Beginning a program at the University of Cambridge is a huge financial commitment for an international student. With University of Cambridge scholarships, the university tries to lessen this. University of Cambridge Scholarships for international students are offered through Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust and College awards. This is applicable for all the programs at the University of Cambridge.
- Majority of the scholarships at University of Cambridge are country-specific.
- Cambridge College awards are offered as a partial contribution towards the tuition fee payment.
- Gates Cambridge Scholarships is the only fully-funded program available at Cambridge.
- Recipients of the Cambridge Trust Scholarships receive tuition fee payment and/or an annual maintenance stipend.
Several of the international scholarships are awarded to students at the time of their confirmation of admission to the University of Cambridge. Students who are unable to secure University of Cambridge Scholarships are free to apply for external scholarships that are accepted at the university.
Check out: University of Cambridge Scholarships (Spanish)
University of Cambridge Scholarships for Bachelor Programs
The University of Cambridge Scholarships available to bachelor students are primarily offered as partial-cost scholarships. Majority of these Cambridge Trust Scholarships require applicants to fulfill the following criteria:
- Excellent academic achievement and potential
- Financial need
While these are the general eligibility requirements, each bachelor scholarship program has its own set of requirements in terms of nationality, Cambridge Bachelor program, and Cambridge college.
Some of the University of Cambridge Scholarships for undergraduate students are:
| Scholarship Name | Benefits | Eligibility | Application Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Trust Scholarship (Undergraduate) | Partial contribution towards tuition fees | Confirmation of admission to chosen program | Yes |
| Prince Philip Scholarship | Tuition fee; stipend GBP 4,500 per annum | Hong Kong student | Yes |
| Manmohan Singh Scholarship | Varies | Indian student; Enrolling in Cambridge BA program | No |
| Lucky OC SKET Cambridge Scholarship | Varies | Student from Pakistan | No |
| Rowan Williams Cambridge Studentship | Tuition fee; annual stipend | Submission of a personal statement | Yes |
| Khazanah Cambridge Scholarship | Tuition fee; Annual stipend; One return economy airfare | Malaysian Students; Under 20 years; Enrolled preferably in Business, Economics, biosciences, finance, Law, and Public Health | Yes |
The decisions of Cambridge Trust Scholarships for bachelor students are announced in the month of April. Students unable to secure any of the trust scholarships need not get disappointed as they will still be considered for the Cambridge college scholarships.
As mentioned earlier, every college under the university of Cambridge offers its own set of scholarship(s) to international students
For example, St. John's College offers the Cambridge Khattar Harrison Scholarship to its incoming female students. Under this scholarship program, eligible students with annual family income below GBP 85,000 are awarded GBP 5,000 per annum, for the duration of the program.
University of Cambridge Scholarships for Masters and Doctoral Programs
Similar to bachelor scholarships, the majority of masters and doctoral scholarships at University of Cambridge are offered by the Cambridge Trust.
University of Cambridge Scholarships for postgraduate programs are awarded based on the
- academic merit,
- financial requirements, and
- completion of English language tests (IELTS, TOEFL, PTE).
Students are advised to read the details of all the masters and doctoral scholarships carefully as a few scholarship programs require a separate application, to the relevant funding partner of the Trust.
Some of the Cambridge Trust Scholarships for the masters and doctoral students of the university are tabulated below:
| Scholarship Name | Benefits | Eligibility | Application Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge International Scholarship | University Composition Fee; Annual Stipend | Academic performance; research potential | No |
| Cambridge Trust Scholarship (postgraduate) | Partial tuition fee | Academic excellence | No |
| Inlaks Cambridge Scholarships | Tuition fee; Annual stipend | Indian students | Yes; to Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation |
| Peter Kishor Chand Anand Cambridge Scholarship | GBP 23,000 | Indian student; Select St. Edmund’s college as first preference | No |
| Charter Cambridge International Scholarship | Tuition fee; Maintenance stipend | PhD Students of St. Edmund’s College | No |
| Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Scholarship | Tuition Fee; Stipend | Indian PhD students | No |
| Narotam Sekhsaria Cambridge Scholarship | Varies | Indian Masters/Doctoral students in Social science, Humanities, Law, Pure and Applied Science | Yes; to Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation |
| Pratibha M Singh Cambridge Scholarship | Varies | Indian student; Starting Cambridge LLM program | NO |
Recipients of the postgraduate scholarships at University of Cambridge will be informed between March and July.
Apart from University of Cambridge scholarships, international students beginning their postgraduate studies can apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. This is the only full-ride scholarship at University of Cambridge which is available to Indian students. It covers their program’s fee, cost of living in the UK, provides a stipend, and airfare.
- Eligibility: International fee paying student enrolling in a full-time on-campus Cambridge PG program
- One year postgraduate program
- MSc/MLitt
- Ph.D.
- Application Process: Complete application for admission and funding and submit the following documents:
- Gates Cambridge Scholarship Statement (in 3000 characters of 500 words)
- Gates Cambridge Scholarship References
- Gates Cambridge Research Proposal
Note: All the supporting documents are to be compiled in a particular manner. Students are advised to check the exact requirements and selection criteria of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.
To keep things simple, Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust uses a Scholarship search tab where you can filter the various Trust Scholarship programs on the basis of nationality, level of study, Cambridge college, and subject.
External Scholarships Accepted at the University of Cambridge
Cambridge Trust Scholarships, offering University of Cambridge scholarships, are one way international students can fund their studies at Cambridge. However, there are several external scholarships available to international students, which allow them to pursue studies in the UK.
Since each external scholarship is offered and administered by a different organization, government, or foundation, their overall requirements vary. Some of the external scholarships accepted at the University of Cambridge are:
| Scholarship Name | Benefits |
|---|---|
| Charles wallace Trust Scholarship | Varies |
| Commonwealth Scholarship | Varies |
| Oxford and Cambridge Society of India | INR 100,000 |
| Chevening Scholarship | Tuition fee, accommodation and travel |
| Rotary Foundation Scholarship | Varies |
Therefore, with University of Cambridge Scholarships (administered by Cambridge Trust) and external scholarship programs, you can pursue their desired program at the university without much financial burden.
Complete your University of Cambridge admission process as soon as possible and once you receive the acceptance letter, start applying for the scholarships. Don’t forget to check the “funding” section in your admission forms for admission-based scholarships.
