Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Should you apply for this Cambridge scholarship?

Apply if your academic record can win Cambridge admission. Your work must also show leadership and benefit to others. The 2027/28 funding record values the course-dependent package from INR 46.2 lakh. It reaches INR 89.8 lakh a year. No India application count exists, and no course offer guarantees a scholarship.

Two things are genuinely hard here. Cambridge must first see a course application strong enough for admission and funding consideration. The Trust then asks for evidence across academics, course choice, improving lives and leadership. A high mark or impressive title isn’t complete without specific action and consequence.

The funding terms also separate core support from benefits that depend on approval.

There are also discretionary components in the scholarship award, such as Academic Development Funding, which can be used to attend conferences, and Dependant Children Allowance, if scholars bring their child(ren) with them to Cambridge.All-other-eligible-applicants funding record, 2027/28

How much is the Scholarship worth?

The current 2027/28 award record values the annual package at GBP 35,000 to GBP 68,000. That is about INR 46.2 lakh to INR 89.8 lakh. The range changes with course fees and approved support. The Trust pays the University Composition Fee. It also funds maintenance, travel, the visa and the health surcharge for the course length.

Converted at GBP 1 = INR 132.00, the GOV.UK consular rate effective from November 1, 2026. That rate produces the figures shown here.

Cambridge does not separate a 2027/28 maintenance amount from the wider annual range. The range is therefore the stated total. Research consumables are not an extra benefit because the University fee paid by the Trust should cover them.

Those two additional allowances are discretionary. Neither should enter a family’s guaranteed budget. Course fees also vary sharply. Two scholars can receive packages with different cash values. Both still have their full non-controllable study costs covered.

Who is eligible for the Scholarship from India?

Indian citizens can apply for a listed Cambridge master’s or PhD through the international round. The live 2027/28 record covers eligible full-time and part-time routes. It assesses academic excellence, course choice, improving lives and leadership. There is no separate India quota or financial-need test.

Four things that cost Indian applicants the award

1. Assuming every Cambridge course qualifies

   The funding record lists eligible courses and modes. A postgraduate title alone does not prove that the exact course is covered.

2. Treating admission as the scholarship decision

   Admission and funding decisions are separate. A Cambridge offer can arrive without this award.

3. Repeating an ordinary academic reference

   The extra scholarship reference exists for this competition. It needs to help selectors judge the applicant against the award’s own criteria.

4. Missing the course funding deadline

   The complete application includes references. A later course admission deadline does not extend the funding deadline attached to that course.

How hard is the Scholarship to win from India?

No honest India acceptance rate can be calculated. The Trust doesn’t publish the India application total. The latest completed class had 68 scholars globally in 2026. The 2027/28 record advertises about 75 awards. About 55 are in the international round that covers India.

The useful comparison is between stages, not a made-up percentage. A department first decides whether the course application deserves funding consideration. The Trust then judges the nominated file on 4 criteria. There is no published application denominator. Neither 68 selected scholars nor 75 planned awards can become a defensible one-in-N chance.

When is the Scholarship deadline for 2027/28?

Indian applicants submit by the funding deadline on their chosen course. That is either December 8, 2026 or January 6, 2027 at 23:59 GMT. It is 05:29 IST the next morning. The Cambridge funding guidance requires the complete application and references by the applicable deadline. Results are expected in March or April 2027.

The complete file takes at least 6 weeks to assemble before the date attached to the course. The course application, its usual references, the extra scholarship reference and every funding response must arrive by the same instant. A self-funded admission closing date later in 2027 doesn’t preserve scholarship consideration.

How do you apply for the Scholarship?

Applications go through Cambridge’s postgraduate Applicant Portal, not a separate external scholarship form. The University funding process places the funding request inside the course application. Applicants select the award when it appears. Its additional questions and references must be complete. Everything is due by the funding deadline shown for that course.

Six steps, in order

1. Course selection

   The exact master’s or PhD must appear in the 2027/28 scholarship funding record with an eligible study mode.

2. Course funding deadline

   The course page assigns December 8, 2026 or January 6, 2027. The 23:59 GMT closing time is 05:29 IST the next day.

3. Admission application

   Complete the course questions, transcripts, research material and usual references. Departmental assessment comes before scholarship consideration.

4. Funding request

   Applicants choose yes in the Applicant Portal funding section and select the award when the eligible-funds list offers it.

5. Scholarship material

   Answer the additional scholarship questions and arrange the extra reference. Include the required PhD research proposal.

6. Complete submission

   Every required reference must be received by the course funding deadline. Admission documents that arrive later cannot rescue missed funding consideration.

Which Indian students have won the Scholarship?

Recent public University and college pages identify four Indian recipients. They include Abhishek Choudhary in 2026 and Adhib Hussain Syed in 2025. Aashka Tank and Damni Kain were recipients in 2024. The 2026 class announcement places Choudhary in a History PhD. Each earlier entry has its own institutional source.

The 4 verified profiles span History, Architecture, management and Sociology rather than one preferred subject. That range fits the current rule that the award can cover any course appearing in the live funding list. It does not create an India quota, a subject preference or a prediction for the 2027/28 class.

Sources

These primary Gates Cambridge and University of Cambridge records support the value, rules and dates. They also support the quotation, numbers and named scholars.

Sources checked on November 3, 2026. This record covers 2027/28 entry and uses the live annual value range.