Gates Cambridge Scholarships 2008

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About the Scholarships

In October 2000, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of Seattle, Washington, USA announced a donation to the University of Cambridge of $210 million to establish the Gates Cambridge Trust.
This benefaction creates in perpetuity an international scholarship programme to enable outstanding graduate students from outside the United Kingdom to study at the University of Cambridge. The Trustees are required to award scholarships on the basis of a person’s intellectual ability, leadership capacity and desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society throughout the world by providing service to their communities and applying their talents and knowledge to improve the lives of others.

About the scholarships
The Trust expects there to be of the order of 230 Gates Cambridge Scholars studying at the University at any one time. Although there may be variation in the actual number of awards made each year, the Trust seeks to elect approximately 100 new scholars annually.

In selecting Gates Cambridge Scholars, the Trust looks for students of exceptional academic achievement and scholarly promise for whom advanced study at Cambridge would be particularly appropriate. The Trust expects a good match to be made between the applicant’s qualifications and aspirations and what Cambridge has to offer. Successful applicants will have the ability to make a significant contribution to their discipline while in Cambridge, with a strong aptitude for research, analysis and a creative approach to defining and solving problems.
Over time, Gates Cambridge Scholars will form an integral and dynamic part of the University’s influential international alumni network, bringing vision and new ideas to improving the lives of citizens throughout the world. Cambridge alumni take the lead in applying knowledge and skill to major problems in every walk of life: Gates Cambridge Scholars are thus expected to use their education for the benefit of others and to improve the common weal.

Gates Cambridge Scholarships are awarded only to students who gain admission to the University through the University’s regular procedures. A Gates Cambridge Scholarship will cover:

University Composition Fee and College fees at the appropriate1 rate
a maintenance allowance for a single student (£8,800 for 12 months for 2006-07)
a further discretionary allowance (£2,200 per year for 2006-07)
one economy one-way airfare from the scholar’s normal country of residence to the UK at the beginning of the course of study or research; and one economy one-way airfare from the UK to the scholar’s normal country of residence at the end of the course of study or research.

1 The University Composition Fee varies for different types of students and applicants should see the Graduate Studies Prospectus for full details about precise amounts. Where an applicant from overseas has been successfully nominated for an ORS award, the University Composition Fee will be paid at the home rate. Where a student from the European Union has been successful in gaining a fees award from public authorities, the Trust will not pay these fees.

Eligibilty Criteria

Candidates for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship:

may come from any country of the world except the United Kingdom.
may apply to study any subject currently available at the University.
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.
must apply to pursue one of the following full-time residential courses study:
- Research leading to the PhD degree
- One-year post-graduate courses (e.g. MPhil, LLM, Diploma etc.)
- Second Bachelor degree as an Affiliated Student
- MBBChir Clinical Studies
See How to Apply for further information.
must be admitted to Cambridge through the University’s normal academic procedures. The Trust cannot admit students.
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.
See the Graduate Studies Prospectus
See the Undergraduate Prospectus
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 are not eligible to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. Such candidates may, however, be eligible for modest awards from the other Cambridge Trusts.
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
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.
Further information about public fees awards
should note that, with the exception of an ORS award or a public fees award for an EU student, a Gates Cambridge Scholarship cannot be held in conjunction with other awards or scholarships without the express permission of the Trust.
should note that Gates Cambridge Scholars are subject to the conditions set out by the Trust, and also by the Board of Graduate Studies (for graduate students) or College (for affiliated students), to residence in Cambridge, and to satisfactory academic progress.
who are not successful in winning a Gates Cambridge Scholarship will automatically be considered for awards for which they are eligible from one or other of the Cambridge Trusts.