We opened the official page and checked the deadline, the funding and the application route.
Gates Cambridge
Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Around 70 full-cost scholarships are offered each year to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge.
Do I qualify 2 requirements for everyone + route options
Do I qualify
These eligibility rules were checked against the official page. They still need to match your own circumstances.
Everyone needs
- Not open to: citizenship United Kingdom
- Not open to: enrolment Current Cambridge students who have already started a course and seek funding for the remainder of that course
These depend on how you qualify. The provider describes 4 ways, and you will not need all of them. The official page shows which applies to you.
- admission PhD at the University of Cambridge, full-time
- admission PhD at the University of Cambridge, part-time
- admission MLitt at the University of Cambridge, full-time
- admission One-year postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge, full-time, subject to exceptions
Preferences and flexible criteria (6)
- admission Part-time doctoral degree (PhD) funding application under a pilot scheme
- admission Current Cambridge students applying for a new postgraduate course
- Outstanding intellectual ability
- Reasons for choice of course
- Commitment to improving the lives of others
- Leadership potential
Not open to: United Kingdom; already started a course; fund the remainder of it
- Level of study
- PhD
- Fields of study
- Any
What's covered Fully funded
- Funding type
- Fully funded
- Funding details
- Covers the full cost of study: University Composition Fee, maintenance allowance for a single student (GBP 23,152 for 12 months at the 2026-27 rate; PhD awards up to 4 years), economy airfares at the start and end, inbound visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge; discretionary extras are also considered.
- Host country
- United Kingdom
- Host institution
- University of Cambridge
What I need Not listed here
The full document list lives on the official page — we do not republish it, because it changes between cycles.
Apply On cam.ac.uk
How to apply
These required steps were checked against official details for this cycle.
- In the combined application, complete the admission section for the specific graduate course and College place. Required
- Complete the Gates Cambridge part of the funding section, including the four Gates Cambridge selection questions. Required
- If applying for a PhD, provide a research proposal as part of the funding application. Most PhD applicants upload it among the compulsory admission documents; if that is not the case, submit it for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship application. Required
- Arrange for two academic references for admission and an additional Gates Cambridge reference; ensure the academic and Gates Cambridge referees submit their references by the specified deadline. Required
- Submit the combined application for admission and funding through the University’s Graduate Application Portal. Required Open this official step
- Deadline
- 8 December 2026
- Application cycle
- 2026 application cycle
- Notes
- Approximately two-thirds of awards are for PhD students; awards are split between a US round and an International round. Discretionary additional funding is considered separately. Bench fees and scientific equipment or similar academic resources are not covered. Public fee awards, salary, or another substantial scholarship may reduce or affect the standard maintenance allowance or fee payment.
Details to confirm
- Some hard eligibility requirements are incomplete in the captured source.
- Some eligibility wording is ambiguous in the source — read the exact wording on the official page.
Never pay anyone to guarantee, reserve or submit a scholarship. Some universities charge an admission fee — verify it on the official domain and ask about waivers.
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