Cambridge Trust Scholarships are the biggest source of scholarship funding at the University of Cambridge, and they’re open to students from around the world. The Trust makes about 350 new awards every year and supports around 1,500 scholars at any one time, across undergraduate, master’s and PhD study. If you’re an international student hoping to study at Cambridge but worried about the cost, this is where much of the funding sits.
There’s an important difference from some better-known awards, though. Most Cambridge Trust Scholarships require financial need as well as strong academic ability. And you don’t apply to the Trust separately. You apply to Cambridge, tick the right funding box, and meet the funding deadline. This guide explains how that works, what the Trust does and doesn’t tell you, and how to avoid the mistakes that cost applicants their chance.
What Are Cambridge Trust Scholarships?
The Cambridge Trust is a charity whose mission is to enable people with outstanding academic potential to study at Cambridge. Over its 40-year history it has supported more than 22,000 people from over 150 countries, in all subjects and at all 31 Colleges.
The key thing to understand is that “Cambridge Trust Scholarship” is an umbrella. The Trust describes its awards as full-cost and part-cost scholarships, built together with partners. Each award has its own listing with its own rules, so there isn’t one single scholarship with one set of terms.
Key Benefits: What Cambridge Trust Scholarships Cover
Because the awards vary, the Trust’s pages don’t give one headline figure. What they do say:
- Full-cost scholarships and part-cost scholarships are both offered, at PhD, master’s and undergraduate levels.
- The Trust builds “packages of financial support” with partners.
- Some awards are funded with partners and may be limited to particular nationalities or have extra criteria.
- Some partner-funded awards need a separate application to the partner.
Check the Find a scholarship tool on the Trust’s website and filter by degree level and your nationality. Each listing states what it includes.
Be careful with third-party figures
Several websites quote specific amounts for Cambridge Trust awards, and some mix them up with Gates Cambridge or other schemes. I haven’t used those figures, because I couldn’t verify them against the official listings. If a blog gives you a number, check it on the Trust’s own page.
What the Trust doesn’t do
- It doesn’t affect admission. The Trust has no role in admissions and can’t influence your chances of an offer.
- It doesn’t choose your College. It also plays no part in accommodation.
- It doesn’t help with application fees.
- It doesn’t fund study elsewhere. It only supports Cambridge.
Who Cambridge Trust Scholarships Are For: Undergraduate, Graduate and Postgraduate Students
Undergraduate students
The Trust supports undergraduate study, and this is unusual among Cambridge funders. Overseas fee-rate students are considered through their College. After you receive an offer, your College invites you to complete an application to the Trust. You don’t apply to the Trust directly, because it only considers applicants put forward by Colleges.
Master’s students
The Trust funds MPhil, MASt, LLM, MCL, MRes and combined MPhil+PhD and MRes+PhD courses, with some restrictions (see the table below).
PhD students
PhD students can receive funding, including those starting through the MPhil+PhD or MRes+PhD routes.
Courses the Trust does not fund
| Funded by the Trust | Not funded by the Trust |
| LLM | MBA and EMBA |
| MASt | MFin and MAcc |
| MCL | MLitt |
| MPhil | MSt |
| MRes | MEd |
| MPhil+PhD / MRes+PhD | PGCert and PGDip |
| PhD | BusD, MD, MCHIR, MV, AdvDip, MCEP |
The Trust says it doesn’t fund “premium level” courses such as the MBA and MFin.
Part-time students
The Trust considers part-time study where the University offers it.
Cambridge Trust Scholarships Eligibility Criteria
The two core requirements
For most postgraduate awards, and for all undergraduate awards, the Trust looks for:
- Significant academic achievement and potential
- Financial need
Some awards are given on merit alone, and others have extra criteria. The listing tells you which applies.
Other rules
- Level of study: the Trust won’t support a degree at the same level as, or lower than, one you already hold. There’s one exception for postgraduates: a second MPhil that a department requires before it will consider you for a PhD. For undergraduates, there’s an exception for international students studying as affiliated students for a second BA.
- You must be a new student. The Trust doesn’t accept applications from students who are part-way through a Cambridge course, unless they’re applying for funding toward a higher degree after graduation. Undergraduates can’t apply in second year after being unsuccessful.
- Conditional offer required. For both levels, you must have a conditional offer of admission.
- Funding deadline. You must have applied by the relevant deadline.
- Fee status. The Trust supports both Home and Overseas fee-paying applicants through different programmes.
Equal treatment
The Trust says selection is based on how well you fit the criteria for each scholarship, and that no applicant is treated less favourably on grounds such as race, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, religion or age.
What about my nationality?
Some partner-funded awards are for particular nationalities. Use the nationality filter on Find a scholarship. Many African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and others, are in the list.
How to Apply for Cambridge Trust Scholarships (Step by Step)
For postgraduate study
Step 1: Find your course. Research it on the University’s postgraduate site.
Step 2: Find your scholarships. Use the Trust’s Find a scholarship tool. Read each listing carefully, because some have extra criteria or need a separate application to a partner.
Step 3: Find your College (optional). You can name two Colleges or leave the section blank and be considered by any College. The Trust plays no part in College selection.
Step 4: Submit your admissions application by the funding deadline. In the funding section of the University’s application form, say that you want to be considered for funding. In that section, give details of significant income from all sources, such as salaries, business profit, rents and dividends, because many awards require evidence of financial need.
Step 5: Wait for the awards process. The Trust’s awarding period runs from mid-February to the end of July.
Apply here: Apply through the University of Cambridge applicant portal
For undergraduate study
- Choose your course and College (or make an Open Application).
- Check your scholarship options on Find a scholarship.
- Submit your UCAS application by the published deadline.
- If you’re an overseas fee-rate applicant, wait for your College to invite you to apply to the Trust after you receive an offer.
- Some awards need a separate application. The listing will say so.
The critical rule
The Trust says it can only consider you if you submit your admissions application by the funding deadline, indicate that you want funding, and have a conditional offer of admission. If you miss any of those three, you won’t be considered.
Required Documents Checklist
The Trust doesn’t publish a separate document list, because you apply through the University. Check your course page and the University’s Applicant Portal help pages for the full set. In practice, prepare:
- A completed University application for your course
- The funding section of the form, ticked to request funding
- Details of significant income from all sources (postgraduate), to evidence need
- Academic transcripts and degree information
- References (these must be submitted by the funding deadline)
- English language evidence, if required for your course
- Any extra documents your listing asks for, including partner applications
- For undergraduates: your UCAS application, then your College’s invitation to apply to the Trust
This is a general guide. Your course and your listing decide what you actually need.
Important Deadlines and Timeline
Postgraduate funding deadlines (2027/28 entry)
According to the University’s postgraduate funding page, the main funding deadlines are:
- Tuesday, December 8, 2026
- Wednesday, January 6, 2027
Check your course page, where the funding deadline is listed. To be considered, you must submit your complete application, including references, by 23:59 GMT on that date.
The funding deadline isn’t the same as the application deadline. Some courses stay open longer for admission but close earlier for funding.
Application fee waivers
The Trust can’t help with application fees, but the University has its own fee waiver process. Two dates stand out:
- November 20, 2026: deadline for Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program applicants to submit a fee waiver request form.
- November 24, 2026: fee waiver request deadline for the December 8 funding deadline (for the groups the University lists, such as certain UK applicants and those with refugee, asylum seeker or humanitarian protection status in the UK).
Check the University’s fee waiver page to see whether you qualify.
When funding decisions arrive
- Mid-February to end of July: the Trust’s awarding period.
- February and March: most awards are made.
- April to June: later decisions for some partner-funded awards that involve interviews.
- Until the end of July: the Trust reallocates declined awards, and all applicants stay under consideration for any award they’re eligible for.
- If you haven’t heard by the end of July: assume you weren’t successful.
Undergraduate timeline
Undergraduates apply through UCAS. Third-party listings give the Cambridge deadline for 2027 entry as October 15, 2026, but confirm this on the UCAS and Cambridge websites, because it’s close. After an offer, your College may invite you to apply to the Trust.
A practical timeline for a December 8 deadline
- Now to mid-October: choose your course, read the scholarship listings and confirm your funding deadline.
- October: ask referees and gather your financial information.
- Early November: draft your application and request any fee waiver.
- Late November: finalise everything.
- At least a week early: submit, and confirm your references have arrived.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Confusing the funding deadline with the application deadline. They can be different.
Forgetting to tick the funding box. The Trust says you won’t be considered if you didn’t indicate on your application that you wanted funding.
Submitting without references. The full application, including references, is due by the funding deadline.
Skipping the financial details. Many awards require evidence of need, and you’re asked to give details of significant income from all sources.
Applying for an excluded course. MBA, MFin, MLitt, MSt, MEd and several others aren’t funded.
Assuming you can add information later. Once submitted, you can’t add more. The Trust says you can upload extra material to your self-service account, but it isn’t essential.
Expecting a reply if unsuccessful. The Trust can’t notify unsuccessful applicants or give feedback.
Relying on one source. The Trust itself advises students with financial need to research and apply for all suitable scholarships.
Trusting outdated blog figures. Check the official listing.
Insider Tips to Improve Your Chances
These come from reading how the process is built, not from any official guarantee.
- Submit by the funding deadline, and earlier if you can. The Trust says most awards are made in February and March. Applying well ahead of the deadline also leaves time to fix problems.
- Take the financial section seriously. Need is half of the eligibility test. Be accurate and complete about income from all sources.
- Use the Find a scholarship filters. They narrow the list by level and nationality, so you can see which awards are really open to you before you apply.
- Check for partner awards. Some are tied to particular nationalities or partners, which can mean a better fit and a separate application. Read each listing for what it asks.
- Chase your referees early. A reference that arrives late can sink an otherwise complete application.
- Contact your department about supervisors and rankings. The Trust can’t help you find a supervisor and doesn’t discuss departmental rankings, so go to the department for guidance.
- Keep your options open until July. Awards are reallocated during the awarding period, so a “no news yet” isn’t a final answer until the end of July.
- Apply for other funding at the same time. Our guides to the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, the Clarendon Fund Scholarships, the Weidenfeld-Hoffmann Scholarships, the Ellison Scholars Program and Chevening Scholarships cover other routes. Unlike most Cambridge Trust awards, Gates Cambridge doesn’t consider financial need.
- Get your English test done early. For undergraduates, the Trust encourages applicants to meet Cambridge’s entry requirements as early as possible, including any English test, so it doesn’t offer an award to someone who can’t take up their place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I apply to the Cambridge Trust directly?
Not for most awards. Postgraduates apply to Cambridge and tick the funding section. Undergraduates with overseas fee status are invited by their College after an offer.
Is financial need required?
For most postgraduate awards and all undergraduate awards, yes, alongside academic achievement and potential. Some awards are merit-only.
How much is a Cambridge Trust scholarship?
It depends on the award. The Trust offers full-cost and part-cost scholarships, and each listing states its value.
Which courses are funded?
LLM, MASt, MCL, MPhil, MRes, MPhil+PhD, MRes+PhD and PhD.
Which aren’t?
MBA, EMBA, MFin, MAcc, MLitt, MSt, MEd, PGCert, PGDip and several others.
Can I get funding for a degree I already hold?
Not at the same level or lower, with one exception for a second MPhil required by a department.
What if I miss the funding deadline?
You won’t be considered for most University funding. Limited other options may exist, with no guarantee.
When will I hear back?
The awarding period runs from mid-February to the end of July. If you haven’t heard by the end of July, assume your application wasn’t successful.
Will I get feedback?
No. The Trust can’t give feedback or notify unsuccessful applicants.
Can the Trust help with my application fee?
No. The University has its own fee waiver process.
Can I apply in my second year?
No. The Trust only funds new applicants to Cambridge.
Can I apply for part-time study?
The Trust considers part-time applications where the University offers part-time courses.
Does the Trust affect which College I get?
No. It plays no part in College selection or accommodation.
Can the Trust fund study at another university?
No, only Cambridge.
Conclusion: Your Next Steps
Cambridge Trust Scholarships aren’t one scholarship but a whole system of awards, and your task is to find the ones you’re eligible for and to give them a strong, complete, on-time application. The process is simple on paper: apply to Cambridge, request funding, show your academic strength and your need, and meet the deadline. The detail is what decides it.
Here is what to do this week:
- Choose your course and check its funding deadline.
- Open Find a scholarship and filter by your level and nationality.
- Read each listing for extra criteria or partner applications.
- Ask your referees and set them a deadline well before the funding date.
- Gather your financial information.
- Check whether you qualify for a University fee waiver.
- Build a backup funding list.
A Cambridge Trust scholarship can open the door to a place that might otherwise be out of reach. Start early, stay organised and keep going.
A note from the author: scholarship values, deadlines and eligibility rules change often, and each Cambridge Trust award has its own listing. This article reflects what the Cambridge Trust and University of Cambridge pages said at the time of writing. Please verify everything on the official Cambridge Trust and University of Cambridge websites before you apply.