If you are a PhD student at another university and wish to come to Cambridge as a visitor, you have several options.
Option A:
If you wish to use only the University Libraries and/or museum collections while you are in Cambridge, you should apply directly to the relevant institutions (e.g., the Haddon Library, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology). Please note that this route will not enable you to use any of the Department facilities or attend any lectures or events. The Department can not provide any visa support for such visits.
Option B:
It is possible to come to Cambridge for one or two terms (a maximum of six months) as a guest of the Department of Archaeology. Longer visits are considered only under very exceptional circumstances and are unlikely to be approved. This option requires sponsorship by at least one staff member in the Department of Archaeology. If accepted, you would be allowed to use the Haddon Library, the University Library, and attend lectures and events within the Department of Archaeology and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research (https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/events). Applications from Masters students will be considered in exceptional circumstances and only if you are doing a placement with a project directly relevant to the research interests of a staff member.
Visiting students are expected to comply with the University's and Department's ethics policies for both publication and research (see https://www.plagiarism.admin.cam.ac.uk/ and Research Ethics in the Department of Archaeology).
Sponsors:
You would not have a supervisor to oversee your work. Visiting Students must identify a member of teaching staff and/or laboratory group who will act as sponsor and can advise you on how to make best use of your time in Cambridge. The Department of Archaeology cannot provide office space or access to Department computers to Visiting Students though we can arrange access to computers within the University’s Computing Service.
Requirements:
Applicants are required to be engaged in doctoral research at the point of application and will not have completed their programme by the date of their visit. Applicants must have the full support of their PhD supervisor at their home institution and the proposed Cambridge sponsor.
Visas and language competence:
The usual six-month stay allows you to apply for a visitor visa for which a language test certificate is not required. For a student visa which would be needed for stays over 6 months, the language certificate is a requirement to obtain the relevant CAS documentation.
If you are unsure whether a language test will be required please contact the Postgraduate Admissions Administrator.
Fees:
Fees are £500 per term or equivalent duration. Another appropriate fee may be negotiated in exceptional circumstances with respect to hardship or research assistance given in-kind through prior negotiation with the Department of Archaeology. Your proposed sponsor in the department should include details of any fee negotiation or proposal in their letter of support accompanying your application. There are separate fees for those wishing to use the Archaeological Science laboratories or study the Duckworth Laboratory Collection which are detailed on the Laboratory Fees and Charges webpage. If your project will require high performance computation, please discuss these needs with your supervisor when designing your proposal, and mention the plan in your proposal. Depending on the requirements there may be an additional cost that reflects our internal costs. Please note that while there are some shared facilities, personal desktops are not provided - you should bring a laptop for day to day computational needs.
To Apply:
If you would like to apply for Visiting Student Status at the Department of Archaeology please send the following documents to the Postgraduate Admissions Administrator: a CV, a reference from your PhD Supervisor at your home University, the name of your preferred sponsor at the Department of Archaeology plus a letter of support from them, and an outline of what you will be working on while you are in Cambridge (not more than 1000-words in length). Please make sure to include an explanation for why being here is relevant for your research and be clear about specific facilities and resources you would be using so that costs, availability and space can be properly evaluated.
Prospective Visiting Students should normally apply at least two terms in advance of the proposed visit, i.e. by May 1st for the next Michaelmas term (October-November), by October 1st for the next Lent term (January-March).
Option C:
Apply via the Applicant Portal if you have a scholarship and wish to be formally registered as a visiting student. In this case, you will have to pay full doctoral tuition fees.
