The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is open to citizens of any country outside the United Kingdom who apply for a PhD, MLitt or one-year postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge. Applications for entry in the 2027/8 academic year are open, and the large majority of applicants apply in the international round, which is aligned with the University's postgraduate funding competition. Depending on your course, the deadline is either Tuesday 8 December 2026 or Wednesday 6 January 2027, at 11:59pm UK time. At Youth Works Hub, we went through the Gates Cambridge eligibility and timeline pages and set out who can apply, which courses count and every key date below.
Scholarship at a Glance
๐๏ธ Managed by: Gates Cambridge Trust
๐ University: University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
๐ Courses: PhD (full-time or part-time), MLitt (full-time) or a one-year postgraduate course (full-time), with some exceptions
๐ Open to: citizens of any country outside the United Kingdom
๐๏ธ Academic year: 2027/8
๐ข Applications open: 11 September 2026
โณ International round deadline: 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027, depending on your course
Who Can Apply
You can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if you are:
๐ A citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom, and
๐ Applying to pursue one of these courses at the University of Cambridge:
๐ฌ PhD, full-time or part-time
๐ MLitt, full-time
โฑ๏ธ One-year postgraduate course, full-time, with some exceptions listed below
Gates Cambridge is continuing to pilot a scheme that allows applicants to apply for funding for a part-time doctoral degree (PhD).
Courses Gates Cambridge Does Not Consider
๐ซ Any undergraduate degree, such as a BA (undergraduate) or BA affiliated (a second BA)
โ MASt courses
๐ Part-time degrees other than the PhD
๐ผ Professional development courses and non-standard degrees, including:
๐ Master of Business (MBA)
๐ Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) and Global EMBA
๐น Master of Finance (MFin)
๐งพ Executive Master of Accounting
๐ข Business Doctorate (BusD)
๐ Postgraduate Certificate of Education (PGCE)
๐ฉบ MBBChir Clinical Studies
โ๏ธ MD Doctor of Medicine degree (6 years, part-time, home students only)
๐ฅ Graduate Course in Medicine (A101)
๐ผ๏ธ Master of Conservation of Easel Painting
Can Current Cambridge Students Apply?
๐ Yes, if you wish to apply for a new postgraduate course. For example, if you are currently studying for an MPhil, you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD.
๐ Current Gates Cambridge Scholars may also apply for a second scholarship if they are applying for a new degree.
๐ All current Cambridge students are considered in the second, international round.
โ If you have already started a course (for example, you are part way through a PhD), you cannot apply for a scholarship to fund the remainder of it.
Two Selection Rounds Each Year
Gates Cambridge manages two selection rounds each year:
๐บ๐ธ US round: an earlier round, specific to Gates Cambridge, for applicants who are both US citizens and currently resident in the United States. They must apply in October, submit all documents (including references) by Wednesday 14 October 2026, and are not eligible for the later round.
๐ International round: for all other eligible applicants, including US citizens studying, working or living overseas at the time of application. This round is aligned with the University's postgraduate funding competition, and the large majority of applicants apply here.
If you are not sure which round to apply in after reading the details, the Trust asks you to email it with your details.
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๐ All opportunities in United Kingdom โ
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Which Deadline Applies to You?
There are two possible application deadlines in the international round, based on the course you are applying to:
๐ Tuesday 8 December 2026, or
๐ Wednesday 6 January 2027
โ ๏ธ Apply by the Course Funding Deadline shown in the University Course Directory, in the column on the right of your course's web page.
๐ The full application, with all application documents, must be submitted by 11:59pm UK time on the stated date.
๐ Refer to the postgraduate admissions web pages for up-to-date details.
International Round Timeline 2027/8
๐ข 11 September 2026: applications open
โณ 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027: application deadline, depending on your course
๐ซ December โ February: departmental ranking
๐ข By 11:59pm UK time on Monday 8 March 2027: all applicants notified of the application outcome
๐ฃ๏ธ Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 March 2027: review and selection by panels
๐ By early April 2027: scholarships offered
โ 72 hours after the offer: scholarships accepted
US Round Timeline for Comparison
๐ข 11 September 2026: applications open
โณ Wednesday 14 October 2026: application deadline (full application by 11:59pm UK time)
๐ซ Late October to November 2026: departmental ranking
๐ข By 11:59pm UK time on Monday 14 December 2026: all applicants notified of the outcome
๐ฃ๏ธ Friday 22 and Saturday 23 January 2027: review and selection by panels
๐ By early February 2027: scholarships offered
โ 72 hours after the offer: scholarships accepted
How the Application Works
๐ You apply through the University of Cambridge postgraduate application, as the international round is aligned with the University's postgraduate funding competition.
๐ All application documents should be submitted by 11:59pm UK time on your course's funding deadline.
๐ซ Your department then ranks applicants between December and February, followed by review and selection by panels in March.
Other Funding at Cambridge
๐ก You may also be eligible for other funding offered by the University of Cambridge; the University's student funding website lists the options.
A Gates Cambridge Scholar Story
According to Youth Works Hub's review of the Gates Cambridge pages, alumnus Siddhartha Kar from India (2012, PhD Public Health and Primary Care, Hughes Hall) studied medicine at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Government Medical College and trained as a doctor at the Sassoon General Hospitals in Pune, earned an MPH in epidemiology from the University of Texas at Houston with graduate research training in genomics at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and completed a PhD in genetic epidemiology at Cambridge in 2017 as a Gates Cambridge Scholar and the first Homerton College Junior Research Fellow in Clinical Medicine. Kar was then awarded a Future Leaders Fellowship by UK Research and Innovation in 2020, establishing a research group at the University of Bristol that uses inherited genetic variation to investigate the causes and correlates of tumour genomic features, with the aim of informing the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of common cancers.
Browse more funded postgraduate offers in the Scholarships section on Youth Works Hub โ.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship international round?
Citizens of any country outside the United Kingdom who apply for a PhD, MLitt or eligible one-year postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge. US citizens resident in the US apply in the earlier US round instead.
What is the Gates Cambridge deadline for 2027/8 entry?
In the international round, it depends on your course: either Tuesday 8 December 2026 or Wednesday 6 January 2027, at 11:59pm UK time. Check the Course Funding Deadline in the University Course Directory.
Can I apply for a part-time PhD?
Yes. Gates Cambridge is continuing to pilot a scheme that allows applicants to apply for funding for a part-time PhD. Other part-time degrees are not considered.
Is the MBA eligible for Gates Cambridge?
No. The MBA, EMBA, MFin, PGCE, MASt courses and several other professional and non-standard degrees are not considered.
Can I apply if I am already a Cambridge student?
Yes, if you apply for a new postgraduate course, such as a PhD after an MPhil. You cannot apply to fund the remainder of a course you have already started.
When will I hear back?
International round applicants are notified of the outcome by 11:59pm UK time on Monday 8 March 2027, and scholarships are offered by early April 2027.
How long do I have to accept an offer?
Scholarships must be accepted within 72 hours of the offer.
Deadline
โณ 08 December 2026
Links
๐ Apply (University of Cambridge postgraduate admissions): https://www.graduate.study.cam.ac.uk
๐๏ธ Gates Cambridge timeline: https://www.gatescambridge.org/apply/timeline/
๐ถ Other University of Cambridge funding: https://www.student-funding.cam.ac.uk
๐ง Questions about which round to apply in: info@gatescambridge.org
