Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026 in UK (Fully Funded)

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026 provides a Fully Funded Master's and Ph.D. Scholarship for students from abroad. This scholarship was set up in 2000 as a Gift from Bill and Melinda Gates to the University of Cambridge, UK. Every year, the Gates Cambridge awards 80 scholars from across the globe to study a postgraduate degree in any topic studied at the University of Cambridge, UK. The Trusty has provided more than 2,000 scholarships from over 100 nations.

Information 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 other Nationals (2nd Dec 2025 or 7th January 2026)

Advantages of the Gates Scholarship

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship for overseas students pays in full to study at Cambridge. The following are included:

University Fee.

Maintenance Allowance

Airfare Ticket (Economy Class)

Cost of Visa & the Immigration Health Surcharge.

The Trust also gives Funding for:

Participation in conferences and courses.

Dependent Children Allowance

Fieldwork Allowance

Maternity/Paternity funding

Hardship funding – for unexpected challenges encountered by the scholar.

Academic Fields

The Gates Cambridge award is provided in every academic subject except:

Any Undergraduate degree, e.g. 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 apart from the PhD

Non-degree courses

The above courses are not eligible for the Gates scholarship.

Eligibility Criteria

For Gates Cambridge scholarship, non-UK students are eligible to apply.

UK Nationals are ineligible.

Applying to read 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

Students who have exceptional academic ability and grades.

Complete the combined application form (Admission + Gates Funding).

Note: Existing students at Cambridge University are also eligible to apply for the Gates Cambridge scholarship if they want to apply for the new postgraduate programme. For instance, if you are already studying an MPhil, you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to study a PhD.

How to Apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026?

Adhere to the application process:

A Combined Application Form: Applications for admission and funding (Gates Cambridge and other funding) are made by applicants through the University's Graduate Application Portal.

To be eligible for the Gates Cambridge scholarship, you need to fill in all the sections to apply for admission to a course.

Visit the Course Directory and locate the course you want to apply for.

Admission Section: All international students, apply by the Course deadline indicated in the University Course Directory. Most courses have a deadline of 3rd Dec 2025 or 7th January 2026.

The Funding Section: Here you can apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and other funding.

Gates Cambridge can see the entire application for admission and funding when considering applications.

Gates Cambridge Scholarship Requirements

Apply online tso Cambridge University (see Course Directory) and complete the Gates scholarship section for financial support.

Upload Gates Cambridge statement (c. 500 words)

Research proposal (for PhD applicants only)

Gates Cambridge reference (two academic references)

View the Cambridge University video on the Gates Application Process (here).