Eligibility Criteria for LCLU Summer Internships

To be eligible for LCLU summer placement programme, you must meet the following criteria:               

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria: 

• be currently enrolled in a UK or Republic of Ireland college or university as an undergraduate student studying for a degree in One of the LCLU related research themes

• be settled in the UK on 1 July 2026 and have been ordinarily resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland (you residence should not have been mainly for full-time education) since 1 July 2023 or are a Republic of Ireland national

•  be in the penultimate year of undergraduate study, at the time of application

• have achieved, or to be on track to achieve, a final undergraduate degree grade of a strong 2:1 or 1st ina relevant subject to your proposed project.If your transcript shows year-on-year grade progression towards the upper range of a 2:1 or above, we encourage you to apply.

• have an interest in undertaking a research postgraduate degree (MPhil or PhD)

• Not have already completed, or be currently studying, a postgraduate research degree (e.g. MPhil, DPhil, PhD, etc.) or have an offer to start a postgraduate research degree.

• Applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria: 

  • have been in receipt of free school meals at secondary school
  • be in the first generation of their family to study at undergraduate level   
  • have been a young carer under the age of 18 or have/ had caring responsibilities during undergraduate study (providing unpaid support for a family who has a physical or mental health condition, or misuses substances)
  • have entered university at undergraduate level from a care background or as a Foyer resident 
  • receive the maximum Maintenance Loan for undergraduate study 
  • be estranged from their parents/guardians 
  • be either a single parent, or lone guardian of a young person who is aged under 18 and/or is still in full-time education
  • have refugee status

This programme is not open to applicants who have are at or have  previously studied at the University of Cambridge.

We also encourage applications from candidates who:

• are not studying at a Russell Group university
• are a mature undergraduate student, or would be a mature postgraduate student (i.e. aged 21 or over at start of undergraduate study and would be 25 or over at start of postgraduate study)
• do not have significant research experience (full time, 4 weeks or more and not part of degree course)

LCLU placement programme welcomes applications from candidates who identify as belonging to groups that are underrepresented. These include those who identify as belonging to one of the groups highlighted below:

Underrepresented ethnic groups: 

• Arab
• Asian: Bangladeshi or Bangladeshi British
• Asian: Pakistani or Pakistani British 
• Black: African or Black African British
• Black: Caribbean or Black Caribbean British
• Mixed or multiple ethnic groups - White or White British and Black African or Black African British
• Mixed or multiple ethnic groups - White or White British and Black Caribbean or Black Caribbean British
• Any other Black background not listed below
• Any other White background (inc. Gypsy, Irish Traveller, and Roma) not listed below
• Any other ethnic background not listed below

Ethnic groups not currently underrepresented:

• Asian: Chinese or Chinese British
• Asian: Indian or Indian British
• Any other Asian background
• Any other Mixed or Multiple ethnic background not listed 
• Mixed or multiple ethnic groups - White/White British and Asian/Asian British: Chinese
• Mixed or multiple ethnic groups - White/White British and Asian/Asian British: Indian
• White: British (including English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish)
• White: Irish