The Wellbeing Coordinator provides a 1:1 confidential service to Undergraduates and Postgraduates, to support their psychological wellbeing. 

Louise Ranger is the College’s Wellbeing Coordinator. You may be referred to Louise via a member of staff (such as your Tutor), and you can also self-refer.

Once in contact, Louise will arrange a meeting to discuss current difficulties you may be facing, answer general questions and address any other concerns you may have.  After this you may be signposted or referred for support as relevant to your need. In addition to this, regular support from Louise will be provided if necessary.

Louise can refer students to:

• Other appropriate referrals such as to the Senior Tutor, Finance Tutor, Study Skills Tutor, Chaplaincy, etc.
• Appropriate mental health support services, including College Counsellors, specialist Counsellors, the University Counselling Service, Mental Health Advisor, NHS therapy via your GP, etc.
• The College Nurse or your GP
• The Accessibility & Disability Resource Centre for advice on academic support mechanisms
• Self-help resources

You can talk to a Counsellor about any personal issue that is troubling you.

Our Wellbeing Coordinator Louise Ranger offers psychological support services alongside College Counsellors Guy Snape, Rich Rippin and Tanis Howell. Counselling provides a safe and accepting space to be heard whatever your background, identity or race. The Counsellor is trained to listen carefully and respectfully, and aims to help relieve your distress, increase your personal understanding and widen the options you feel you have.

You can use counselling to help you address any personal issue from immediate concerns to longer-term problems. Issues people bring include, abuse, anxiety, bereavement, depression, eating disorders, family difficulties, identity, procrastination, racism, relationships or social concerns, self-harm, settling in, sexual harassment, sexuality, stress and suicidal feelings.

Talking to family, friends or other staff can be very helpful, but counselling provides another option if you want to talk to someone separate from the rest of your life who is professionally trained and who has time for you.

Counselling appointments will be in-person, but if you are at home out of term, or a Postgraduate student working remotely or living out, online sessions can be arranged using Zoom or a similar platform.

You are entitled to six free sessions per year, and a further six at a subsidised rate of £20 per session.  This provision resets each Michaelmas term.  If you are in financial adversity and there is a requirement for further free sessions, then please talk to your Tutor.

Churchill College is designed to help students thrive and excel.

The College is well-served by three libraries, two of which are open 24/7, and with the Churchill Archives Centre on-site, we are privileged to be able to share world-class resources with our students.

As well as books, students can also borrow resources to use in the Library or loan, from skeletons (for medical students) to stress aids.

We also have the Bill Brown Creative Workshops on site, offering students the chance to get hands-on and make ideas take shape. Students can learn, design and create using a range of laser cutting, CAD and 3D printing equipment to produce solutions inspired by real-world challenges.

The College was created to provide a range of spaces to learn – from spacious student bedrooms, to our quiet library study areas, to alcoves and cafe seating for those who prefer more background noise. In summer, beanbags and blankets are provided to make the most of learning in the outdoor space.

Course-related socialising and community building are important to academic development. At Churchill, many subjects run academic student societies in which outside speakers give talks or students make presentations on their work. Sessions are often linked to social events and each year whole-College subject dinners allow Fellows, postgraduates, and undergraduates to get together and talk in a less academic setting.

Thanks to the generosity of our funders and donors, we have been able to fund over £300,000 of bursaries and studentships each year.

Cambridge Bursaries

Typically 1 in 3 Churchill undergraduate students are eligible for a Cambridge Bursary of up to £3,500, which the College funds with the University in a 2:1 ratio.

The Cambridge Bursary scheme is based on assessment of household income by the Student Loans Company (SLC) so you must apply for a student loan for maintenance (UK students) or tuition fees (EU students) in order to be automatically assessed for a bursary under this scheme and you have to reapply to the SLC each year of your course.

If your household income is less than £62,215 p.a. you should be eligible for a Bursary.

Undergraduates are automatically assessed for a Cambridge Bursary, provided you do not tick the box opting out of sharing financial information with the University in your SLC application.

Postgraduate Scholarships

Churchill College has a number of scholarships for postgraduates, which you can find using our Financial Support Finder. Examples include:

• The United Nations Least Developed Countries (UN LDC) Overseas PhD, offering a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in any subject from a nation on the UN-LDC list.

• The Gulbenkian Yuval Studentship offers a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in any subject area for applicants from outside the UK.

• The Bill Brown Engineering Fund provides a full studentship for a full-time PhD student at Churchill College in Engineering for applicants from the UK.

Churchill College also puts funds aside to support students facing hardship. The Development Office support these funds by raising money for the Student Support Fund and we’re grateful to our donors who enable this. 

Churchill College is active in music-making, drama, and the visual arts. Sizarships are available to students to support this.

A “sizar” is a Cambridge term for an undergraduate receiving financial help from the college in exchange for certain duties.

Music Sizar : The Music Sizar oversees and promotes musical activities in the College and liaises with the Director of Music to arrange concerts. The Sizar organises and chairs meetings of the Music Society Committee and is the point of contact for members of the College wanting to use the Music Centre’s facilities. The Music Sizarship comes with an honorarium of £250 and may be held in addition to other music bursaries. The post runs for the calendar year.

Theatre Sizar: Churchill College offers £150 per year to undergraduates or graduate students of the College taking on the Theatre Sizar role. The Sizarship is offered for one year from 1st January, with the possibility of extension for one further year. The Theatre Sizar is expected to foster theatrical life in the College. In doing so, the Sizar will assist those teaching English in the College, and will be assisted by other members of the College.

Visual Arts Sizar: Churchill College offers a Visual Arts Sizarship of £100 per year open to undergraduates or graduate students of the College. The Sizarship is offered for one year from 1st January with the possibility of extension for one further year. The Visual Arts Sizar encourages the visual arts in College. A large art studio is available in the garden of 76 Storey’s Way for all kinds of visual artwork, for drama rehearsals, scenery preparation, etc. It is administered jointly by the Theatre and Visual Arts Sizars.

Bill Brown Creative Workshops Sizar: Open to undergraduates or postgraduate students of the College, Churchill College offers a Bill Brown Creative Workshops Sizarship of £100 per year. The Sizarship is offered for one year from 1st January with the possibility of extension for one or two further years. The Bill Brown Creative Workshops Sizar liaises with the Director of the Workshops to encourage the use of the workshop space by students and the development of projects using the Workshops’ facilities.