Gates Cambridge Scholarships 2027-28 at the University of Cambridge, UK (Full-Cost, incl. LLM, MCL, MLitt and PhD in Law; Maintenance £23,152 for 12 months)

Gates Cambridge is an international scholarship programme at the University of Cambridge for outstanding postgraduate students who share a potential for social leadership and a desire to improve the lives of others. It was established in October 2000 with a donation of US$210m from the Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge, and the first class of scholars came into residence in October 2001.

Each year Gates Cambridge offers around 70 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of the awards go to PhD students. Applications for entry in the academic year 2027/28 are now open.

The official eligibility page states: “You can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if you are: a citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom applying to pursue one of the following courses at the University of Cambridge: PhD (full-time or part-time), MLitt (full-time), one-year postgraduate course (full-time), with some exceptions.”

Courses Gates Cambridge does not consider include undergraduate degrees, MASt courses, part-time degrees other than the PhD, and professional or non-standard degrees such as the MBA, EMBA, MFin and PGCE. Current Cambridge students applying for a new postgraduate course may apply; a student part way through a course cannot apply to fund the remainder of it.

Indian applicants apply in the international round (the separate October round is only for US citizens resident in the USA).

Per the University of Cambridge Course Directory (courses starting Michaelmas 2027):

• Master of Law (LLM): application deadline and course funding deadline 8 December 2026.
• PhD in Law: application deadline 17 November 2026; course funding deadline 8 December 2026.
• MLitt in Law: application deadline 17 November 2026; course funding deadline 8 December 2026.
• Master of Corporate Law (MCL): application deadline and course funding deadline 6 January 2027.

PhD and MLitt in Law applicants should therefore submit by the earlier application deadline of 17 November 2026. Always check the dates shown on your own course's Course Directory page; the Gates Cambridge Trust asks applicants to apply by the Course Funding Deadline referenced there.

A Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge. Core components:

• The University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate.
• A maintenance allowance for a single student of £23,152 for 12 months at the 2026-27 rate (pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months); for PhD scholars the award is for up to 4 years.
• One economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course.
• Inbound visa costs and the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge.

Discretionary funding can also be sought: academic development funding (from up to £750 to up to £4,000 depending on course length), a Dependent Children Allowance (up to £12,793 a year for one child and up to £18,244 a year for two or more children; no funding is provided for a partner), fieldwork maintenance for PhD scholars, maternity/paternity funding, and hardship funding.

Scholars are selected on four criteria: outstanding intellectual ability, reasons for choice of course, a commitment to improving the lives of others, and leadership potential. The Trust states that it uses a needs-blind process. Academic departments at Cambridge nominate the most academically outstanding applicants, who are then reviewed by Gates Cambridge panels.

Only a relatively small number of applicants are nominated. All candidates nominated by their academic department are invited to a short interview of 25 to 30 minutes, held in person or online depending on where the candidate lives, before the four subject panels (Arts, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences) make the final selection. Candidates not called to interview receive an email confirming the outcome; the Trust does not give feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Apply through the University of Cambridge Graduate Application Portal, which is a combined application for admission and funding. Complete the admission section for your course and a College place, and the Gates Cambridge part of the funding section, which includes:

• Four Gates Cambridge selection questions (approx. 200, 200, 300 and 300 words) on academic excellence, choice of course, commitment to improving the lives of others, and leadership.
• A research proposal (PhD applicants only).
• A Gates Cambridge reference, in addition to the two academic references for admission, from someone who can speak to how you meet the scholarship's criteria.

The full application, including references, must be submitted by 11:59 pm UK time on your course's funding deadline. For the 8 December 2026 deadline this is 5:29 am IST on 9 December 2026; submit by 8 December IST to be safe.

Application fee: the University of Cambridge charges an application fee of £85 per application for postgraduate courses other than doctoral courses, and £20 per applicant per year of entry for doctoral courses, unless you qualify for a fee waiver. The Gates Cambridge FAQ states that Gates Cambridge does not fund this fee.

Applications opened on 11 September 2026. Departmental ranking runs December to February. By 11:59 pm UK time on Monday 8 March 2027 all applicants are told the outcome of this stage, that is whether their department has nominated them and they are invited to interview. Interviews and the review and selection panels take place on 22 and 23 March 2027, scholarships are offered by early April 2027, and offers must be accepted within 72 hours. Courses start on 1 October 2027.