The Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026 provides fully funded opportunities for Master’s and Ph.D. studies to international students outside the UK. Launched in 2000 through a generous donation from Bill and Melinda Gates to the University of Cambridge, this prestigious program annually awards 80 scholarships to outstanding candidates worldwide, enabling them to pursue postgraduate studies in any discipline offered at Cambridge. Since its inception, the Trust has granted over 2,000 scholarships to scholars from more than 100 different countries. Details regarding eligibility, application requirements, and benefits are outlined below.

Details About Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026

• Host Country: UK
• Scholarship Name: Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• University Name: Cambridge University
• Scholarship for: Master, PhD, MSC, MLitt
• Number of Scholarships: 80
• Deadline:
  • (15th October 2025 for USA Residents)
  • For all other Nationals (2nd Dec 2025 or 7th January 2026)

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

The Trust also provides Funding for:

• Attending conferences and courses.
• Dependent Children Allowance
• Fieldwork Allowance
• Maternity/Paternity funding

• Hardship funding – for unforeseen difficulties facing the scholar.

Also Check: Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Scholarship 2026 (Fully Funded)

Academic Fields

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

• Any Undergraduate degree, such as a BA (undergraduate) or a 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 2026?

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 all the sections 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 2025 or 7th January 2026.
• 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.