The Gates Cambridge Scholarships 2026 offer fully-funded master's and doctoral scholarships for international students. This program was launched in 2000 as a donation from Bill and Melinda Gates to the University of Cambridge in the UK. The Gates Cambridge Scholarships annually select 80 students from around the world to pursue postgraduate studies in any subject available at the University of Cambridge in the UK. The foundation has awarded more than 2,000 scholarships from over 100 countries. Additional details about the application process, requirements, and benefits are provided below.
Details about the Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026
- Host country : United Kingdom
- Scholarship Name : Gates Cambridge Scholarship
- University name : University of Cambridge
- Scholarship for : Master's, PhD, MSc, MA
- Number of scholarships : 80
- Delivery date:
- (October 15, 2025 for residents of the United States of America)
- For all other nationalities (December 2, 2025 or January 7, 2026)
Gates Scholarship Benefits
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship for International Students covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge, including:
- University fees.
- Maintenance allowance
- Airline ticket (economy class)
- Visa costs and immigration health fees.
The Fund also provides funding for:
- Attending conferences and courses.
- Dependent children's allowance
- Field work allowance
- Maternity/Paternity Financing
- Hardship Funding – for unexpected hardships faced by the researcher.
Academic fields
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is available in all academic disciplines, except:
- Any undergraduate degree, such as a bachelor's degree (BA) or a second bachelor's degree (BSc)
- Doctorate in Business Administration (BusD)
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Master of Finance (MFin)
- Master's courses
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education
- Clinical Studies for the Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery Program
- Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree (6 years, part-time, for local students only)
- Postgraduate Course in Medicine (A101)
- Part-time degrees other than PhDs
- Non-accredited courses
The above courses are not covered by the Gates Scholarship.
Eligibility criteria
- Applicants from outside the UK can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
- UK citizens are not eligible to apply.
- Apply for one of the following courses at the University of Cambridge:
- PhD (full-time or part-time*)
- Master of Arts (Full-time)
- One-year postgraduate course (full-time), with some exceptions
- Applicants with excellent academic skills and grades.
- Complete the combined application form (Admission + Gates Funding).
Note : Current students at the University of Cambridge can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if they wish to enroll in a new graduate program. For example, if you are currently enrolled in a Master of Philosophy program, 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.