Residency Requirements: Cambridge (PhD)

Hello!

I have a few questions on residency requirements for the PhD in English at Cambridge, and would be very grateful for any advice and feedback. My perfect supervisor is located in the faculty, and so I am simply considering every possible option.

The university states that full-time research students must live within 10 miles of the city centre. I currently live and work in London, owning a flat with my long-term partner, and so relocating to Cambridge is not really an option. I'm not sure that my mortgage alone would qualify me for residency dispensation.

However, I have heard anecdotally of students in similar positions that either commute from London 1-2 days a week and give their address as that of a mate who lives in the city, or who rent a cheap room (or stay with their mate) but only actually live in it 1-2 days a week. However, I'm not sure I'm cut out for such duplicity. :confused:

Anyway, I would be very interested to hear of anyone with knowledge of such arrangements.

JD

p.s. There are a couple of old threads on this subject in different forums:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1856579&page=2
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1382678

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 1

Jantaculum

If you're considering every possible option - can you do a part-time PhD in the English department? That way you could keep your job (if your employer gives consent for time off for trips to Cambridge) and there would be no residence requirement. Part time PhDs are five years instead of three

University of Cambridge

Cambridge

Reply 2

JDPreston

Hello Jantaculum

Thanks for your response. I should have added in the OP that my query assumes obtaining full-funding - of course by no means likely.

A further complication - as far as I can tell - is that one cannot seem to apply for a full-time AND part-time PhD in a single application year. Also, the faculty seem to require a justification why one is applying for part-time study in additional to the obvious "I have no funding". Although I would be prepared to go down this route, I fear my mortgage alone would not be seen by the faculty as sufficient justification.

Best

JD

Reply 3

gutenberg

You can apply to your college to be exempt from the residency rule I believe - owning your own home elsewhere would I imagine be strong grounds, especially when it's as close by as London.

Or you could do what many students do, and simply give your term-time address as your college, and then tell your college that you won't be living in their accommodation, but will rather be 'living out'. As long as you appear every now and then to collect your post etc., I doubt anyone would notice. I know several students who arrange things like that.

Reply 4

moonriseking

One of my friends in college is doing the PhD in English. He has around 1 hour contact with his supervisor every 1 or 2 months, and could easily live elsewhere (if not abroad). Coupled with the fact that the only way they check postgraduates is emailing asking if you've kept term (ie lived within 10 miles of the round church, or whatever it is), I think you could oh-so-easily get away with living in london and no one would care.

Reply 5

JDPreston

Thanks gutenberg and moonriseking for your responses.

It seems from your experiences that one could in theory just remain silent on the issue of home address, and simply have all post directed to the college. However, if they do ask/email directly to seek confirmation of having "kept term", then this would involve lying. I'm concerned that if any funding was involved that required residency then to do otherwise is fraud. I'll enquire with the faculty what constitutes legitimating dispensation.

It is frustrating because I could certainly be present in college at least 2 days a week even if having to commute - surely more than some PhD researchers who live nearby?

JD

Reply 6

Jantaculum

Original post by JDPreston

I'll enquire with the faculty what constitutes legitimating dispensation.

JD

Making enquiries sounds like a very good idea if you want to keep it all above board - I must have had tens of emails with my department even before my application went in, and they were so helpful.

Part of my interview, by the way, concerned the options of part-time or full-time - they didn't hold me to what I'd written on the application form but genuinely wanted to make sure that I was choosing the best form of study to suit my circumstances.

You're starting a long process with lots of ups and downs (have a look at the Cambridge postgrad applications thread if you haven't already!) but I suspect that the biggest hurdle is going to be funding, not residence requirements

Reply 7

threeportdrift

Careers Forum Helper

Original post by JDPreston

I would not make enquiries, because the answer is clear - you must keep term. You will be told you must keep term. I was single with a house in the south-west (and a mortgage) I was required to keep term.

However, in practice there is no practical check, except that you have to sign that you kept term. You lie - if that is too big a lie for you then you need to move and keep term.

Your Supervisor is the person that holds most sway on what you do, and so long as you are attending what they want you to attend and you work is on track, they won't mind.

Mail from the university is routinely sent to your College, so that is not an issue. You might have to find someone you can say you are renting from, if College ask for a living out address (I lived in College anyway).

Reply 8

sj27

Would it be churlish to point out that, residency requirements aside, the OP would be missing out on large chunks of what makes Cambridge be, well, Cambridge, by living elsewhere and only commuting in for seminars, meetings etc as required?