The Gates Cambridge Scholarship program was created in October 2000 with a US$210 million contribution to the University of Cambridge by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; this is the largest single donation ever made to a UK university. The inaugural class of scholars arrived in October 2001.
Each year, Gates Cambridge awards 80 full-fee scholarships to outstanding students from outside the United Kingdom to study for a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge in any department. Around two-thirds of these prizes will be made to PhD candidates, with around 25 awards made in the US round and 55 made in the international round. Applicants from Bangladesh can also apply for this scholarship.
Short Details of the Scholarship
- Course Level: PhD/Masters
- Number of Scholarships: 80
- Financial Coverage: Fully Funded (Cost of Scientific Equipment or similar Academic Resources excluded)
Scholarship Coverage
- A University Composition Fee (Note: This fee varies for different students. For example, if a student from the European Union has gained a fee award from public authorities, the trust would not pay for that fee. Also, students may look into the Graduate Studies Prospectus for precise amounts).
- A handsome maintenance allowance of £17,848 for 12-months, and this fee extends for up to 4 years for PhD candidates.
- An economy single airfare ticket at the start and end of the course.
- All inbound visa costs and Immigration Health Surcharge costs are covered.
- Academic development funding of £500 to £2,000 to attend conferences and courses, depending upon the length of the course.
- Applicants will receive a family allowance of £10,120 for one child and £14,440 for two or more children. You will receive no funding for a partner.
- You may apply for Fieldwork costs (The University Composition Fee funds these costs).
- Candidates can apply for Maternity/Paternity funding and intermit their studies for 6 months while still receiving their maintenance allowance.
- Candidates may even apply for Hardship Funding which may be allowed for unforeseen difficulties.
- Suppose you are receiving a salary/stipend while your scholarship, you should immediately inform the Trust. The Trust entails the right to reduce/cancel your maintenance allowances.
- Also, the costs of scientific equipment or similar academic resources are not funded by the trust.
Eligibility Criteria(s)
- You must be a citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom.
- You must pursue any of the following three courses:
- PhD
- MSc/MLitt
- One-year postgraduate course (with some exceptions – see below)
- If you are currently enrolled in a postgraduate course at Cambridge and desire to apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship, you can do so. Current Gates Cambridge Scholars who are applying for a new degree may also apply for a second grant. In round two, all current Cambridge students will be considered. However, if you have already begun a study, you cannot apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to cover the remaining costs.
If you are not eligible for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme, you may try for the other funded scholarships by Cambridge University here.
The list of available courses can be found here.
Courses that are not Eligible for the Scholarship
The following courses are not included in the 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
Academic Requirements
Due to the intensity and intellectual demands of postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge, the University has strict academic admission standards. By the time you begin your course, you are typically required to possess or have attained the following:
- A minimum of an upper second class (good 2:1) honours degree from a UK institution or an equivalent grade from an international university,
- And completion of, or withdrawal from, any current training or education course.
(2:1 denotes CGPA of 3.30 -3.90)
Please review the international section of the website to determine whether your international qualification matches the University’s minimum requirement.
Job Experience Requirements
No such requirements.
Language Requirements
It is for the applicants to take the International English Language Testing System (IELTS, with an average score of 7.5) and a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL, with an average course of 100). However, the IELTS/TOEFL average scores may vary depending upon the course selection. Therefore, you can find them while applying for a particular course.
Application Timeline
- Applications open: Thursday 2 September 2021
- Application deadline: Dependent on your course – either 2 December 2021 or 6 January 2022 (see Course Directory)
- Departmental ranking: December – February
- All applicants notified of application outcome: February 2022
- On-line review and selection by panels: February and March 2022
- Scholarships offered: Late March
- Scholarships accepted: 72 hours after the offer
Application Fees
An application fee of £75 is required.
Documents Required
- A statement of not more than 3000 characters (500 words) describing your purpose for applying and how you meet the following four criteria:
- You must show competence and evidence for academic excellence
- You must give a good reason for the choice of your course
- You must demonstrate commitment to improving the life of others
- You must possess leadership qualities
- A research proposal is required (for only PhD candidates) at the time of application.
- Two academic references along with a referral form which includes:
- Assessment of the applicant’s suitability for the scholarship on the criteria of intellectual ability, justification for the choice, of course, a commitment to improving the lives of others and leadership capacity, and questions like
- How highly would you rank the applicant for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship?
- On what overall group are you basing this ranking?
- What is the size of this group?
- Also, referees are required to rate the applicant based on exceptional, strong, not strong, weak. They may paste/type up to 4,000 characters into the online reference or upload a separate letter.
- The Gates Cambridge Scholarship reference form can be written by the referees themselves or even any of the applicant’s academic teachers, employers or senior staff, who are aware of the personal attributes of the candidate. Some points to consider are:
- It is critical that the Gates Cambridge Referee is completely informed on the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, particularly its selection criteria.
- It is beneficial when referees provide concrete instances of how you satisfy the Scholarship’s criteria.
- While your referees are likely to be busy, you must ensure that they realize the need of keeping the reference focused on the Gates Cambridge criteria rather than rehashing a standard or prior reference.
You can find more information about writing the statement part here.
How to Apply?
- To apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, click here and go to the Application Portal.
- Next, you are required to register an account and log in with the same account.
- Then you have to select a course from the course directory and click on Apply.
- Fill in your appropriate personal details, contacts, academic history and visa.
- In the course application section, fill in your reference request form, employment history, your English Language certificates (IELTS/TOEFL) and answers to some course-specific questions.
- Then in the Funding Application section, select Gates Cambridge.
- After all these steps, you need to pay the application fee of £75 and submit the form.
Remember, the application deadline is different for different courses. You will know the deadline once you start your application.
Selection Procedure
Gates Cambridge employs a two-stage screening procedure to ensure that Scholars fully meet all of our standards.
- Departmental hierarchy
To ensure that only the most academically exceptional candidates are evaluated, the Trust has asked Cambridge academic departments to rank qualified applications solely based on intellectual ability. Thus, those nominated by their departments are regarded as the most intellectually accomplished applicants that year.
- Interrogation
All candidates submitted by academic departments are interviewed for a brief period to determine their compliance with all four Gates Cambridge requirements. After an interview, scholars are chosen.
Candidates will be notified in advance of the format and arrangements for the interview. If you are selected for an interview, you have already passed a very competitive process.
You will be invited to a 20-25 min interview, which will take place either in person or over Skype, depending on your location. Wherever possible, they invite you to attend the interview in person.
Four interview panels are broadly subject-based:
- Arts
- Biological Sciences
- Physical Sciences
- Social Sciences
Each three- to four-member panel is typically composed of academics, a Trust representative, and Gates Cambridge alumni.
Each interview is divided into four distinct sections:
a) Introduction and welcome
The Chair will introduce the panel, outline the interview structure, and provide any other pertinent information necessary to ensure a constructive session.
b) Knowledge about Gates Cambridge
You will be asked questions regarding your knowledge about the university and the scholarship, such as:
- What is your current knowledge about the Gates Cambridge Scholarships?
- Why are you applying?
- Why do you believe you might be a Gates Cambridge Scholar?
- Your perspective on the opportunities and obligations associated with a prestigious, full-tuition scholarship at one of the world’s best universities?
c) Academic and professional goals
- Your previous academic work – are you capable of successfully communicating your enthusiasm for and importance for your chosen subject?
- Your suggested degree at Cambridge – are you able to make a compelling case for your course selection?
- Your professional ambitions – can you persuasively connect your application for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and the suggested study at Cambridge to your future job ambitions?
- Additionally, you may be posed probing intellectual or ethical questions that have no ‘correct’ responses.
d) Closing remarks and questions
This is your opportunity to add anything else you’d like the interview panel to consider, as well as to ask any questions you may have (having no questions to ask is also fine).