Applications are invited for the fully funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2024-25. There are different deadlines for various courses check the details below!
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.
Each year Gates Cambridge offers c.80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. 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.
You can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if you are:
* 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.
If you are currently studying at Cambridge and wish to apply for a new postgraduate course you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. For example, if you are currently studying for an MPhil you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD. Current Gates Cambridge Scholars may also apply for a second scholarship if they are applying for a new degree. All current Cambridge students will be considered the second, international round. However, if you have already started a course (e.g. you are currently part way through a PhD) you cannot apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to fund the remainder of it.
| What stage? | Date |
|---|---|
| Applications open* | Monday 4 September 2023 |
| Application deadline* | Depending on your course – either 5 December 2023 or 4 January 2024 (see Course Directory) |
| Departmental ranking | December – February |
| All applicants are notified of the application outcome | by Monday 4 March 2024 |
| Review and selection by panels | Monday 25 March 2024 and Tuesday 26 March 2024 (TBC) |
| Scholarships offered | by Friday 29 March |
| Scholarships accepted | 72 hours after the offer |
Applicants submit their application for admission and funding (Gates Cambridge and other funding) via the University’s Graduate Application Portal.
To be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you must complete the section to apply for admission to a course and a College place and the Gates Cambridge part of the funding section. Gates Cambridge has access to the full application for admission and funding when reviewing applications.
In this section you are applying to a specific graduate course and a College place. You will provide all of the usual details about yourself, your academic background, plans and suitability for the proposed course.
In this section you can apply for a range of funding offered by the University and associated bodies, including the Gates Cambridge Scholarships, which has it’s own sub-section. When applying for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will be asked to provide the following:
In the application form we ask,
In no more than 3000 characters (approximately 500 words) please explain why you are applying for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and how you meet the four main criteria. Full details about how to apply, including selection criteria and guidance on completing this statement, can be found here.
The statement is used by Gates Cambridge to help distinguish between those candidates who have nominated by academic departments. It helps us identify those candidates who, as well as being academically outstanding, possess a capacity for leadership and commitment to improving the lives of others. This is the only part of the application form where applicants are specifically asked about their fit with the Gates Cambridge programme and you should use your background, achievements, experiences and future aims to show how you specifically meet the programme’s criteria.
Gates Cambridge requires PhD applicants only 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 degree other than the PhD you do not need to submit a research proposal as part of your materials of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship .
In addition to two academic references for admission, Gates Cambridge applicants must arrange for someone to submit a reference setting out how they meet the scholarship’s criteria.
In the application form,
Please give your assessment of the applicant’s suitability for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. These are awarded on the following criteria: intellectual ability, justification for the choice of course, a commitment to improving the lives of others and leadership capacity.
They also ask,
The Gates Cambridge reference is used in the same way as the Gates Cambridge statement – to help distinguish between those candidates who have been nominated by academic departments.
Referees are also asked how they rate the applicant for the scholarship: exceptional, strong, not strong, weak. They may paste/type up to 4,000 characters into the on-line reference or upload a separate letter.
You should ask someone of appropriate standing who is able to answer the question with authority and who understands the criteria and highly competitive nature of the Gates Cambridge programme and academic standards at the University of Cambridge.
Many applicants ask a current or former academic advisor who is aware of their personal attributes, a current or former employer, or a senior member of an organisation with whom they have volunteered – although this is by no means an exhaustive list. Some applicants ask one of their two academic referees to write the Gates Cambridge reference: this is fine, as long as that 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 or a family member, or someone who is unable to comment on your suitability for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Some points to consider are:
Gates Cambridge uses a two-stage selection process to ensure our Scholars meet all of our criteria to the highest level.
Gates Cambridge asks academic departments in Cambridge to nominate a small number of eligible applicants who meet all four of the scholarship’s criteria to a very high level. This ensures that those nominated by departments are academically outstanding and are likely to succeed as a postgraduate student at Cambridge and also that they show evidence of meeting Gates Cambridge’s selection criteria. A relatively small number of those who apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship are nominated by departments and then invited to interview.
All candidates nominated by academic departments are invited to a short interview to assess how they meet all four Gates Cambridge criteria. Scholars are then selected after interview.
If you are called to interview
You will be sent full details about the format and arrangements on the timing set out on our Timeline page. If you are invited for interview you will have gone through an incredibly competitive process.
You will be invited for a 20-25 minute interview and, depending on where you are, you can interview either in person or virtually. Where you are able to attend the interview in person we encourage this.
There are four broadly subject-based interview panels:
Each panel consists of appropriate and experienced academics and practioners and may also include Gates Cambridge alumni and a representative of the Gates Cambridge Trust.
Each interview has four main sections:
1. Welcome and introduction
2. Gates Cambridge
3. Academic and career plans
4. Final thoughts and questions
Please note that we are not able to provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants.
info[at]gatescambridge[dot]org.
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