Fully Funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme 2025

Outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK looking to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject area at the University of Cambridge for the 2025/2026 academic session are invited to apply for the Fully Funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme 2025.

Every year, the Fully Funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme offers c.80 full-cost Postgraduate scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge for the 2025/2026 academic session. 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 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. Since then, the Trust has awarded over 2,000 scholarships to scholars from more than 100 countries.

Scholarship Summary:

Scholarship Sponsor(s): Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Scholarships to be taken at: University of Cambridge, UK

Scholarship Type: Full Scholarship

Scholarship level: Postgraduate

Scholarship Worth: See Benefits (below)

Nationality: International Students

Eligibility for the Fully Funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme 2025:

Applicants can be citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom
Applicants must be applying to pursue one of the following courses at the University of Cambridge:

PhD (full-time or part-time*)
MLitt (full-time)
One year postgraduate course (full-time), with some exceptions

For October 2024 entry, Gates Cambridge is continuing to pilot a scheme which allows applicants to apply for funding for a part-time doctoral degree (PhD).

Selection Criteria:

The selection criteria are:

Outstanding intellectual ability
Reasons for choice of course
A commitment to improving the lives of others
Leadership potential

Scholarship Benefits:

the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate*
a maintenance allowance for a single student (£21,000 for 12 months at the 2024-25 rate; pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months) – for PhD scholars the award is for up to 4 years
one economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course
inbound visa costs & the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge

Discretionary components

The Trust also considers applications for several types of additional funding on a discretionary basis:

Academic development funding – from up to £500 to up to £2,000, dependent on the length of your course, to attend conferences and courses.
Dependent Children Allowance – up to £11,604 for one child and up to £16,548 for two or more children (2023-24 rate). No funding is provided for a partner.
Fieldwork – you may apply to keep up to your normal maintenance allowance while on fieldwork as part of your PhD (the Trust does not fund other fieldwork costs as these should be funded by the University Composition Fee).
Maternity/Paternity funding – should you require it, you may apply to intermit your studies for up to 6 months and continue to receive your maintenance allowance during this time
Hardship funding – for unforeseen difficulties facing the scholar

Method of Application for the Fully Funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme 2025:

Interested applicants should visit the Gates Cambridge Scholarship portal to submit the complete application.

Application Timeline:

Applications open: Wednesday 4 September 2024

Application deadline: Dependent on your course – either 3 December 2024 or 7 January 2025 (see Course Directory)
Departmental ranking December – February
All applicants notified of application outcome by Wednesday 5 March 2025
Review and selection by panels Monday 24 March 2025 and Tuesday 25 March 2025 (TBC)
Scholarships offered by Monday 7 April 2025
Scholarships accepted 72 hours after offer

These dates are set by the University of Cambridge postgraduate admissions office and may be subject to change. Please refer to the postgraduate admissions web pages for up-to-date details.

Application Deadline: January 7, 2025

For more information Visit the official website

Fully Funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme 2025