A fully funded master’s and doctoral scholarship available to students outside of the UK is the Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2025. In 2000, the University of Cambridge, UK received a donation from Bill and Melinda Gates, which led to the establishment of this initiative. Eighty students are chosen annually by the Gates Cambridge program from all over the world to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom in any discipline. From more than 100 nations, The Trusty has given out more than 2,000 scholarships. Below are further specifics regarding the eligibility requirements, benefits, and application process.

Details About Bill Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2025

• Host Country: UK
• Scholarship Name: Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• University Name:  Cambridge University
• Scholarship for: Master, PhD, MSC, MLitt
• No of Scholarships: 80
• Deadline:
  • (16th October 2024 for USA Residents)
  • For all other Nationals (3rd Dec 2024 or 7th January 2025)

Benefits of the Gates Scholarship

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship for international students covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge. This includes:

• University Fee.
• 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 Single Airfare Ticket (Economy Class)
• Visa costs & the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge.

The Trust also provides Funding for:

• £500 to up to £2,000 for attending conferences and courses.
• Dependent Children Allowance – up to £11,604 for one child and up to £16,548 for two or more children
• Fieldwork Allowance
• Maternity/Paternity funding

• Hardship funding – for unforeseen difficulties facing the scholar.

Academic Fields

The Gates Cambridge scholarship is available in all academic disciplines, Except:

• Any Undergraduate degree, such as BA (undergraduate) or BA affiliated (a second BA)
• Business Doctorate (BusD)
• Master of Business (MBA)
• Master of Finance (MFin)
• MASt courses
• PGCE
• MBBChir Clinical Studies
• MD Doctor of Medicine degree (6 years, part-time, Home students only)
• Graduate Course in Medicine (A101)
• Part-time degrees other than the PhD
• Non-degree courses

The above courses are not covered by the Gates scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria

• For the Gates Cambridge scholarship, applicants from outside the UK can apply.
• UK Nationals are not eligible.
• 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
• Applicants with excellent academic skills, and grades.
• Fill out the combined application form (Admission + Gates Funding).

Note: Current students at Cambridge University can also apply for the Gates Cambridge scholarship if they wish to apply for the new postgraduate course. For example, if you are currently enrolled in an MPhil, you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD.

How to Apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2025?

Follow the application steps:

• A Combined Application Form: Applicants submit their application for admission and funding (Gates Cambridge and other funding) via the University’s Graduate Application Portal.
• To be considered for the Gates Cambridge scholarship, you must complete the section to apply for admission to a course.
• Go to the Course Directory and find the course you wish to apply for.
• Admission Section: All international applicants please apply by the Course deadline referenced in the University Course Directory. Most courses have deadlines of either 3rd Dec 2024 or 7th January 2025.
• The Funding Section: In this section, you can apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and other funding.
• Gates Cambridge has access to the full application for admission and funding when reviewing applications.

Gates Cambridge Scholarship Requirements

• Apply for admission online at Cambridge University (see Course Directory) and fill out the Gates scholarship section for funding.
• Upload Gates Cambridge statement (approximately 500 words)
• Research proposal (PhD applicants only)
• Gates Cambridge reference (two academic references)

Watch the  Cambridge University video on the Gates Application Process (here). The Link to the official website is given below.