Gates Cambridge Scholarship is a full-cost scholarship for international students at the University of Cambridge. Applications for entry in the academic year 2027/8 opened on 11 September 2026, and Indian students apply in the international round of the selection.
The last date to apply is 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, depending on the course you choose. The full application, including references, must be submitted by 11:59 pm UK time on that date.
Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2027-28
Quick facts2026-27
| Scholarship from | Gates Cambridge Trust at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) |
| Study level | PhD (full-time, and part-time in a pilot scheme), MLitt full-time, or a one-year postgraduate course |
| Who can apply | Citizens of any country outside the UK, including India |
| What is covered | University Composition Fee, a maintenance allowance of £23,152 for 12 months (2026-27 rate), one economy airfare at the start and end of the course, visa and Immigration Health Surcharge costs, plus discretionary funding |
| Last date to apply | 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, depending on your course (11:59 pm UK time) |
| Official website | gatescambridge.org |
What a Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers
Gates Cambridge states that its scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge. The core components listed on the official funding page are:
- The University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate. The fee varies for different types of students, so check your course page in the Graduate Studies prospectus.
- A maintenance allowance for a single student of £23,152 for 12 months at the 2026-27 rate, paid pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months. For PhD scholars the award runs for up to four years.
- One economy single airfare at both the beginning and the end of the course.
- Inbound visa costs and the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge.
On top of these core components the scholarship provides additional discretionary funding, for example for academic development, family allowance and fieldwork.
Unlike many UK scholarships, the fee element here is the full University Composition Fee. That matters for a four-year PhD: the maintenance allowance and the fee both continue for up to four years, not just for the first year of study.
Who is eligible for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship
The official eligibility page sets out the requirements. To apply you must be:
- A citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom. Indian citizens are eligible, and there is no separate quota for India.
- Applying to pursue one of the courses that Gates Cambridge funds: a PhD (full-time, or part-time under the pilot scheme), an MLitt (full-time), or a one-year postgraduate course (full-time), with some exceptions listed below.
The following courses are not considered by Gates Cambridge:
- Any undergraduate degree, including a BA or a BA affiliated (a second BA).
- MASt courses, and part-time degrees other than the PhD.
- Professional and non-standard degrees such as the MBA, Executive MBA and Global EMBA, Master of Finance (MFin), Executive Master of Accounting, Business Doctorate (BusD), PGCE, MBBChir Clinical Studies, the six-year part-time MD Doctor of Medicine, the Graduate Course in Medicine (A101) and the Master of Conservation of Easel Painting.
Two more rules are worth noting. If you are currently a student at Cambridge and want to start a new postgraduate course, you can apply – for example, an MPhil student can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to do a PhD. But if you have already started a course, you cannot apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to fund the remainder of that same course.
Which round should Indian applicants use?
Gates Cambridge manages two selection rounds each year, and they are not open to the same people:
- October round – only for applicants who are both US citizens and resident in the United States at the time of application. It is specific to Gates Cambridge and the deadline is 14 October 2026. Applicants in this round are not eligible for the later round.
- International round – for all other eligible applicants, which includes Indian students. The official page describes this as the round in which the large majority of applicants apply, and it is aligned with the University’s postgraduate funding competition.
There are two possible deadlines in the international round, and which one applies to you depends on the course you are applying for. You must apply by the Course Funding Deadline shown in the University Course Directory – either 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027.
Gates Cambridge important dates 2027-28
| 11 September 2026 | Applications open for entry in the academic year 2027/8 |
| 14 October 2026 | Application deadline for the US round (US citizens resident in the USA only) |
| 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027 | Application deadline for the international round, depending on your course (11:59 pm UK time) |
| December 2026 to February 2027 | Departmental ranking of applications |
| 8 March 2027 | All applicants notified of the application outcome by 11:59 pm UK time |
| 22 and 23 March 2027 | Review and selection by panels |
| Early April 2027 | Scholarships offered – a scholarship must be accepted within 72 hours of the offer |
| September/October 2027 | Studies begin at Cambridge |
The dates above are for the international round. In the US round the same stages run earlier: outcomes are notified by 11:59 pm UK time on 14 December 2026, panels meet on 22 and 23 January 2027, and scholarships are offered by early February 2027.
Documents required for the Gates Cambridge application
Gates Cambridge uses a combined application. You apply for admission and for funding in the same form on the University’s Graduate Application Portal, and you must complete both the admission to a course and a College place section and the Gates Cambridge part of the funding section.
- The admission section – your graduate course choice, College place and the usual academic details.
- The Gates Cambridge funding section, which asks four selection questions: about 200 words on your academic excellence, about 200 words on why you want this specific course at Cambridge, about 300 words on your commitment to improving the lives of others, and about 300 words on your capacity for leadership.
- A research proposal, required for PhD applicants only. Applicants for other degrees do not need one.
- A Gates Cambridge reference, arranged in addition to the two academic references required for admission. It must be written by someone who can judge your fit for the scholarship against the four selection criteria – not a friend or family member.
The Gates Cambridge reference may be written by one of your two academic referees, as long as that person writes specifically about how you meet the scholarship’s criteria instead of simply repeating an academic reference.
How to apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship
- Check the eligibility page on gatescambridge.org and confirm that your intended course is one that Gates Cambridge funds.
- Find your course in the University Course Directory and note its Course Funding Deadline – either 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027.
- Create your application on the University’s Graduate Application Portal.
- Complete the admission to a course and a College place section.
- Complete the Gates Cambridge sub-section of the funding section, including the four selection questions.
- Upload your research proposal if you are applying for a PhD.
- Arrange the Gates Cambridge reference, and make sure both your academic references and the Gates Cambridge reference are submitted by the deadline.
- Submit the full application before 11:59 pm UK time on your course’s funding deadline.
Gates Cambridge selection criteria
Applications are assessed against four published criteria:
- Outstanding intellectual ability.
- Reasons for choice of course.
- A commitment to improving the lives of others.
- Leadership potential.
Gates Cambridge offers around 70 full-cost scholarships every year to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK. Roughly two-thirds of the awards are offered to PhD students, about a third of the awards are available in the US round and the rest in the international round. There are around 250 Gates Cambridge Scholars studying at Cambridge at any one time, and an alumni community of more than 1,700 scholars from 116 countries.
It is a full-cost scholarship at the University of Cambridge for postgraduate students from countries outside the UK. It covers the University Composition Fee, a maintenance allowance, return airfare and visa costs, and it is awarded on four criteria: intellectual ability, reasons for choice of course, commitment to improving the lives of others and leadership potential.
For applicants from India the deadline is either 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, depending on the course. The full application must be submitted by 11:59 pm UK time. The 14 October 2026 deadline applies only to US citizens resident in the United States.
Yes. The eligibility page states that you can apply if you are a citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom. Indian applicants apply in the international round of the selection.
It covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge: the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate, a maintenance allowance of GBP 23,152 for 12 months at the 2026-27 rate, one economy single airfare at both the beginning and the end of the course, and inbound visa and Immigration Health Surcharge costs. For PhD scholars the award runs for up to four years.
No. Gates Cambridge uses a combined application. You apply for admission and funding in the same form on the University’s Graduate Application Portal, and complete the Gates Cambridge sub-section within the funding section.
Gates Cambridge does not consider undergraduate degrees, MASt courses, part-time degrees other than the PhD, or professional and non-standard degrees such as the MBA, EMBA, MFin, Executive Master of Accounting, PGCE and the Graduate Course in Medicine.
Yes, if you are applying for a new postgraduate course. For example, a current MPhil student can apply for a scholarship to pursue a PhD. Current Cambridge students are considered in the international round. You cannot apply to fund the remainder of a course you have already started.
Official links
- Gates Cambridge eligibility requirements
- Gates Cambridge timeline for 2027/8 entry
- What the Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers
- Gates Cambridge – how to apply
- Gates Cambridge selection criteria
- University of Cambridge Graduate Application Portal
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