Gates Cambridge Scholarships Programme 2017 – Opportunities For Africans

Application Deadline: December 7th 2016

The Gates Cambridge Scholarships are one of the most prestigious international scholarships in the world. The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme 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 programme at Cambridge for which they are applying

Eligibility Requirements:

Scholarships are available for a postgraduate degree in any subject at Cambridge for applicants who are ordinarily resident outside the United Kingdom

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 full-time residential courses of study at the University of Cambridge:
- PhD (three year research-only degree)
- MSc or MLitt (two year research-only degree)
- One year postgraduate course (e.g. MPhil, LLM, MASt, Diploma, MBA etc.)

Scholarship Worth:

A Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge. It also provides additional, discretionary funding.

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is one of the most generous international scholarships available. It covers the following costs:

Core components

the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate*
a maintenance allowance for a single student (£14,600 for 12 months at the 2016-17 rate; pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months)
one economy single airfare at both the beginning and end of the course
inbound visa costs & associated NHS surcharge costs

Discretionary components

The Trust also considers applications for several types of additional funding on a discretionary basis:

Academic development funding – from £500 to £1,500, 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 (2016-17 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 PhD.
Hardship funding – for unforeseen difficulties
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
Some fourth year funding for PhD Scholars may be provided

How to Apply:

Applicants apply on a single form for admission to a course and a College and for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Standard applications (via the Graduate Admissions Office)

Applicants apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and admission to their chosen postgraduate course at the University of Cambridge and a Cambridge College via the Graduate Admissions Office, using the Graduate Application Form and supporting documents.

It is not possible to apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship without applying to the University of Cambridge. You must apply for admission as a postgraduate student to the University of Cambridge and a Gates Cambridge Scholarship at the same time, using the one application pack.

[If you are applying for admission to the MBA or Master of Finance programme you apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship via the Judge Business School (see below)]

To be considered for postgraduate admission and a Gates Cambridge Scholarship all applicants must submit the following documents to the Graduate Admissions Office by the relevant deadline:-

Graduate Application Form (which includes a Gates Cambridge section)
Academic transcripts
2 academic references
1 personal reference (for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship)

Although not specifically required for the Gates Cambridge application, the Graduate Admissions Office or academic department may require some applicants to submit the following for admission to the University:

English language test scores (if English is not your first language)
A research proposal, an example of your written work, a GRE/GMAT score, etc. Not all applicants will be required to submit such documents – you will find details of what you need to submit in the Graduate Studies Prospectus and department website.

Timeline:

Deadlines for October 2017 entry: 12 October 2016 (US round) and 7 December 2016 (International round). Check which one applies to you.

The two application rounds:

Round 1: US citizens normally resident in the USA
Round 2: citizens of all countries other than the USA (except the United Kingdom) and US citizens normally resident outside the USA

Key dates for each round for October 2017 entry are given below.

What stage?	Round 1	Round 2
Applications open	5 September 2016	5 September 2016
Application deadline	12 October 2016*	7 December 2016*
Supporting documents deadline	7 days after submitting application	7 days after submitting application
References deadline	7 days after submitting application	7 days after submitting application
Departmental ranking	October – November	December – February
Trust shortlisting	Mid-December	Early March
Shortlisted candidates invited to interview	Late December	Early March
Interviews	27 & 28 January 2017 (USA)	28 & 29 March 2017 (Cambridge, UK)
Scholarships offered	Early February	Late March

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Gates Cambridge Scholarships Programme 2017 for Study at the University of Cambridge, UK (Fully Funded)