arrive not later than 14 February 2026. Applicants for the Scholarships should state that they are willing for the papers they have submitted as applicants for admission to the relevant courses to be scrutinized by the Electors. It is expected that awards will be made in March 2026.

The Scholarships will be paid in two equal instalments around 1 October and 1 February each year. On the second occasion the Scholars will be required to satisfy the Electors that they are diligently pursuing the proposed course of study or research. If the Electors are not so satisfied they have power to withhold the payment of the second instalment.

Tiarks Grants: notice

The Electors to the Tiarks German Scholarship give notice that they are willing to consider applications for grants from the Fund from

  1. Tiarks Scholars and
  2. other persons engaged in the University in study or research in the language or literature of Germany.

Grants may be made to assist travel for research or to assist the publication, or preparation for publication, of research work, or for other purposes in furtherance of German studies in the University at the discretion of the Electors. Normally, the maximum award per application will be £400 per year and evidence of applying to other funding bodies needs to be submitted. Separate applications need to be submitted for separate events, even if you combine them into one trip. Please ensure your application includes a breakdown of costs (e.g. conference costs, travel costs, cost of accommodation). Please note: Applications in retrospect will not be considered.

Applications for grants will be considered by the Electors throughout the year. Applications should be made as far in advance as possible before the requirement for funding, and in particular not less than one calendar month in advance of the required date. The priority will be to contribute to the expenses of postgraduates attending conferences in German-speaking countries, but contributions might also be made to support attendance elsewhere, including the UK, where costs are modest.

In all cases, applications should be sent to the Director of the German Section, by email to german@mmll.cam.ac.uk. Application forms are available to download below - 

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Any grant awarded will be paid as an expenses claim following the event detailed in your application; details on the process for making this claim will be provided to you if your application is successful.