What it covers
The full cost of studying at Cambridge: university composition fee, a maintenance allowance, airfare at the start and end of the course, and a visa and health surcharge allowance. Discretionary funds cover family, fieldwork and conference costs.
Who can apply
Open to citizens of any country outside the UK, including Bangladesh, applying for a full-time postgraduate degree at Cambridge. Selection weighs academic strength, the fit of the research, leadership, and a commitment to improving the lives of others.
How to apply
- Pick your Cambridge course and check its own application deadline — Gates Cambridge has no separate one.
- Apply to the course through the University's Applicant Portal and tick the Gates Cambridge funding box in the funding section.
- Write the Gates Cambridge statement, which asks specifically what you will do with the degree.
- Ask your referees for the extra Gates Cambridge reference on top of the academic ones.
- Shortlisted candidates are interviewed, usually in the spring.
Documents you will need
- Transcripts and degree certificates
- Research proposal or course statement
- Gates Cambridge statement
- Two academic references plus a Gates Cambridge reference
- CV
- English language test where required
Tips from successful applicants
- The department has to want you first: a weak course application cannot be rescued by a strong funding statement.
- The "improving the lives of others" criterion is read seriously — write about what you have actually done, not what you intend to feel.
- Applying in the first round rather than the last gives your department more time to nominate you.