Quick Information
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Degree Level | Master's/PhD |
| Funding Type | Fully Funded |
| Scholarship Value | Full cost of studying at Cambridge + maintenance allowance £23,152 for 12 months (2026–27 rate); PhD up to 4 years |
| Application Deadline | December 8, 2026 |
| Last Verified Date | November 11, 2026 |
| Official Source | https://www.gatescambridge.org/programme/the-scholarship/ |
What the Gates Cambridge Scholarship Is
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship was created in 2000 by a donation from the Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. It funds outstanding postgraduate students from outside the UK who show academic strength, a clear reason for choosing their course, a commitment to improving the lives of others, and leadership potential. It is one of the most generous awards in the world — and one of the most competitive.
What It Covers
The Trust describes this as a full-cost award, and the detail supports that. It pays the University Composition Fee in full, a maintenance allowance of £23,152 for 12 months at the 2026–27 rate, one economy airfare at the start and one at the end of the course, inbound visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge. For a PhD, funding runs for up to four years. On top of that, scholars can apply for discretionary funding for conferences and courses, support for dependent children, fieldwork maintenance and hardship help. The two clear exclusions are bench fees and scientific equipment, which the Trust expects the academic department to cover.
Who Can Apply
Any citizen outside the UK can apply. There is no quota by country and no age limit set by the Trust. What matters is the course: it must be a full-time PhD, MLitt or one-year postgraduate course at Cambridge. Undergraduate degrees, the MBA, the Master of Finance, MASt courses and the PGCE are excluded, and the scholarship cannot be used to fund the remainder of a course already started.
How to Apply
There is no separate Gates Cambridge application. You apply through the Cambridge Graduate Application Portal for your chosen course, and the funding section of that application covers the scholarship. For the international round, the deadline is either 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, depending on the course — check the Course Funding Deadline for your exact course in the Cambridge Course Directory, because the date is set by course, not by country. Admission comes first: only students who receive an offer from Cambridge can hold the award.
How Selection Works
Four criteria carry equal weight: outstanding intellectual ability, reasons for choosing the course, a commitment to improving the lives of others, and leadership potential. That balance is what sets Gates Cambridge apart from purely academic awards. A strong applicant therefore needs excellent grades and a clear, honest account of what they want to change in the world — and evidence that they have already started.
Official source: Gates Cambridge — The Scholarship
