Most Gates Cambridge Scholars are so happy that they have come through the journey of applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which has made their future brighter.
Don’t just be in a hurry to click the back button as the UK Government is delighted to invite applications from outstanding you who are international students for the Fully-funded Gates Cambridge Scholarships For Masters & PhD in the UK 2024 for studies at Cambridge University.
UK Government, in Partnership with Bill Gates Foundation, has been at the forefront of awarding scholarships to International Students who have shown great courage to pursue their academic vision, notwithstanding the financial implications that may arise.
The Cambridge Trust Scholarship 2024 is another such opportunity for you to get a Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in the UK.
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What are Gates Cambridge Trust Scholarships?
The Bill Gates Cambridge Scholarship program was established in October 2000 by a donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge; this is the largest ever single donation to a UK university.
Scholarships are awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. The selection criteria are:
- Outstanding intellectual ability
- Leadership potential
- A commitment to improving the lives of others
- A good fit between the applicant’s qualifications and aspirations and the postgraduate program at Cambridge for which they are applying
While at Cambridge, Scholars pursue the full range of subjects available at the university and are spread across its departments and Colleges.
The University of Cambridge (informally Cambridge University) is a collegiate public research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by King Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s third-oldest surviving university.
The university grew out of an association of scholars who left the University of Oxford after a dispute with the townspeople. The two medieval universities share many common features and are often referred to jointly as “Oxbridge.”
Why you can be a Gates Cambridge Scholar in 2023
You know that facts and Figures help in Motivation; we have information on why you will be selected for the 2024 Gates Cambridge Trust Scholarship to study in the UK.
- The First-class of Scholars took up their awards in 2001
- To date, more than 1,700 Gates Cambridge Scholarships have been aware to Scholars from more than 100 countries
- 80 Scholarships will be awarded for the 2024 entry
- About 225 Scholars from approx. 50 countries studying in Cambridge at any one time
- Over 1,400 Alumni spread across the globe
The aim of the Bill Gates Cambridge program is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.
Level/Field of Study
The scholarship is available to international Master’s and PhD students to pursue any course of their choice in the school. But here is a list of Courses that are NOT eligible for Gates Cambridge Scholarships. They include;
Any Undergraduate degree such as BA (undergraduate) or BA affiliated (a second BA)
Master of Business (MBA)
Master of Finance (MFin)
MBBChir Clinical Studies
MD Doctor of Medicine degree (6 years, part-time)
Graduate Course in Medicine (A101)
Part-time degrees
Non-degree courses Host Nationality
The scholarship is To be taken at Cambridge University UK.
If you are going to apply for this opportunity, you will need to see this Complete Guide to Getting A UK Tier 4 Student Visa For International Students.
Eligible Nationality
The Bill and Melinda gates scholarship 2024 is open to international masters and Ph.D. students who want to study in the UK.
How Much does Gates Cambridge Scholarship Pay?
Unlike other scholarships, the Gates Cambridge Trust Scholarship is a Fully Funded Scholarship that takes care of virtually everything a Student needs to pay in school. Here is very detailed information on what you can get if you’re announced a Gates Cambridge Scholar in the UK
- the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate*
- A maintenance allowance for a single student (£17,500 for 12 months at the 2024 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 & the cost of the Immigration Health Surcharge
Discretionary components
The Trust also considers applications for several types of additional funding on a discretionary basis:
- Academic development funding – from up to £500 to up to £2,000, dependent on the length of your course, to attend conferences and courses.
- Family allowance – up to £10,120 for a first child and up to £4,320 for a second child (2024 rate). No funding is provided for a partner.
- Fieldwork – you may apply to keep up to your normal maintenance allowance while on fieldwork as part of your Ph.D. (the Trust does not fund other fieldwork costs as the University Composition Fee should fund these).
- Maternity/Paternity funding – should you require it, you may apply to intermit your studies for up to 6 months and continue to receive your maintenance allowance during this time.
- Hardship funding – for unforeseen difficulties
Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2024 Requirements
- A citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom.
- Applying to pursue one of the following full-time residential courses of study: Ph.D. (three-year research-only degree); MSc or MLitt (two-year research-only degree); or a one-year postgraduate course (e.g., MPhil, LLM, MASt, Diploma, MBA, etc.)
- If you are already a student at Cambridge and want to apply for a new postgraduate course. For example, if you are studying for an MPhil, you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to do a Ph.D. However, if you have already started a course, you cannot apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to fund the rest of it.
- If you are already a Gates Cambridge Scholar and want to apply for a second Scholarship. You must apply by the second international deadline and go through the same process of departmental ranking, shortlisting, and interviewing as all other candidates.
For more details about Scholarship Eligibilities, please visit the official site.
How can I apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship?
Applicants must submit an application for graduate admission, a College place, and funding – including a Gates Cambridge Scholarship – via the University’s Graduate Applicant Portal.
In addition to the section for admission, the University’s graduate application form includes a specific Gates Cambridge section that asks applicants to submit the following:
A 3,000-character (500 words) statement about their fit with the Gates Cambridge program
The Gates Cambridge shortlisting committees use the statement to distinguish between candidates who have been highly ranked by departments on academic grounds.
It helps our committees identify those candidates who, as well as being academically outstanding, possess a capacity for leadership and commitment to improving the lives of others.
This is the only part of the application form where applicants are specifically asked about their fit with the Gates Cambridge program.
Also, read this: 49 Bill Gates Foundation Masters Fellowship Scholarships in 2024
A (non-academic) reference about their fit with Gates Cambridge
The Gates Cambridge reference is used in the same way as the statement – to reduce the large number of well-qualified applicants to those who best match the Gates Cambridge criteria.
Referees may paste/type up to 4,000 characters into the online reference or upload a separate letter; they are also asked some specific questions about how they rate the applicant for the scholarship.
Your referee should be someone of appropriate standing who is able to answer the question with authority and who will fully understand the Gates Cambridge criteria.
Applicants often ask academics (who can comment on their fit with Gates Cambridge, not just offer a third academic reference), employers, senior figures in voluntary organizations for whom they have worked, and others who can comment on their suitability for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
Applicants should not ask family, friends, or those unqualified to provide a useful and appropriate reference.
The Gates Cambridge reference is in addition to the two academic references required by the University for admission.
Other materials
All applicants must submit an up-to-date CV/resume.
For PhD applicants, only a research proposal is also required – if it has not already been submitted as part of the application for the course.
Where there is specific guidance from the department about word length and format for the research proposal, applicants should follow this.
If you are a PhD applicant, but your department does not require a research proposal, you should submit a roughly two-page document outlining your research plans to be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
How can I become a Gates Cambridge Scholar in 2024?
Gates Cambridge uses a three-stage selection process to ensure Scholars meet all of our criteria to the highest degree.
1. Departmental ranking
In order to ensure only the most academically outstanding candidates are considered, the Trust asks academic departments in Cambridge to rank eligible applicants on academic ability only. Those who are put forward by their departments are considered the most academically outstanding applicants they have received that year.
2. Shortlisting
Once the Trust has a list of all ranked candidates, these are divided into broad subject areas and passed to our Shortlisting Committees.
These Committees look at the candidates’ entire application pack (including the Gates Cambridge Statement and Reference) and apply all four Gates Cambridge criteria in order to identify those who will be invited for an interview.
Everyone shortlisted for an interview will have gone through an exceptionally competitive process and show evidence of meeting the four Gates Cambridge criteria.
3. Interview
All shortlisted candidates have a short interview to assess how they meet all four Gates Cambridge criteria, and Scholars are selected after an interview. More details are available on the interview page.
Check this: 17 Scholarships for Kenyan Students To Study In the UK 2024
Is Gates Cambridge Scholarships 2024 Ongoing?
Yes! The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is ongoing; you might be asking me now, “When is the Gates Cambridge Scholarship Deadline?” This block answers these questions clearly.
In the Table Below, you’ll see the full detail of the Scholarship application timeline.
Gates Cambridge considers candidates in two selection rounds each year:
Round 1: US citizens usually resident in the USA only
Applicants in this round must apply by 10 October 2024 for entry in October 2024.
Round 2: All other eligible applicants (part of the Graduate Funding Competition)
The course determines the application deadline for this round you are applying for and is set by the central Graduate Admissions Office. You can find which of the two deadlines below applies to you by checking the Graduate Funding Competition deadline in the course directory.
Please note that scholars who apply in round 1 or who are eligible to apply in round 1 (i.e., US citizens normally resident in the USA) may not apply in this round.
| Stages | Round 1 | Round 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | 2 September 2024 | 2 September 2024 |
| Application deadline | 9 October 2023 | Dependent on your course – either 3 December 2024 or 7 January 2023 |
| Departmental ranking | October – November | December – February |
| Trust shortlisting | Mid-December | Early March |
| Shortlisted candidates invited to interview | Late December | Early March |
| Interviews | 24 & 25 January 2024 (Seattle, USA) | 23 & 24 March 2024 (Cambridge, UK) |
| Scholarships offered | Early February | Late March |
| Scholarships accepted | 48 hours after the offer | 48 hours after the offer |
From the data above, 9 October 2024 is the deadline for the first round, while the second round will end by 7th January 2024.
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