Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Deadline: October
Website: Link
Disciplines: Arts and Humanities, Business, Education, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Social Sciences
Years: Senior, Graduate Student, Alumni

Gates Cambridge Scholarships are prestigious, highly competitive full-cost scholarships. They are awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. The programme aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships are one of the most prestigious international scholarships in the world. The programme was established in 2000 by a donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge; this is the largest ever single donation to a UK university. While at Cambridge, Scholars pursue full range of subjects available at the University and are spread through its departments and Colleges. Alumni from the program are pursuing further study or employment across many sectors of society. Despite the relative youth of the programme, Gates Cambridge Alumni are increasingly taking on leadership roles and applying their knowledge and skills to improve the lives of others.

Specific Eligibility Criteria

You can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if you are:

  • a citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom.
  • applying to pursue one of the following full-time residential courses of study at the University of Cambridge: PhD (three year research-only degree); MSc or MLitt (two year research-only degree); or a one year postgraduate course (e.g. MPhil, LLM, MASt, Diploma, MBA etc.)
  • OR already a student at Cambridge and want to apply for a new postgraduate course. For example, if you are studying for an MPhil you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to do a PhD. However, if you have already started a course, you cannot apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to fund the rest of it.
  • OR already a Gates Cambridge Scholar and want to apply for a second Scholarship. You must apply by the second, international deadline and go through the same process of departmental ranking, shortlisting and interviewing as all other candidates.