Gates Cambridge Scholarships are fully funded awards for students from outside the UK to do a PhD, an MLitt or a one-year postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge. Around 70 are awarded each year, about two-thirds of them for PhDs, and they’re open to any subject, including dementia and neuroscience. For most applicants the deadline is 11:59pm UK time on Tuesday 8 December 2026 or Wednesday 6 January 2027, depending on your course.
The scholarships were set up by a gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and they look for more than strong grades. As well as academic excellence, the selection panels want to see leadership potential and a commitment to improving the lives of others, which for a dementia researcher is often the easiest part of the story to tell.
What the scholarship covers
A full scholarship pays:
- the University Composition Fee at the rate that applies to you
- a maintenance allowance of £23,152 a year for a single student (2026/27 rate), for up to four years on a PhD
- one economy airfare at the start and one at the end of your course
- inbound visa costs and the Immigration Health Surcharge
Scholars can also apply for discretionary funding, including an allowance for dependent children, academic development funding for conferences and courses, fieldwork maintenance, parental leave and hardship support. Bench fees and equipment aren’t covered, as the Trust expects your department to meet those.
Who can apply
You need to be a citizen of a country outside the UK and applying for one of these full-time courses at Cambridge:
- a PhD (part-time PhDs are also eligible under a pilot scheme)
- an MLitt
- a one-year postgraduate course, with some exceptions
Undergraduate degrees, MASt courses, part-time degrees other than the PhD, and professional degrees such as the MBA and PGCE aren’t eligible. Current Cambridge students can apply for funding for a new course, but not to fund one they’ve already started.
If you’re weighing up a one-year Master’s before a PhD, our guide to choosing a Master’s in dementia walks through the options, and our explainer on the different types of doctorate covers the rest.
How to apply
There’s no separate scholarship application. You apply for your course and for funding together through the University of Cambridge’s Graduate Application Portal, completing the course, College and funding sections and ticking the Gates Cambridge option.
The Gates Cambridge part of the form asks four questions, each matched to a selection criterion:
- your academic excellence (around 200 words)
- why you’ve chosen your Cambridge course and how it fits your plans (around 200 words)
- your commitment to improving the lives of others (around 300 words)
- your capacity for leadership (around 300 words)
PhD applicants also need a research proposal. On top of the two academic references for admission, you need a separate Gates Cambridge reference from someone who can speak to your personal qualities as well as your academic ability, so choose that referee carefully and brief them on what the scholarship looks for.
Our blog on how to make your PhD application stand out is worth reading before you start writing.
Key dates
There are two rounds. The earlier one, for US citizens living in the USA, closes on 14 October 2026. Everyone else applies in the later round:
- Application deadline: 11:59pm UK time on Tuesday 8 December 2026 or Wednesday 6 January 2027, depending on your course. Check the “Course Funding Deadline” for your course in the University’s Course Directory
- Departmental ranking: December 2026 to February 2027
- Outcome notification: by Monday 8 March 2027
- Panel review and selection: 22 and 23 March 2027
- Scholarship offers: by early April 2027
Full details are on the Gates Cambridge how to apply page, with eligibility and the full timeline on the same site.
Visit funding web page
(https://www.gatescambridge.org/apply/how-to-apply/)