Sources of Money 29: NIH Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program

Tuesdays we review a source of financial aid to help you pay for college

Adam was accepted to medical school, but did not have enough money to pay for all of the training. He realized that he would not have time to work while attending school. He had also heard that medical school graduates who practiced family or general medicine would never be able to pay off their student loans. Adam hesitated to enter medical school and incur a huge student debt.

Characteristics of the NIH Oxford-Cambridge Program

The web site describes the scholarship program as follows:

“The National Institutes of Health Oxford-Cambridge Scholars Program is an accelerated, individualized doctoral training program for outstanding science students committed to biomedical research careers. The program is based on the British system in which students perform doctoral research without required formal courses other than those students choose to take in relationship to their own interests. Students selected for admission to the program have already developed a sophisticated scientific background by having engaged in research as undergraduates.”

The site outlines the following benefits and characteristics:

• “Students undertake a collaborative Ph.D. project in any area of biomedical investigation with two research mentors--one at the NIH intramural campus in Bethesda, MD and one at either Oxford or Cambridge Universities in the United Kingdom. Students conduct research at both locations and potentially other sites including field work in Africa and elsewhere around the world.
• All students participate in the enriched environment of the residential colleges of the U.K. Universities and enjoy special educational opportunities for career development and understanding of broader issues surrounding biomedical research.
• Students earn a D.Phil or Ph.D. from Oxford or Cambridge with an average time to completion of four years, just over half the time it takes to complete a biomedical Ph.D. in the U.S.
• The program is FULLY FUNDED for U.S. Citizens and permanent residents, with all students receiving tuition and stipend support for the duration of their Ph.D. training.
• Partnerships with other scholarship programs for training in the U.K. are also possible, including partnerships open to international students.”

Requirements for the Scholarship

The site explains “Our expectations for the successful Scholar applicant include:

• Academic expectations, as measured by grades and test scores
• Most successful applicants worked in a laboratory during college, and  those with two-three plus years of research experience are not unusual. 
• Co-authored manuscripts in scientific journals and presented their work at national meetings, although this is not a prerequisite
• Outstanding letters of recommendation, particularly from research mentors, typifies the successful applicant and is weighed heavily in the evaluation process
• Honored by their universities for academic or research achievements or by outside agencies such as the Beckman or Amgen Foundations, MARCS program or a Goldwater Scholarship
• A personal statement that details their motivation, experience, and long-term goals”

Thursday we answer questions about themes and home run statements posed by our clients