A global scholarship at Cambridge University

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme is funded to the tune of USD 210 million, a donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. The scholarship programme is designed to nurture excelling applicants from foreign universities who want to enroll at an institution of higher education in the UK. As part of the terms of the scholarship, the university will seek to establish a global network of future leaders who will work together on improving matters the world over.

Cambridge offers financial aid to students for online degrees as well, however the Gates Cambridge Scholarship will focus on nurturing individuals on site. The candidate will demonstrate leadership skills and intellectual aptitude. One of the linchpins of the Gates Cambridge scholarship is that its enrollees are committed to improving the lives of others.

Yearly, 95 scholarships are awarded around the globe. Estimated 40 students are recipients of the scholarship, with additional 55 across the globe. The network amounts to 1,000 alumni worldwide. The candidates of the network may also opt for other forms of educations such as obtaining additional online degrees or enrolling in online colleges, however the largest part prefers onsite education.

In terms of eligibility, prospective candidates should match several criteria:

• They must a citizen of a country outside the United Kingdom;
• Applicants must be interested in full-time residential course, i.e. online studies are ruled out

More specifically, candidates are interest in either one of the following:

• Post graduate course (one year in any chosen field, including, MaSt, Diploma, MBA Mphil, LLM
• Research degrees are up for grabs for MSc and MLitt
• The PhD has estimated duration of three years and is exclusively a research degree

There are courses that are plainly excluded from the scholarship, including undergraduate, a second BA degree, MMBChir Clinical Studies, MD studies, Part-time degrees and non-degree courses.

The deadlines for the scholarship vary according to country. Application takes place between 4 September and 11 October 2017. However, a second round is available, which again varies from country to country. Overall the second application deadline can be extended by either 6 December 2017 or 4 January 2018.

Additional information is readily available at the scholarships’ official website.