At a glance
| Sponsor | Gates Cambridge Trust, University of Cambridge |
|---|---|
| Host country | United Kingdom |
| Degree level | Postgraduate (including PhD) |
| Study starts | Varies by course |
| Application cycle | Combined with the University of Cambridge graduate application |
| Language requirements | Follows the University of Cambridge course requirements. Not restated here. |
Eligibility (from official sources)
- Applicants apply for admission and funding in one combined application through the University's Graduate Application Portal.
- Selection criteria named on the application page: intellectual ability, justification for the choice of course, commitment to improving the lives of others, and leadership capacity.
What the funding covers
- Not confirmed in this review. See the Gates Cambridge funding pages.
How to apply
- Complete the admission section and the Gates Cambridge part of the funding section of the Graduate Application Portal.
- Answer four selection questions (about 200 words each on academic excellence and why this course; about 300 words each on commitment to improving the lives of others and leadership capacity).
- PhD applicants must submit a research proposal.
- Provide two academic references plus a separate Gates Cambridge reference that assesses you against the scholarship's criteria.
Pitfalls stated by the official source
- Gates Cambridge advises that the Gates Cambridge reference should focus on the scholarship criteria and should not rehash a standard academic reference.
- Both academic and Gates Cambridge referees must submit by the specified deadline.
Not officially confirmed
We list these so you know what this page deliberately does not claim.
- The deadline that was previously listed (2 and 3 December 2025 for 2026 entry) is for a past cycle and is not shown as current.
- Search summaries reported deadlines of 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027 depending on course, and 14 October 2026 for US citizens resident in the US. These were not confirmed on an official page and must be checked.
- Stipend and coverage figures and the exact eligibility rules were not read for this review.
Editorial preparation advice (our suggestions, not official requirements)
- Brief your Gates Cambridge referee on the four criteria; the official page suggests choosing someone who understands the scholarship's competitiveness.
Sources
- Gates Cambridge: How to apply(opens in a new tab)
Read on 10 October 2026. Page content retrieved.
- Gates Cambridge: Apply(opens in a new tab)
Read on 10 October 2026. Page content retrieved.
Official pages retrieved by the site's AI-assisted drafting tool and compared with the previous record. Not yet reviewed by a named human editor. See how we verify and correct or report an error.