Study in: UK
Course starts October 2010
Brief description:
The award of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship provides excellent opportunities for personal intellectual development, living and working alongside other similarly outstanding students from the UK and from many other countries.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships are full-cost awards for graduate study and research in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. A small number are also available for study towards a second undergraduate degree.
Host Institution(s): University of Cambridge in United Kingdom
Field of study: Any field of study offered at the University.
Number of Awards: The Trust seeks to elect approximately 100 new Gates Scholars annually (although the exact number of awards may change from year to year). Approximately 40 of the 100 new scholarships each year will be awarded to US citizens.
Target group: The scholarships are highly competitive and are awarded to citizens of any country outside the United Kingdom.
Scholarship value/inclusions:
A Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge, namely:
- • the University Composition Fee and College fees at the appropriate rate
- • a maintenance allowance for a single student (£12, 250 for 12 months at the current 2008-09 rate; pro rata for courses shorter then 12 months)
- • the cost of the most economical airfare from the scholar’s normal country of residence to the UK at the beginning of their course and the cost of the most economical airfare from the UK to the scholar’s normal country of residence at the end of the course
- • A discretionary contribution towards the costs of supporting dependants at Cambridge (upon application)
Once in residence, Gates Scholars may apply for financial help with the costs of attending conferences, undertaking fieldwork and other activities.
Eligibility:
- may be citizens of any country outside the United Kingdom.
- may apply to study any subject available at the University of Cambridge.
- must apply to pursue one of the following full-time residential courses of study:
- Research leading to the PhD degree
- One-year post-graduate courses (e.g. MPhil, LLM, Diploma, CASM or Part III Maths, MBA etc.)
- 2 year MSc degree
- Second Bachelor degree as an Affiliated Student
- MBBChir Clinical Studies
- must be admitted to Cambridge through the University’s normal academic procedures. The Trust cannot admit students.
- must have a first class or high second class honours degree, or its equivalent, from a recognised university. For universities which work according to the North American pattern, candidates will be expected to have excellent transcripts with high GPA scores showing evidence of sustained achievement in study, together with the type of academic references which speak of the candidate’s leadership potential, social commitment, intellectual ability and why further study at Cambridge is particularly appropriate. The Gates Cambridge Trust does not require candidates to take a GRE test, although some Departments in Cambridge may do so; candidates should check the relevant section of the Graduate Studies Prospectus.
- must be well prepared for the Cambridge course for which they are applying and must meet the academic criteria for admission specified by the University. Some courses may have particular requirements for admission, and details of these can be found in the relevant sections of the Graduate Studies Prospectus for graduate applicants, or the Undergraduate Prospectus for affiliated applicants.
- who are not native speakers of English are required by the University to provide proof of their proficiency in the English language to meet the minimum standard required for admission to Cambridge. For further information see English language requirements for graduate applicants or English language requirements for affiliated applicants.
- from countries of the European Union who intend to pursue graduate study or research must, where eligible, apply for public fees awards offered by the Research Councils by the relevant deadlines.
- who are already studying at Cambridge are only eligible to apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if they are applying for a new course of study (e.g. a one year ‘MPhil only’ student may apply for funding to continue on to the PhD). Candidates already studying at Cambridge who are not applying for a new course of study (e.g. have already started their PhD) are not eligible to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Scholarship criteria:
Scholarships are awarded on the basis of the candidate’s academic excellence, a good fit between the Scholar and the University of Cambridge, evidence of leadership potential and a commitment to improving the lives of others. See this page to read about the scholarship’s ideal candidate.
Application instructions:
It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship. The GRADSAF form and supporting documents must arrive at the University by 15 December 2009.
Contact information:
If you have a general enquiry but cannot find an answer on this website, please contact the Trust by email: info@gates.scholarships.cam.ac.uk. This is the best way to contact the Trust and we will aim to answer your enquiry as soon as possible. See the complete contact details here.
If you would like to contact a past Gates Scholar to discuss any aspect of the scholarship programme, please go to the web page of the Gates Ambassadors to find an alumnus in your country or region.
Website:
Official Scholarship Website: http://www.gatesscholar.org/about/
Gates Cambridge Scholarship FAQs: http://www.gatesscholar.org/about/default.asp?ItemID=6090
