Gates Cambridge Scholarships

Overview

Gates Cambridge funds postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge for outstanding applicants from outside the United Kingdom. Awards are full-cost and can support any subject the university offers, with the majority going to doctoral students. Selection weighs four things: intellectual ability, the reasons for the chosen course, a commitment to improving the lives of others, and leadership potential. It is a scholarship attached to a Cambridge course rather than a separate degree programme, so you must be admitted by the university as well as selected by the Trust.

Who it's for

It suits a graduate with a strong academic record who is applying to a Cambridge postgraduate course and can show sustained work in service of others, not only good marks. Candidates apply from outside the UK, and the Trust runs a US round and an international round as separate processes. Doctoral applicants make up the larger share, but taught master's candidates are eligible too. Leadership evidence should be concrete: something you ran, built, organised or changed, with a describable outcome.

What you get

The award covers the University Composition Fee at the relevant rate, a maintenance allowance for a single student, one economy airfare at the start and end of the course, and inbound visa plus Immigration Health Surcharge costs. The Trust also considers discretionary requests such as academic development funding, a dependent children allowance, fieldwork maintenance and hardship support. Bench fees and scientific equipment are not covered. Scholars join a cross-disciplinary community in Cambridge and an alumni network that spans many countries.

How to apply

Apply to your Cambridge course through the university's postgraduate admissions system, and apply to Gates Cambridge in the same cycle; the Trust's site explains which round applies to you and how the two applications connect. The scholarship form asks for a statement covering your academic background, why this course and how you have worked to improve the lives of others, plus references and an account of your leadership. Shortlisted candidates are interviewed. Academic departments assess you for the course and the Trust selects separately, so a credible research fit and a verifiable service record both carry weight.

Timing

Annual, with two parallel routes — a US round and an international round — each tied to the Cambridge admissions cycle for the following academic year. The Trust publishes the dates and the round definitions on its official pages, and they move between editions, so confirm them before booking tests or approaching referees.

How to stand out

Read the four selection criteria and treat them as four separate arguments, each needing evidence rather than adjectives. Name specific supervisors, papers or labs instead of praising the department in general. For the service criterion, describe what changed because of you, with a number or a concrete outcome. Line up referees early and brief them on both the course and the scholarship, then confirm which round your nationality falls into before planning anything else.

FAQ