About vacation scholarships
Information about the School of Mathematics vacation scholarships application process and research projects
Why do a vacation scholarship research project?
Vacations scholarships allow you to explore an area of mathematics outside of the curriculum over the summer. In particular, they enable you to do one or more of the following.
- Research a topic or carry out original research with the guidance of a professional mathematician, without the constraints of studying for credit.
- Gain an appreciation of the nature of advanced mathematics and what it is like to work with it in a research environment.
- Gain a broader and more professional understanding of mathematics, and some familiarity with the research ideas being worked on by lecturers in the School.
- Record the completed project on your HEAR transcript.
How are the projects run?
Each scholarship will last for the duration of 6 weeks, and the suggested time frame is the months of June, July and August. The value of each scholarship is £300 per week.
At the end of your project, you will be asked to submit a short written report (typically around 10 pages).
Who is eligible to apply?
The majority of scholarships will be available to Year 3 students on a (possibly joint) maths degree, with some funding also available to Year 2 students and Year 4 students on a five year degree. Priority will be given to students that have not been awarded a scholarship previously, in the sense that a maximum of two scholarships per year is available to students who have previously been awarded School of Maths vacation scholarships. You should be looking to do a research project in the School of Mathematics, i.e with a supervisor from the School of Mathematics. Please see the Frequently asked questions for further details and other possibilities.
What is the application process?
The vacation scholarships coordinator held a Summer Opportunities Information event 1-2pm on Wednesday 24th January 2024 (Week 2). This explained the application process for vacation scholarships and other research and non-research opportunities available to you in the summer of 2024. The slides from that event can be found using the following link.
The application is a two stage process. Interested students must submit an inital expression of interest to the vacation scholarship coordinator by the end of Friday of Week 3 (2nd February 2024). This is done by filling in a Vacation Scholarships Expression of Interest Form which will open once the Summer Opportunities Information event has taken place. Note that this does not constitute an application per se, but is a mandatory first step in the application process. It is not essential to have contacted a potential supervisor at this point.
Vacation Scholarships Expression of Interest Form
After the expression of interest form has closed, the School will go through the submissions and the top students will be invited to submit a School of Mathematics Vacation Funding Application by the end of Friday 15th March 2024.
School of Mathematics Vacation Funding Application Form
At this stage, the vacation scholarship coordinator will facilitate contact between students and potential supervisors if required. Any student applying for a vacation scholarship will be expected to be on track to obtain at least a 2:1 (second class upper division) honours degree as a minimum requirement.
The School of Mathematics is committed to a minimum of 10 vacation scholarship research projects running every summer. Students should apply for School of Mathematics Funding, as well as at least one other source of funding. Details of all sources of funding, including the School of Mathematics Vacation Funding, can be found in the following link.
Sources of Funding for Vacation Scholarships
Key dates 2024
- Wednesday 24th January (Week 2): Summer Opportunities Information event
- Friday 2nd February (Week 3): Deadline for submission of Vacation Scholarships Expression of Interest Form (mandatory first step in application)
- Friday 15th March (Week 8): Deadline for invited students to submit a School of Mathematics Funding Application Form
- May: Outcomes announced
- June-August: Research projects take place
- Friday 30th August (Week -2): Report submission deadline
Who to ask about vacation scholarships?
If you are considering a vacation scholarships project, you should discuss this with your Academic Cohort Lead, who might be able to offer some guidance on potential research topics and project supervisors.
The Vacation Scholarship Coordinator is also happy to discuss queries, and will be available to answer questions at the Summer Opportunities Information event. If you send an email, please put ‘Summer Vacation Scholarships’ in the subject. Before emailing, please make sure you have checked the Vacation Scholarships Frequently asked questions for an answer to your question.