Each year, a small number of sabbatical visitors join the community for periods of between three and six months. They come to the Margaret Beaufort Institute for diverse reasons: structured research, bespoke programmes of teaching and supervision, to pursue their own projects and flourishing. We welcome applications from both women and men, lay, religious and ordained.

The Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology is situated near to the city centre and close to the Divinity Faculty of the University of Cambridge, the University Library and Tyndale House. Our self-catering accommodation is comfortable in single study-rooms, all with internet access. Visitors are welcome to participate in all aspects of the Institute’s life of prayer and worship, and those of the Federation.

Design Your Own Programme

You can choose courses from a wide range of programmes within the Cambridge Theological Federation, from the lecture programmes of the University of Cambridge and from MA modules at Anglia Ruskin University. The choice is extensive during the two periods of October to December and January to March. Our Director of Research can help you design a programme.

Independent Research Sabbaticals

We provide a congenial environment in which to undertake your own research and writing. The Institute’s proximity to Tyndale House, the Divinity Faculty Library and the University Library makes it ideal for researchers. For those who want some support with their research, our Director of Research can provide guided study, reading lists and supervision.

Each year the Institute awards a Cardinal Hume Scholarship to an experienced, Catholic researcher.

For academic year 2021 2022, please download this information sheet here:

2021_22 Sabbatical Information with revised costs (22.09.21)

“Margaret Beaufort Silver Jubilee Fellowship (May–July 2018) offered me an excellent opportunity to take time off my work of academic administration in Kenya and dedicate some focused attention on a book-project. The access to academic literature through the libraries of the Cambridge Theological Federation and the valuable interaction with scholars in the field made it possible for me to complete my book-project within 10 weeks. There were also other academic possibilities at Cambridge: open-lectures, summer courses, and visits to museums and exhibitions. The lighter aspects of Cambridge – the open spaces, the meadows, the historical sites – gave me a feeling of being on a holiday even as I rushed with my writing target. Thanks to the Principal and the staff of MBIT for making this possible for me.”Sahaya G. Selvam, sdb

Tangaza University College
(Catholic University of Eastern Africa)