The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation offers the Gates Cambridge Scholarship to students interested in studying at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 2000 due to a significant $210 million grant to the university to assist international postgraduate and doctorate students in achieving their aspiration of studying at one of the UK’s top universities. Since its creation, the scholarship has been offered to over 1500 international students from over 100 countries, with 77 Gates Cambridge scholars from 30 nations receiving it in 2020. The selection round takes place twice a year. Applicants who are residents of the United States of America can apply in round 1 and the remaining applicants in round 2. A candidate from round 2 can be a citizen of any country except the UK and the US. The application usually begins in September, and the process takes around five to six months.
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Eligibility Criteria for Gates Cambridge Scholarship
The University of Cambridge is clearly one of the greatest options for postgraduate or PhD studies in the United Kingdom. In addition, the Gates Cambridge Scholarship will pay your whole study fees at Cambridge University. You must meet specific qualifying requirements to be considered for this scholarship, which include the following: 1. The applicant must be a citizen of a nation other than the United Kingdom. 2. They must be applying to a full-time (residential) course at the University of Cambridge, such as a PhD (3-year research degree), MLitt or MSc (2-year research degree), MPhil, LLM, MASt, MBA, Diploma, or other (one-year postgraduate course). 3. This fellowship is open to students presently enrolled at Cambridge who wishes to apply for a postgraduate course.
Application Process for Gates Cambridge Scholarship
Along with the completed application form, the following transcripts must be submitted:
- Personal Mission Statement (approximately 500 words)
- PhD applicants’ research proposal
- Gates recommendation from an academic advisor (It can be someone who has written one of the letters of recommendation)
Eligible applicants can begin the application process for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship. The application timeframe for round 2 is relevant to Indian students, which means they can apply in September, October, November, December, and January, depending on their course deadline. The application process is straightforward and conducted entirely online. Students can apply for this award by following the steps outlined below: Step 1: For the majority of courses, go to the official website of the University of Cambridge. Step 2: Submit your scholarship application along with your admissions application. Step 3: After completing the application form, upload the supporting papers. Step 4: Complete and submit your application.
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The Gates Foundation’s Ideal Scholar Profile for the Scholarship
The Cambridge Scholarship is open to scholars from over 100 countries, and individuals from all walks of life are encouraged to apply. Candidates must meet four criteria to be considered for the scholarship:
Academic Excellence
Candidates must be intellectually outstanding to be considered for the scholarship.
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Reasons for Course Selection
All candidates must have a strong statement of purpose for the course they have chosen.
Dedication toward Societal Well-Being
Scholars must demonstrate a strong sense of dedication to the betterment of society and to improving the lives of others.
Leadership Ability
Every candidate must possess specific skills, the most significant of which is leadership ability.
Selection Criteria & Procedure of Gates Cambridge Scholarship
A three-stage selection procedure is used to choose scholars for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which involves departmental ranking, shortlisting, and interviews. Each level is important in ensuring that the scholars meet all the requirements. The following is a full overview of each Gates Scholarship selection stage:
Departmental Ranking
At this point, the Gates Cambridge Trust requests the university’s many academic departments to evaluate all the qualified candidates according to their academic competence. The departments submit the names of academically exceptional candidates for further consideration.
Shortlisting
The Trust divides the departmental ranking list into major topic areas and sends it to the Shortlisting Committee after receiving it.
Interview
The committee reviews all of the applications and selects a few candidates for an interview. The committee invites all candidates who have been shortlisted for an interview, after which the scholars are chosen.
Funds Included in the Gates Foundation Scholarship
For students admitted to study at the University of Cambridge, the university grants a fully-funded scholarship that covers the entire cost of education. The scholarships cover a variety of expenses, including:
- One-way airfare for university students
- Visa fees
- Health surcharge for immigrants
- Single students’ maintenance allowance (£17,848 for 12 months for PhD researchers)
- Academic support for conferences and seminars can range from £500 to £2,000, depending on the length of the course.
- Only for children, a family allowance of up to £10,120 for one child and up to £14,440 for two or more children is available (2021-22 rate). Partners aren’t covered by the family allowance.
- Fieldwork
- Funding for maternity and paternity leave
- Hardship financing – for unexpected problems
- Candidates who receive a salary or scholarship may have their allowance reduced by the Foundation. All other sources of funding must be reported to the Foundation.
Conclusion
The Gates Cambridge University grant is a distinguished scholarship that provides full-cost aid to a small number of outstanding applicants. Candidates for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship should have a strong sense of self, excellent academic performance, and leadership qualities. The scholarship enables numerous aspirants from all over the world to secure their dream while taking care of expenses. For more details, head on to LeapScholar.
Frequently Asked Questions:
How many aspirants are accepted for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship?
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is extremely competitive, and the average acceptance rate is 0.3%, accepting 90 candidates in total.
What courses are not included to be funded under the Gates Cambridge Scholarship?
The following courses are not eligible to be funded under the scholarship:UG courses like BA or BA affiliated
Business Doctorate (BusD)
MBA
Master of Finance
PGCE
MBBChir Clinical Studies
MD Doctor of Medicine degree
Graduate Program in Medicine
Part-time degrees
Non-degree courses
What is the interview step of the application process like?
If any of the applicants are picked for the interview, they face a very competitive process to get the Bill Gates Scholarship. Depending on how the interview goes, the interview could last anywhere from 20 to 25 minutes. The candidates can appear for the interview in person or through Skype. Arts, biological sciences, social sciences, and physical sciences are the four basic subject-based panels in which the interview is performed. Each panel consists of two academics and a Trust representative. The interview done under each panel is divided into four sections:Introduction and welcome
Knowledge about Gates Cambridge
Academic and professional goals
Final thoughts and responses to the candidates’ questions
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