Full Program Details
The strongest Cambridge PhD applications often win funding without ever filling in a funding form. For the Cambridge Trust International Scholarship, the application for your course is the application for the money: if your department ranks you highly, you can be put forward for one of about 60 awards.
The deadline that matters is your course's funding deadline, and for 2027/28 entry the University's two main dates are 8 December 2026 and 6 January 2027.
The scholarship covers international tuition fees, maintenance, the student visa cost and the immigration health surcharge for PhD study, and the Trust can add up to six months of maintenance to help you write up.
Details at a glance:
- Host: University of Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Level: PhD, full-time or part-time
- Awards: about 60 for 2027/28 across 114 listed courses
- Who: applicants from countries other than the UK or Ireland with Overseas fee status
- Deadline: your course's funding deadline, 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027
- Decisions: awarding runs from mid-February to the end of July 2027, with most awards made in February and March
- Separate scholarship form: none, according to the Cambridge funding page
What It Covers
- International tuition fees
- Maintenance (living costs)
- The cost of the student visa and the immigration health surcharge
- Up to six more months of maintenance to write up the PhD
- Various additional benefits listed by the Trust
Who Can Apply
- Applicants from countries other than the UK or Ireland who hold Overseas fee status.
- Applicants to one of the 114 listed PhD courses. Premium rate courses are excluded.
- Applicants who are highly ranked by their prospective department. Selection is based on academic ability, research potential, exam results and references.
- This post covers the PhD award. Cambridge Trust awards for other levels have their own pages, so check the Trust website for those.
How to Apply
There is no extra scholarship form. You apply for the PhD itself and let the course deadline do the work.
- Find your PhD course in the Cambridge postgraduate course directory and check the funding deadline on its page.
- Submit your complete application, including references, by 23:59 GMT on that deadline. For 2027/28 entry the University's main dates are 8 December 2026 and 6 January 2027, but your course may differ.
- In the Applicant Portal funding section, tick "Yes - I wish to apply for funding" and follow the prompts for Cambridge Trust funding.
- Name a College as a first or second preference if you also want to be considered for College funds. You must move to a College that offers you money.
- Wait for the decision. Offers usually start in February, peak in March and April and continue to late June. If you have nothing by July, assume you were unsuccessful.
Selection Timeline
- 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027: course funding deadline, depending on the course
- Mid-February to end of July 2027: Cambridge Trust awarding period
Other Cambridge Funding
Gates Cambridge has its own route, covered in our Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2027 guide. The University's funding page lists 14 October 2026 as the Gates deadline for US citizens only, so check the Gates site for the date that applies to you.
What the award pays for in full
The scholarship covers international fees, maintenance, the cost of your student visa and the UK immigration health surcharge. The Trust can also add up to six more months of maintenance while you write up your PhD. It can be held at any Cambridge college and in any subject except premium-rate courses, and around 60 are awarded each year.
When you will hear, and what silence means
Awards are made between mid-February and the end of July. Most come in February and March, while awards co-funded with partners, which may involve interviews, are often decided between April and June. The Trust does not give individual updates. Unclaimed awards are passed to other applicants, so you stay in the running until the end of July. If you have heard nothing by then, assume the application was unsuccessful.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a separate application for the Cambridge International Scholarship?
No. There are no extra questions in the Applicant Portal; you are considered through your PhD application by the course's funding deadline.
Does financial need matter?
Selection focuses on academic ability, research potential, examination results and references.
GizPulse Verdict
Who this is for: Applicants from Africa, Asia, the Americas and the rest of the world with a strong research record, a clear supervisor match and references who can write early.
Who should pause: Anyone who cannot complete the PhD application and references by the course deadline, or who needs funding for a premium rate course, which is excluded.
One tip to stand out: The money follows the ranking, so the course application is the whole game. Contact a potential supervisor weeks before 8 December, tailor your research proposal to their group and send referees the deadline in writing. Do not wait for February to find out your file was incomplete.
For other fully funded routes, see the Clarendon Scholarship at Oxford and our Full Ride Scholarships for International Students list.
Read the full rules on the official Cambridge student funding page and confirm your deadline on the University of Cambridge postgraduate funding page.
