--- title: "Gates Cambridge Scholarship" description: "Around 80 full-cost scholarships a year for postgraduate study in any subject at Cambridge, for citizens of any country outside the UK. Roughly two-thirds go to PhD candidates, with about 55 awards in the International round." url: "https://worldwide-scholarships.com/scholarships/gates-cambridge-scholarship/" type: "website" --- [All scholarships](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/scholarships/) Gates Cambridge Trust, University of Cambridge # Gates Cambridge Scholarship Around 80 full-cost scholarships a year for postgraduate study in any subject at Cambridge, for citizens of any country outside the UK. Roughly two-thirds go to PhD candidates, with about 55 awards in the International round. Checked 11 Sept 2026 [Apply on the official site](https://www.gatescambridge.org/apply/timeline/) - **Deadline:** Deadline not announced - **Study in:** United Kingdom - **Level:** Master's, PhD - **Covers:** Tuition fees, Living costs, Travel +2 more **Why there is no date here.** Applications for 2027/28 entry opened 11 September 2026, a date the Trust has now confirmed (an earlier check found this date still unconfirmed). Deadlines are then set per course, not centrally. Applicants outside the US round must apply by the Course Funding Deadline listed against their course in the University Course Directory, which is either 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, at 11:59pm UK time. US citizens resident in the USA apply in a separate earlier round closing 14 October 2026. What you get The University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate; a maintenance allowance for a single student, £22,050 for 12 months at the 2025-26 rate and pro rata for shorter courses, paid for up to four years for PhD scholars; one economy single airfare at the beginning and end of the course; inbound visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Discretionary funds are also available for academic development, dependent children, fieldwork, parental leave and hardship. Bench fees and scientific equipment are not covered. Covers - Tuition fees - Living costs - Travel - Visa fees - Health insurance ## Who can apply - Be a citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom - Apply for a PhD (full-time or part-time), an MLitt (full-time), or a one-year full-time postgraduate course at Cambridge - Current Cambridge students may apply for a new course, but not to fund the remainder of a course already started - Undergraduate degrees, MASt courses, and part-time degrees other than the PhD are not considered - Professional and non-standard degrees are excluded, including MBA, EMBA, MFin, BusD, PGCE, MBBChir Clinical Studies and the Graduate Course in Medicine - Nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar or Sudan should check the UK government's current "visa brake" policy on gov.uk before applying: since 26 March 2026 it refuses Student visa applications made from outside the UK by nationals of those four countries, even where an offer or scholarship is already secured, and it is reviewed periodically rather than indefinite ### No single deadline, which is why this entry carries no date There is no single Gates Cambridge deadline, which is why this entry carries no date. If you are not a US citizen living in the USA, your deadline is whatever the University Course Directory lists as the Course Funding Deadline for your specific course, and it will be either 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027. Look it up in the right-hand column of your course page. Getting this wrong by one month is the most common way to lose the award before anyone reads your application. ### Your department ranks you before the Trust ever sees your application There is no separate Gates Cambridge form to send off on its own. You apply through the University’s postgraduate application and tick the Gates Cambridge funding option, which means your academic department ranks you first and the Trust only sees applications that survive that stage. A strong department fit matters more than it looks from the outside. The Trust’s stated criteria are academic ability, reasons for choice of course, commitment to improving the lives of others, and leadership potential. If you’re weighing UK-wide options rather than a Cambridge-specific one, the [Chevening Scholarships](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/scholarships/chevening-scholarships/) run on a similar leadership-focused premise but are open to any UK university. ### What happens if you already have other funding On money, the maintenance allowance figure of £22,050 is the 2025-26 rate and will be reviewed. If you already hold a salary from an employer or another substantial scholarship, the Trust may reduce or withhold the maintenance allowance, so tell them early. If you win a fee award from a body such as UKRI, you are expected to take it and the Trust will not duplicate the fee payment. ### Built on a single, major gift in 2000 The Trust itself was established in 2000 with a gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and it frames the whole programme around five stated values: Community, Learning, Internationality, Compassion and Change, rather than academic merit alone. That values framing is part of why leadership potential and “commitment to improving the lives of others” sit alongside academic ability as core selection criteria rather than as a soft add-on to a purely academic assessment. Where this comes from Every fact above was read on **gatescambridge.org**, the awarding body's own website, and last confirmed on **11 September 2026**. Nothing here is taken from another directory. Funding bodies change deadlines and eligibility rules without notice, and we are not affiliated with Gates Cambridge Trust, University of Cambridge. Always confirm on the official site before you apply. Reviewed by the [Worldwide Scholarships editorial team](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/about/) [Apply on the official site](https://www.gatescambridge.org/apply/timeline/) ## Related guides - [Application tips](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/topics/tips/) ### [Conditional Offers and Scholarships: Meeting the Conditions in Time](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/conditional-offers-and-scholarships-meeting-the-conditions-in-time/) A conditional offer scholarship deadline can cost you the award. Learn what offer conditions mean, what evidence counts, and how to clear them in time. 26 Oct 2026 · 7 min read · 7 sources - [Application tips](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/topics/tips/) ### [How to Get a Recommendation Letter That Actually Helps](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/how-to-get-a-recommendation-letter-that-wins-you-a-scholarship/) A strong scholarship recommendation letter is mostly won before it is written. Here is who to ask, when, what to give them, and how to handle a reluctant referee. 28 Feb 2026 · 7 min read · 6 sources - [Application tips](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/topics/tips/) ### [The Scholarship Application Calendar: When to Do What](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/scholarship-application-calendar-2026/) The 2026-27 scholarship application calendar: what closes each month, with dates from our verified directory, and the steps to take before every deadline. 28 Feb 2026 · 10 min read · 3 sources - [Scholarships](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/topics/scholarships/) ### [Major Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students](https://worldwide-scholarships.com/the-top-10-fully-funded-scholarships-for-international-students-2026-update/) Chevening, Fulbright, Gates, Erasmus Mundus, MEXT and more: what each one selects for, what it really covers, how you apply, and the next deadline. 27 Feb 2026 · 7 min read · 5 sources ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"MonetaryGrant","name":"Gates Cambridge Scholarship","description":"Around 80 full-cost scholarships a year for postgraduate study in any subject at Cambridge, for citizens of any country outside the UK. 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