What are maintenance costs?

Maintenance costs represent an estimate of your accommodation and general living costs over the course of one year.

The maintenance figure varies by course because they reflect additional costs such as books, fieldwork costs, additional bench fees, or equipment costs. These fees are not payable to the University but are displayed to give you an idea of the other costs associated with postgraduate study and student life in Cambridge. If you secure College accommodation then some of these maintenance costs will be payable as rent to the College you are a member of.

The maintenance costs are also based on the average rental costs in Cambridge and take into consideration the annual average rent increase, including inflation.

If you receive an offer of study you will need to sign and submit a form confirming your ability to fund these study and maintenance costs via a listed method; self-funded, partially-funded, or fully-funded. This is called a financial undertaking form.

For a full outline of the costs associated with a postgraduate programme, please visit the 'finance' section of the course webpage. Here you will see a full overview of the course costs and estimated maintenance costs.