Fully Funded Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026/2027 for International Students

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026/2027 is one of the most prestigious and fully funded scholarships in the world. Established in 2000 through a generous donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this scholarship enables outstanding international students to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

• Host Country:UK
• Host University: University of Cambridge
• Study Level: postgraduate degree
• Eligibility: International students

Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026 Funding Package

This is a fully funded scholarship, covering the full cost of studying at Cambridge. Benefits include:

• Full tuition fees at the University of Cambridge

• A maintenance allowance for living expenses

• Airfare (economy class) to and from the UK

• Visa costs and Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) fees

• Academic development funding (conferences, courses, etc.)

• Family allowance (for dependents, if applicable)

Who Are Eligible to Apply Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026

• a citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom
• applying to pursue 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 – see below

* 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 (PhD).

Benefits

A Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge. It also provides additional, discretionary funding.

Core components

• the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate*
• a maintenance allowance for a single student (£21,000 for 12 months at the 2024-25 rate; pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months) – for PhD scholars the award is for up to 4 years
• one economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course
• inbound visa costs & the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge

* The University Composition Fee varies for different types of students; applicants should see the Graduate Studies prospectus for full details about precise amounts. Where a student has been successful in gaining a fee award from public authorities (such as the UKRI) they should accept this award and the Trust will not pay their fee or may share their fee and maintenance costs.

Discretionary components

The Trust also considers applications for several types of additional funding on a discretionary basis:

• Academic development funding – from up to £500 to up to £2,000, dependent on the length of your course, to attend conferences and courses.
• Dependent Children Allowance – up to £11,604 for one child and up to £16,548 for two or more children (2024-25 rate). No funding is provided for a partner.
• Fieldwork – you may apply to keep up to your normal maintenance allowance while on fieldwork as part of your PhD (the Trust does not fund other fieldwork costs as these should be funded by the University Composition Fee).
• Maternity/Paternity funding – should you require it, you may apply to intermit your studies for up to 6 months and continue to receive your maintenance allowance during this time
• Hardship funding – for unforeseen difficulties facing the scholar

Application Timeline:

How to Apply Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2026

Visit the Official Webpage of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship Programme