University of Cambridge Scholarships for International Students 2026

Most scholarships offered at the University of Cambridge are for in-person degrees.

Cambridge scholarships can cover a very wide range of subjects, including STEM, engineering, business, humanities, and medicine, depending on the scholarship and the course. In the recipient stories, you can see that range in action: Olivia Kamsi Muoka pursued Medical Science (medicine-related research), Maheera Abdul Ghani completed a PhD in Materials Science and Metallurgy (engineering/STEM), Abraham Baba ZHIRI pursued MPhil in Scientific Computing (STEM), and Ajita completed an MPhil in Development Studies (humanities/social sciences). For medicine, international students can be eligible for medicine-related postgraduate programmes and funding: Olivia, an international student, was “currently pursuing a PhD in Medical Science” at Cambridge with full funding.

Cambridge funding spans many nationalities, and some scholarships are explicitly international. In GlobalScholarships recipient stories, scholarship winners studying at Cambridge include applicants from Pakistan (Usama Javed Mirza, Maheera Abdul Ghani, Oneir Raza), Nigeria (Olivia Kamsi Muoka, Abraham Baba ZHIRI), Ghana (McLeod Asare), Lesotho (Thato Katiba), and India (Ajita). Some awards are global (e.g., scholarships for applicants from outside the UK), while others are region-focused; Thato describes the Cambridge–Mastercard Foundation programme as sponsoring “a wide range of Master’s courses” for African students.

It depends on your course and your background: Cambridge may require proof of English, but some applicants can be exempt if they’ve studied in English. In recipient stories, you can see both paths: Maheera Abdul Ghani says, “I took the TOEFL for language proficiency and scored 110/120 overall,” and Thato Katiba shares, “I scored Band 8 with 8.5 in 2 components.” On the other hand, McLeod Asare notes, “Because the program is delivered in English, I did not need to take language proficiency tests like IELTS or TOEFL.”

Cambridge doesn’t publish a single universal “minimum GPA” for everyone; entry requirements are course-specific and often described in degree-class terms (or international equivalents). In the scholarship recipient stories, successful candidates typically had very strong academics: Abraham Baba ZHIRI graduated as best student with a “perfect CGPA of 5.00/5.00,” and McLeod Asare reports “First-Class Honours and a GPA of 3.72 out of 4.00.” A practical rule is: aim for the strongest possible equivalent of at least an upper-second-class level (and many courses want higher), then let your course page define the exact bar.

A strong Cambridge scholarship profile usually combines academic excellence (top grades, strong transcripts), evidence you can thrive in rigorous study/research, and a clear reason for your course plus impact/leadership. The recipients illustrate this well: Olivia Kamsi Muoka highlights graduating “with a CGPA of 4.73/5.00 as the best student,” while McLeod Asare ties academics to real-world work and notes his scholarship supports “academically talented and community-driven” applicants. For many major awards, references matter a lot too; Thato Katiba puts it bluntly: “References can make your application weak or strong.”

Document requirements depend on your programme (taught master’s vs research degree), but commonly include transcripts/certificates, references, a CV, and a personal statement (plus a research proposal or writing sample for some courses). Thato’s Cambridge Mastercard Foundation pathway is a good real-world example: he says required documents “include: a CV, official transcripts, and English proficiency results,” and he adds that applicants should submit a personal statement and secure strong references. Similarly, Maheera Abdul Ghani describes polishing the written components: “I refined my personal statement through several drafts” and emphasized “recommendation letters.”

Yes, Cambridge charges an application fee for most postgraduate applications (and some applicants may qualify for a waiver) and has UCAS fees for undergraduate applications.