How to Apply
Submit the Application Form before the deadline: Tuesday 17 February 2026. The application form will open in January 2026 after the list of available projects has been confirmed. A link to the form will be available on this page when applications open.
The application form will ask for:
- Information about you and your current course of study
- Which two of the available projects you would like to be considered for (please see the Projects page)
- Personal Statement / Statement of Interest for each project
- Widening participation information
- An optional statement of Personal Circumstances
- Supporting Documents
- Name and contact email address for a person who will provide a letter of reference for you
About you
You will be asked to enter information about you (name and contact details etc) as well as your university and the degree you are working towards.
Projects
You can indicate up to two of the projects advertised on this page that you would like to be considered for. You can give an order of preference.
Statements of Interest
You will be asked to provide a Statement of Interest tailored to each of the projects you have selected. Information that is not project specific can be repeated across both statements.
Statements of Interest will be forwarded to the relevant project supervisor(s) along with your CV, transcript, and reference (if received).
General information to include:
- What attracted you to the Philippa Fawcett Internships programme?
- How will this opportunity help you with your goals for the future (e.g. do you hope to pursue a PhD in this area?).
- An objective of the programme is to help widen participation and increase diversity amongst PhD students in mathematics. If this goal is important to you too, please tell us how and why in your statement.
Project specific information to include:
- Tell the project supervisor about yourself and why you would be a good fit for their project. Say why you want to work with this supervisor. What is it about their area of research that you find interesting?
- What attracted you to apply for this particular project?
- What makes you a good fit for the project? Include relevant skills / knowledge that you have. Highlight the relevant classes that you've taken.
Widening Participation Information
The Philippa Fawcett Internship programme is intended for women, trans women, and non-binary students.
If you are eligible, you will automatically also be considered for the Cambridge Mathematics Open Internships programme. The Cambridge Mathematics Open Internships are intended for students who have experienced some form of educational disadvantage and / or students from groups currently underrepresented in post-graduate study in mathematics.
This section of the form will ask you questions surrounding your gender identity, your ethnicity, and your socioeconomic background. These questions are not obligatory.
Statement of Personal Circumstances
If appropriate to your situation, you will be able to include an optional statement of personal circumstances where you can provide a description of any circumstances which may have affected your academic career to date. E.g. educational disadvantage, caring commitments, illness, enforced career breaks or economic hardship. We encourage you to use this space to emphasise to us how your broader circumstances fit with the objectives of the programme.
Supporting Documents
You will be asked to upload the following documents to your application form:
- Your CV
- Copy of your academic transcript. If an official transcript is not available, please provide a screenshot / download of your available marks to date.
- Scan / clear photo of your passport (for applicants without the right to work in the UK this should have an expiry date at least six months after the internship would end).
Letter of Reference
A letter of reference is also required. Your referee should be either a tutor or other academic at your current (or a previous) institution who knows you and your work well.
The application form will ask you to enter the name and contact email address of your referee. When you submit the application form your referee will receive an automated email inviting them to upload their reference letter. Alternatively, they can email their letter to us at visitingstudents@maths.cam.ac.uk.
The deadline for sending in letters of reference is Tuesday 24 February 2026.
