Postgraduate Scholarships at the University of Cambridge – Cambridge Gate Programme

The Cambridge Gate Scholarship Program was established in 2000 through a US$210 million donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. 

To compete for postgraduate scholarships at the University of Cambridge, candidates must show evidence of academic excellence (through GPA, references, experience and potential for success in the candidate's chosen major).

 The academic departments at the University of Cambridge nominate the most academically outstanding applicants for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, ensuring that those we select will flourish at Cambridge.

Grant funding

• Covering the full cost of studying at Cambridge:
• Maintenance allowance of £18744 for 12 months
• For PhD students, a maintenance allowance of £18744 for up to 4 years.
• traveling ticket
• Covering visa costs
• An amount of £500 to £2000 to fund academic development
• Up to £10944 for one child and up to £15612 for two or more children.
• Hardship funding – unexpected difficulties facing the researcher.

Reasons to choose postgraduate scholarships at the University of Cambridge

You must be able to make a strong case for a particular postgraduate degree at Cambridge. PhD applicants will need to contact a potential supervisor with whom they will develop a research project, an abstract of which is part of the application. 

You will need to prove that you have the academic background, skills and experience necessary to complete the course. Applicants who have studied a Master of Philosophy and other applicants need to provide a strong case for how completion of the proposed course will facilitate their career plans.

On a postgraduate scholarship, it is important that you fully research and justify the course you are applying for.

A commitment to improving the lives of others

A hallmark of the Gates Cambridge program is our applicants' commitment to improving the lives of others. We interpret this criterion broadly and applicants determine it themselves by providing evidence of their past, present and future commitment to the communities in which they will live and work.

Driving ability

Successful applicants must be able to demonstrate leadership ability, which can be expressed in a number of ways. Applicants must provide evidence of their leadership experience to date and indicate ways in which their leadership skills may impact future careers.

Who can apply?

You can apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship if you:

• A citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom
• Apply to pursue one of the following courses at the University of Cambridge:
• Ph.D.
• One year full-time postgraduate course.

Application process

Applicants submit their applications for admission and funding through the university's graduate application portal.

To be considered for postgraduate scholarships at the University of Cambridge, you must complete

• Apply for admission from the college of your choice and then
• Apply to the Gates Foundation Cambridge.

Applying to college

In this section, you apply to a specific postgraduate course and place at the college. You will provide all the usual details about yourself, your academic background, your plans and your suitability for the proposed course.

Apply to the Gates Foundation Cambridge.

In this section, you can apply for a range of funding offered by the University and its associated bodies, including the Gates Cambridge Scholarships, which has its own sub-section. 

When applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, you will be asked to provide the following:

Gates Cambridge Statement

In the application form we ask:

In no more than 3000 characters, please explain why you are applying for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and how you meet the four main criteria. 

The statement is used by Gates Cambridge to help differentiate between those candidates nominated by academic departments. It helps us identify those candidates who, in addition to being academically outstanding, have the ability to lead and are committed to improving the lives of others. 

This is the only part of the application form where applicants are specifically asked about their suitability for the Gates Cambridge program and you must use your background, achievements, experience and future goals to show how you specifically meet the criteria for the program.

Research proposal (for PhD applicants only)

Gates Cambridge only requires PhD applicants to submit a research proposal as part of their application for funding. 

Most PhD applicants will upload a research proposal as part of their application for admission, but where this is not the case, a research proposal is required to apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. 

If you are applying for a non-PhD degree, you do not need to submit a research proposal as part of your materials for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Reference Gates Cambridge

In addition to two academic references for admission, Gates Cambridge applicants must arrange for someone to provide a reference showing how they meet the scholarship criteria.

Judges are also asked how they rate the scholarship applicant: exceptional, strong, not strong, weak. They can paste/type up to 4000 characters into the online reference or upload a separate character.

Who should write a Gates Cambridge reference?

You should ask someone of appropriate standing who is able to answer the question with authority and who understands the criteria, the highly competitive nature of the Gates Cambridge program and the academic standards at the University of Cambridge.

Many applicants ask a current or former academic advisor familiar with their personal traits, a current or former employer, or a senior member of an organization they have volunteered with – although this is by no means an exhaustive list. Some applicants ask one of their academic referees to write a Gates Cambridge reference: this is fine, as long as this person has a good understanding of your personal qualities and writes specifically about how you meet the Gates Cambridge criteria (and does not provide a third academic reference).

You should not ask a friend, family member or other person to comment on your suitability for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Some points to consider are:

• It is essential that the Gates Cambridge referee is fully informed about the scholarship, especially its selection criteria, so that they can write the most appropriate reference for you.
• It is helpful when referees use specific examples of how the scholarship criteria are met;

Eligible Nationalities