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Do Cambridge University scholarships provide 50% or 60% fee waivers?

25 Aug 2026 · Answered by Mona Negi · 2 min read
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No, Cambridge University scholarships do not run standard 50 or 60 percent fee waivers. Its funding bodies, the Cambridge Trust and Gates Cambridge, instead offer either full cost awards covering 100 percent of tuition plus a living stipend, or smaller partial, means tested bursaries from individual colleges.

Mona Negi
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No, Cambridge does not run standard 50 or 60 percent fee waiver scholarships the way some other UK universities do. Your funding at Cambridge instead comes structured as either a full cost scholarship covering everything, or a partial, means tested bursary with its own criteria. If you are picturing a flat percentage discount, that model belongs to universities like Sheffield Hallam, not Cambridge.

How Cambridge Funding Is Actually Structured

Scholarship TypeWhat It CoversBest For
Full cost scholarships (Gates Cambridge, Cambridge International)100 percent tuition, medical surcharge and living stipendPostgraduate students with a strong profile
Partial college or department awardsUp to 50 percent tuition for specific casesSelect programs like the Judge Business School Bridge to Business award
Undergraduate support (Cambridge Trust)Partial funding, highly competitiveInternational undergraduates with a conditional offer
Application fee waivers100 percent of the application feeApplicants from specific low income countries

What To Do If You Want Financial Support

  • Apply to Gates Cambridge or the Cambridge International Scholarship if you want full funding at the postgraduate level.
  • Check whether your specific department, like Judge Business School, runs a partial award relevant to your background.
  • Confirm your eligibility for a 100 percent application fee waiver before you pay, since it is granted automatically to applicants from certain low income countries.

My Advice

Do not search for a fixed percentage waiver at Cambridge, instead apply directly to the full cost scholarships relevant to your degree level, since that is where the real money is. Tell me your degree level and home country, and I can point you toward the specific financial aid options open to you.

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