The Gates Cambridge Scholarships stand as a beacon of academic excellence and opportunity, offering some of the most prestigious international scholarships available today. Established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, these scholarships are awarded to outstanding international students aiming to pursue postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge.
1. Historical Background: The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was birthed in October 2000, following a generous donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. This donation remains unparalleled, being the largest single contribution ever made to a UK university. Since its inception, the Trust has awarded scholarships to over 2,000 scholars hailing from more than 100 countries. The first batch of scholars began their academic journey in Cambridge in October 2001 source.
2. Scholarship Offerings: Annually, Gates Cambridge grants approximately 80 full-cost scholarships to exceptional applicants from countries outside the UK. This allocation sees about 25 awards reserved for the US round and 55 for the International round.
3. Selection Criteria: Candidates are evaluated based on:
- Exceptional intellectual prowess
- Justification for course selection
- A genuine commitment to bettering the lives of others
- Demonstrable leadership potential
4. Scholarship Benefits: Recipients of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship are privy to a comprehensive package that covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge. This includes:
- Tuition fees
- A maintenance allowance (set at £18,384 for 12 months in 2024)
- Travel expenses
- Visa costs Additional discretionary funding is also available, encompassing academic development funding, family allowances, and fieldwork provisions source.
5. Eligibility Criteria: To be considered, applicants must:
- Be citizens of any country outside the UK.
- Apply for a full-time residential course such as a PhD, MSc, MLitt, or a one-year postgraduate course.
6. Application Process: The application process is thorough and requires several components. Applicants must submit a Gates Cambridge statement, detailing in no more than 500 words why they are applying and how they meet the scholarship’s four main criteria. PhD applicants are required to submit a research proposal. Additionally, apart from the two academic references for admission, a separate reference addressing the applicant’s suitability for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship is mandatory. This reference should focus on the scholarship’s criteria, including intellectual ability, course choice justification, commitment to societal betterment, and leadership capacity source.
7. Important Dates: Applications for the academic year 2024-25 are set to commence in September 2023. There are two pivotal application deadlines:
- 12 October 2023 (specifically for US citizens residing in the USA)
- Either 1 December 2023 or 5 January 2024, contingent on the course (for all other eligible candidates) source.
8. Community and Mission: The Gates Cambridge community is vibrant and diverse, with around 250 scholars from approximately 50 countries studying in Cambridge at any given time. Beyond this, there’s a global network of over 1,700 Gates Cambridge Alumni. The overarching mission of Gates Cambridge is to cultivate a worldwide network of future leaders ardently committed to enhancing the lives of others.
For a more in-depth understanding and to initiate the application process, prospective scholars can visit the official Gates Cambridge website.
Read also: King Saud University Scholarship
Thank you
Hello, I am Mrs. Boudris. I immigrated from Algeria. I have a baccalaureate degree and study regional engineering, planning and reconstruction. I also have several certificates recognized by the state, such as business administration, and I currently reside in Turkey. I want to inquire about the British scholarship
Thank you