Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Gates Cambridge Trust
Around 80 full-cost scholarships a year for outstanding applicants from any country outside the UK to pursue a full-time PhD, MLitt or one-year postgraduate course at Cambridge. 2027/28 international-round deadline: 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027 depending on course.
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Eligibility
- Who can apply
- All except United Kingdom
- Education required
- Bachelors completed
- Fields
- Any field of study
- Also required
- Citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom
- Applying for a full-time PhD (or part-time PhD pilot), MLitt or a one-year full-time postgraduate course at Cambridge; undergraduate, MASt, MBA, EMBA, MFin, PGCE, MD, clinical and similar courses are not eligible
- Cannot fund a course you have already started; current Cambridge students may apply for a new course
- Must apply for admission and funding together via the Cambridge Applicant Portal by the course deadline
About this opportunity
Gates Cambridge Scholarships go to citizens of any country outside the UK applying for a full-time PhD (or part-time PhD pilot), MLitt or one-year postgraduate course at Cambridge (not MBA, EMBA, MFin, PGCE, MD or clinical courses). Criteria: outstanding intellectual ability, reasons for course choice, commitment to improving the lives of others and leadership potential. About 80 awards a year: 55 in the international round, 25 in the US round.
The award covers the University Composition Fee, a maintenance allowance (GBP 22,050 for 12 months at the 2025-26 rate; up to four years for a PhD), one economy airfare each way, visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge, plus discretionary academic, family, fieldwork and hardship funds. Apply for admission and funding together on the Cambridge Applicant Portal with a Gates statement, a third reference and, for PhDs, a research proposal.
- Level
- Master's, PhD
- Where
- United Kingdom
- Duration
- Length of the course; PhD awards for up to 4 years; one-year courses pro rata
- Number of awards
- Around 80 per year (approx. 55 in the International round, 25 in the US round)
- Difficulty
- Very high · about 12 weeks to prepare
Funding
Fully funded
- tuition
- stipend
- travel
- visa
- health insurance
- family allowance
- research costs
University Composition Fee; maintenance allowance GBP 22,050 for 12 months (2025-26 rate); one economy airfare each way; inbound visa costs and Immigration Health Surcharge; discretionary academic development funding (GBP 500-2,000), family allowance (up to GBP 12,184 for one child, GBP 17,375 for two or more), fieldwork and hardship funding. Bench fees and equipment are not covered.
What you will need
- Reference letters (3)
- Personal statement
- Research proposal
- Academic transcripts
- CV / résumé
Two academic references for admission plus one Gates Cambridge reference; Gates Cambridge statement answering four questions (approx. 200-300 words each); research proposal required for PhD applicants only; plus the standard Cambridge admission documents (transcripts, CV).
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