Requirements

College/School Eligibility:

  • Agriculture and Life Sciences
  • Brooks School of Public Policy
  • Architecture, Art and Planning
  • Arts and Sciences
  • Bowers CIS
  • Cornell Tech
  • Engineering
  • Human Ecology
  • Industrial and Labor Relations
  • SC Johnson Business - Dyson
  • SC Johnson Business - Hotel
  • SC Johnson Business - Johnson
  • Veterinary Medicine

Class Year Eligibility:

  • Fourth Year + (undergrad)

Open to:

  • Cornell Undergraduate Students
  • Cornell Graduate/Professional Students

*Application Deadline for U.S. Citizens: October 2025(date TBA)
*Application Deadline for non-U.S. Citizens: Either December (date TBA) 2025, or January 2026 (date TBA) dependent on course selection; see website for further instructions.


Eligibility:

  • A citizen of any country outside of the UK
  • Applying for a PhD (full-time or part-time*), MLitt (full-time), or a one-year postgraduate course (full-time)

Selection Criteria:

  • Outstanding intellectual ability
  • Reasons for choice of course
  • A commitment to improving the lives of others
  • Leadership potential

Award:

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

The award includes:

  • The University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate
  • A maintenance allowance for a single student (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 UK’s Immigration Health Surcharge

Application Components:

The Gates Cambridge Scholarship application consists of the following components:

  • 3,000 word personal statement that explains why you are applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship and how you meet the program’s selection criteria
  • PhD applicants must submit a research proposal
  • Two academic letters of recommendation
  • The Gates Cambridge reference that speaks to how the applicant meets the scholarship’s selection criteria

More information about application components can be found on the scholarship’s webpage.

How to Apply:

  1. Start considering the Gates Cambridge Scholarship in the spring of the year before you intend to start graduate studies, or earlier.
  2. Learn about the award: visit the Gates Cambridge Scholarship website to check your eligibility and read about alumni from the program.
  3. Research Cambridge University and determine which graduate program you will apply to. Talk with your academic advisor about the feasibility of being admitted to that program and your competitiveness for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
  4. Book an appointment to meet with Office of Fellowships staff to shape your strategy for this application and your broader plans. Few Gates Cambridge applicants receive the scholarship. This is not a reason not to apply but consider how else you might fund a Cambridge graduate program and apply to more than one university.
  5. Draft your application essays and book a draft review appointment with the Office of Fellowships. 

Contact: 

For more information, contact Clare Jones at ckj23@cornell.edu.