The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was established in October 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. The first class of scholars came into residence in October 2001.
Each year Gates Cambridge offers c.80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of these awards will be offered to PhD students, with approximately 25 awards available in the US round and 55 available in the International round.
The selection criteria are:
-
outstanding intellectual ability
-
reasons for the choice of course
-
a commitment to improving the lives of others
-
leadership potential
Who can apply?
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
- MPhil/MLitt
- One year postgraduate course (with some exceptions – see below)
Current student at Cambridge?
If you are currently studying at Cambridge and wish to apply for a new postgraduate course you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. For example, if you are currently studying for an MPhil you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD. Current Gates Cambridge Scholars may also apply for a second scholarship if they are applying for a new degree. All current Cambridge students will be considered in round two. However, if you have already started a course you cannot apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to fund the remainder of it.
Courses which are NOT eligible for Gates Cambridge Scholarships:
- Any Undergraduate degree, such as BA (undergraduate) or BA affiliated (a second BA)
- Business Doctorate (BusD)
- Master of Business (MBA)
- Master of Finance (MFin)
- PGCE
- MBBChir Clinical Studies
- MD Doctor of Medicine degree (6 years, part-time)
- Graduate Course in Medicine (A101)
- Part-time degrees
- Non-degree courses
- From September 2022, MASt courses – MASt courses are treated as undergraduate courses for fee purposes and applications will no longer be accepted from September 2022, for courses starting in October 2023 onwards.
Applications for the academic year 2023-24 entry are now open
There are 2 streams:
US citizens resident in the USA
This is the earlier round for applicants who are both US citizens and currently resident in the United States; it is specific to Gates Cambridge. Students meeting these criteria must apply by 12 October and submit all their documents by this date (including references), they are not eligible for the later round. US citizens who are studying/working overseas at the time of application should apply in the later round (see below).
| What stage? | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open* | Thursday 15 September 2022 |
| Application deadline | Wednesday 12 October 2022 |
| Departmental ranking | Monday 17 October 2022 to Thursday 17 November 2022 |
| All applicants notified of application outcome | by Friday 9 December 2022 |
| Review and selection by panels | January 2023 |
| Scholarships offered | Late January 2023 |
| Scholarships accepted | 72 hours after offer |
All other eligible applicants
The large majority of applicants will apply in this round, which is aligned with the University’s postgraduate funding competition. There are two possible application deadlines and these are based on the course to which you are applying. Please apply by the Graduate Funding Competition deadline referenced in the University Course Directory.
| What stage? | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open* | Thursday 15 September 2022 |
| Application deadline* | Dependent on your course – either 1 December 2022 or 5 January 2023 (see Course Directory) |
| Departmental ranking | December – February |
| All applicants notified of application outcome | by Friday 3 March 2022 |
| Review and selection by panels | March 2023 |
| Scholarships offered | Late March |
| Scholarships accepted | 72 hours after offer |
