Visitors

General enquires should be directed to: visitors@bennettschool.cam.ac.uk

The Bennett School will be accepting visiting scholars from 1 October 2026.

We advise applications to be submitted as early as possible, ideally at least 6 – 9 months before the intended visit dates. The department can only accommodate a limited number of visitors at any one time. The success of your application may be affected by the number of visitors that we already have in the department for your chosen period of attachment. Applicants will be advised on the outcome of their application usually within four weeks of each deadline.

Application criteria

• Your research interests need to be compatible with those of the Bennett School.
• Applicants will be required to have an academic host who must be a member of the Bennett School.
• Only applications submitted using the application form will be considered
• Please note that the department does not currently accept applications from visiting PhD students registered at other academic institutions.

Application process

1. Prospective visiting scholars should contact the most appropriate academic staff member to inquire if they are prepared to host them.

2. They should send the following information to their prospective host:

• A completed visitor application form.
• A copy of your Curriculum Vitae.

Application deadlines

Applications will be considered by the department four times a year, and must be received in the department by one of these dates:

• 25 September
• 25 February
• 25 April
• 25 May

Bench fees

All visitors to the Bennett School will be expected to pay a bench fee. The bench fee charge will be £3000 per term, or £2500 over the summer, payable in advance (all figures are inclusive of VAT). The bench fee is to cover incidental and administrative overheads, and payment of the bench fee will be a prerequisite before arrival in Cambridge.

Facilities provided

Visitors can expect to be offered access to:

• The University Library;
• The University computer networks: Eduroam or UniOfCam-Guest wifi network;
• A temporary building access card;
• The Bennett School’s facilities and basic consumables (i.e. refreshments);
• £25 printer credit pcm (for visitors staying for 1 calendar month or longer).

Visitors will also be invited to attend lunchtime seminars (and if appropriate and at the discretion of the Head of Department, invited to present one of these seminars during their visit).

Facilities not provided

• Due to the size of our building we are unable to provide any desk or office space to visitors. Alternatively, there are many study spaces in libraries and other buidlings across the university that visitors will be able to use.
• 24-hour access to the building.
• The BSPP will not provide any funding to visiting scholars or visiting students to cover costs of travelling to/from Cambridge, or to cover living costs while in Cambridge.
• Support in finding and securing suitable accommodation.

Visa advice for visiting scholars from outside the UK and Ireland

The UK Government Visa and Immigration website offers advice and guidelines on who will require a visa, and how they should apply for one. If your application is successful the Senior Operations Coordinator, Faith Payne, will liaise with you to provide the relevant support with your visa application.

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