Cambridge Scholarship 2026: University of Cambridge Scholarships

What a Cambridge scholarship actually is

Cambridge does not run one single scholarship. Different trusts and University bodies fund different awards, and each has its own rules. For international students the two that matter most are the Gates Cambridge Scholarships, run by the Gates Cambridge Trust, and the Cambridge International Scholarships, run by the University through the Cambridge Trusts.

Both are for postgraduate study. Neither funds an undergraduate degree. If you are searching for a Cambridge scholarship for a bachelor's course, the awards on this page are not the right route, and you should check what the University and your College offer directly.

The most useful fact to start with: Gates Cambridge pays the full cost of study, including tuition fees, a maintenance allowance, one economy single airfare at the start and end of the course, and inbound visa costs including the Immigration Health Surcharge. About 80 scholarships are awarded each year.

Gates Cambridge Scholarships: who qualifies and what it pays

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships for International Students at University of Cambridge are open to citizens of any country outside the United Kingdom. You must be applying for an eligible full-time residential course: a PhD (full-time or part-time), an MSc or MLitt (full-time), or a one year postgraduate course (full-time).

The award covers tuition fees and a maintenance allowance of £22,000 for 12 months at the 2025-26 rate, pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months. For PhD scholars the award runs for up to 4 years. It also covers one economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course, inbound visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge, plus discretionary funding such as academic development funding, a family allowance and fieldwork costs.

Courses that are not eligible

• Any undergraduate degree, including a second BA
• MASt courses
• MBA, EMBA and Global EMBA
• Master of Finance (MFin) and Executive Master of Accounting
• Business Doctorate (BusD) and PGCE
• MBBChir Clinical Studies and the MD Doctor of Medicine degree
• Graduate Course in Medicine (A101) and Master of Conservation of Easel Painting
• Part-time degrees other than the PhD, and non-degree courses

If you are already studying at Cambridge you can still apply for a new postgraduate course, for example moving from an MPhil to a PhD. You cannot apply to fund the remainder of a course you have already started.

Cambridge International Scholarships: the PhD route

The Cambridge International Scholarships at University of Cambridge for PhD Study are for top-ranked international students beginning a PhD in October 2026. UK and Irish nationals who pay fees at the home rate are considered for the Vice-Chancellor's Awards in a similar way.

The scholarship pays the University Composition Fee and a maintenance allowance sufficient for a single person. The number of scholarships is not specified in the listing.

Selection works differently from most awards. A University Committee draws up one ranked list of all PhD candidates across all disciplines, and the only factors taken into account are academic qualifications, references and research potential. Your financial situation does not affect the outcome.

Deadlines and timeline for 2026

Cambridge deadlines are tied to your course, not to a single scholarship date, so check the deadline that applies to the course you are applying for. The table below sets out what the listings currently show.

Gates Cambridge applications open in September 2026 for courses starting in September 2026. The Cambridge International Scholarships listing notes that applications were closed at the time of writing and that the round is annual, so confirm the current dates on the official page before you plan.

How to apply, step by step

1. Choose your course and check it is eligible. For Gates Cambridge, confirm your course is not on the excluded list above.
2. Open the University's Graduate Application Portal and complete the section applying for admission to a course and a College place.
3. Complete the funding section. For Gates Cambridge you must fill in the Gates Cambridge part specifically; for the Cambridge International Scholarships you express your intention to be considered for funding there.
4. Submit before the deadline that applies to you. US citizens resident in the USA use the October Gates deadline; everyone else uses the December or January date for their course.
5. Submit your references on time. For the Cambridge International Scholarships, references are one of the three factors used to rank candidates.
6. Track the outcome through the portal and the official award pages.

You apply for admission and funding in the same application. There is no separate scholarship form to post.

Documents and references that decide the outcome

• Academic transcripts and degree certificates
• References, submitted through the portal
• Research proposal or statement of purpose for research degrees
• Evidence of research potential for PhD applications, which the Cambridge International Scholarships committee weighs directly
• English language evidence where your course requires it

The Gates Cambridge Trust looks for outstanding applicants from outside the UK, and the Cambridge International Scholarships ranking rests on academic qualifications, references and research potential. Treat the references and the research proposal as part of the scholarship application, not as paperwork to finish last.

How to read the Cambridge scholarship list

The live list below pulls every Cambridge-related award in our database. Read each entry for three things: the level, the deadline and what the award actually pays. A PhD-only award is no use if you are applying for a one year master's, and a fee-only award leaves living costs to you.

Check the deadline status first. A listing marked as passed or annual means you are planning for the next round, not applying today. Then open the official page linked in the listing for the current figure, because amounts and dates change between rounds.

For the wider picture across the country, see Scholarships in United Kingdom, and browse the filtered list for this page to see current openings.

What these awards offer, grouped

The Cambridge awards in our listings fall into two groups by what they pay.

Full-cost awards

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships for International Students at University of Cambridge cover fees, maintenance, airfare and visa costs. This is the broadest package for a Cambridge postgraduate degree.

Fees plus a single-person maintenance allowance

The Cambridge International Scholarships at University of Cambridge for PhD Study pay the University Composition Fee and a maintenance allowance sufficient for a single person. If you have dependants, budget the difference yourself.

If Cambridge is not the only option on your list, compare with full-cost awards elsewhere, such as the Schwarzman Scholars Program at Tsinghua University, Beijing or the Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships for International Students (NZAID). Students who need a fee waiver rather than a stipend can look at Tuition-Free International Master's Programmes at NTNU, Norway, and those who want a taught master's with a monthly living stipend can read the Erasmus Mundus Joint Master in Media Arts Cultures Scholarships, Danube University.

Who Cambridge suits, and who should look elsewhere

These awards suit strong postgraduate applicants who already have the academic record and references to compete in a ranked list, and who can meet a course-specific deadline months before the course starts. PhD applicants with a clear research proposal are the strongest fit for the Cambridge International Scholarships.

Look elsewhere if you want an undergraduate scholarship, if your course is on the Gates excluded list such as the MBA or MFin, or if you need funding for a part-time degree other than a PhD. Applicants who need a taught master's with a living stipend and a simpler application should compare the other awards linked above, and students from developing countries can start with Universities Offering Scholarships for Developing Country Students.

Common mistakes with Cambridge scholarship applications

• Missing the Gates Cambridge funding section. Applying for admission alone does not put you forward for the scholarship.
• Using the wrong deadline. US citizens resident in the USA have a separate October date from everyone else.
• Applying for an excluded course, such as the MBA, MFin or a part-time degree other than the PhD.
• Assuming a fee award covers living costs. The Cambridge International Scholarships maintenance allowance is set for a single person.
• Asking for funding for a course already started. You cannot apply to fund the remainder of a PhD you are part way through.
• Leaving references until the last week. They are part of the ranking, not an afterthought.

Other routes and related searches

Cambridge master's and PhD applicants often apply to more than one funder in the same portal, so check the funding section carefully for every award you want to be considered for. If your subject is fixed, browse by field: List of Engineering Scholarships, Grants, and Fellowships for International Students, List of Natural Sciences Scholarships, Grants, and Fellowships for International Students or List of Social Sciences Scholarships, Grants, and Fellowships for International Students.

For application technique, read the Scholarship tips on our blog, and use the Scholarship finder to shortlist awards by country and level. The All guides page collects our country and programme guides in one place.