Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2027-28 applications open with December and January deadlines

Applications for the 2027-28 Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme are open, offering students from countries outside the United Kingdom an opportunity to pursue postgraduate study at the University of Cambridge.

The scholarship supports postgraduate degrees across a range of disciplines. Applicants must apply for admission to an eligible Cambridge course and request Gates Cambridge funding through the university’s Graduate Application Portal.

Deadlines vary according to the applicant’s eligibility category and chosen course. For the 2027-28 cycle, the deadline for eligible US applicants is October 14, 2026, while applicants in the international round must submit their applications by either December 8, 2026, or January 6, 2027, depending on the course. Applicants should check the funding deadline listed for their specific course in Cambridge’s Course Directory.

Who can apply for the scholarship

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is open to citizens of any country outside the UK who apply for eligible postgraduate programmes at Cambridge. The award supports study in a wide range of academic fields.

Applicants are assessed on academic excellence, their reasons for choosing their course, a commitment to improving the lives of others and leadership capacity. The selection process considers both academic potential and the applicant’s ability to contribute to society.

Eligible applicants can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a full-time or part-time PhD, a full-time Master of Letters (MLitt), or a one-year, full-time postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge, subject to the scholarship’s course-specific exceptions. Part-time PhD funding is offered through a pilot scheme. Applicants must be citizens of a country outside the UK and meet the scholarship’s eligibility requirements.

How to submit an application

Candidates must complete the relevant postgraduate application through Cambridge’s Graduate Application Portal and select Gates Cambridge funding. They should also ensure that all required supporting documents and references are submitted by the applicable deadline.

The scholarship application requires responses to four questions linked to the selection criteria, along with an additional Gates Cambridge reference beyond the academic references required for admission. Applicants for doctoral programmes must also submit a research proposal.

Since the funding deadline may differ from the general course application deadline, candidates should confirm the requirements for their chosen programme before submitting their applications.

Selection timeline for 2027-28

For the international round, applications will undergo departmental ranking between December 2026 and February 2027. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by March 8, 2027.

Selection panels are scheduled to meet on March 22 and 23, 2027, with scholarship offers expected by early April.

The US round follows an earlier schedule. Eligible applicants in that category must submit their applications by Oct 14, 2026, with outcomes expected in December and scholarship offers due by early February 2027.

Successful candidates will begin their studies at Cambridge in the 2027-28 academic year, subject to the requirements of their chosen programme.