Student Support

Trinity College is proud to be able to offer a generous range of support grants to enable students to make the most of their studies without missing out on opportunities because of financial pressure.

The College offers generous, non-means tested academic grants to all students to fund the purchase of essential books and equipment, and additional funds to support conference attendance, medical electives, year abroad placements and research internships. We also offer a number of travel grants, which are open to students at Trinity and, in some cases, the wider University.

Trinity's Travel Grants page lays out what travel grants are available at Trinity; the College Intranet has more details about academic grants and support for current students.

These grants have funded a wide range of activities in recent years; the following are just a few examples of the kinds of experiences a college grant can help to enable. 

‘During the summer of 2023, I attended three major conferences on Labour Law. I would not have been able to do this without funding from Trinity, which I am very grateful for. The Labour Law Research Network in Warsaw is the biggest, biannual conference of all labour law scholars across the world. I chaired a panel on working time, which was an incredible experience. I met many of my favourite authors in the field and attended lots of great sessions. Both my supervisors attended which added to the whole experience tremendously!

I presented my paper on the ‘Humanisation of Work’ principle, after submitting an abstract to the highly competitive ILO RWD conference held at the United Nations. This conference was for all practitioners working in the field of labour – including economists and sociologists, not just lawyers. My supervisor was also present at this conference which was a great support, as it was more formal, political forum than the previous conferences and I was one of the only PhD students invited to present.’

‘I taught recorders, harmonicas, and singing, hopefully creating some ensembles which can continue into the future. Instrument wise, I decided to return to my musical roots! Recorders are cheap, light, easily transportable and will withstand the Ugandan climate. I also taught music theory, and English as the language barrier was prominent. The project was very eye opening to see music being used in such a different and varied context. It was a very challenging month, but to experience first hand the difference that music can make to lives was invaluable. I am passionate about music being accessible to all and the ability of music to reach out to everyone regardless of age and background. After Oxford, I intend to pursue a musical career with Musical outreach work at the centre.’

‘My participation in the Hippocampus Meeting in Verona was a transformative experience, significantly expanding my knowledge of the hippocampus and strengthening my academic network. This smaller, more intimate conference setting allowed for meaningful interactions with leading experts, including researchers from University of California San Francisco, Cornell University, and University College London. Trinity College Oxford, alongside support from the Medical Research Council, played a pivotal role in making this experience possible.   The financial support from Trinity College Oxford and the Medical Research Council was essential in making my attendance at the conference possible. Their investment in my academic journey was instrumental, enabling me to seize this unique opportunity to expand my knowledge and network.’

‘Having met with various people and observed the successful activities, and the potential for shared expertise, I think the conclusion is that the returns and benefits from twinning are entirely reciprocal relationships and that the more investment in time, money, or effort has the most effective connection and subsequent benefit. As a result of my research travels I have linked up with some of the city-twinning volunteers to help with a music event, happening in July 2024, with school children from all the twin cities. I hope to encourage collaboration for some other events for them to take part in during their stay. One idea was exploring some ‘British’ sports, such as cricket, while they are on their trip. I also hope to explore potential collaborations with Trinity College. I am also hoping to organise a twin city science conference, inviting medical professions from the twin cities to review the differing European management of older adults’ healthcare. This should provide a very valuable wider perspective on different styles of care; and provide an excellent example to prove that twinning is still relevant through encouraging shared knowledge and experience between towns that already exhibit similarities. Information gathered can inform my own interests, and PhD, as well as offering a wider insight for all primary health care workers. I’m immensely grateful to the Peter Kirk Fund for enabling this trip.’

‘I am very grateful to the Peter Kirk Travel Fund for giving me the incredible opportunity to follow my curiosity and conduct my own research into the socio-political impact of wolves within communities in France and Spain. Over the course of five weeks, I drove, climbed and cycled more than 2630km, and spoke to dozens of people from over 10 different communities scattered across the Rhône-Alpes region of France and Northern Spain. I have seen first-hand the politicisation of the wolf and how its reintroduction has carved a fissure between rural and urban communities. I will never forget the experience of visiting these isolated communities and building connections and friendships with our wonderful European neighbours.’

 ‘This wonderful experience was only made possible due to the generosity of the Whitehead family, and I would like to thank both them and Trinity College for facilitating a once in a lifetime trip with so many unique experiences that I will never forget.’