Scholarships and Awards
PPES students are eligible for a range of scholarships, prizes and awards, both within the programme and across the wider college. Details of the main awards available to PPES students are set out below..
Foundation Scholarships
Foundation Scholarship, known across Trinity as Schol, is one of the College’s longest-standing undergraduate awards. The examination is open to all PPES students in their Senior Freshman year and is held in January. Candidates sit four papers drawn from the subjects on their chosen pathway.
To be recommended for Scholarship, candidates must achieve an overall mark of 70% or higher, with at least two first class marks across the four papers and no paper below 65%.
Choosing Papers
Papers are set in Philosophy, Political Science, Economics and Sociology. The combination each candidate sits depends on their pathway and credit profile. The Scholarship paper guide gives a short description of every paper. It also includes tables showing which papers are mandatory and which are optional for Single Honours, Major with Minor, Joint Honours and three-subject pathways.
Download PPES Scholarship Explanatory Guide 2026/27
Full details of the scholarship examination structure and regulations are available on the Academic Registry website.
Gold Medal
A Gold Medal may be awarded to students who achieve an overall aggregated mark of 75% or higher across their Junior Sophister year (weighted at 30%) and Senior Sophister year (weighted at 70%). Gold Medals are awarded on the basis of a single annual attempt and are not awarded to students who reassess in the Autumn.
Full details are available on the Academic Registry website.
Discipline Awards
Each of the four PPES disciplines also offers its own prizes and awards, recognising outstanding performance at undergraduate level. Visit the relevant department pages for full details.