Gates Cambridge Scholarship
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation established the Gates Cambridge Scholarships in 2000 with a $210 million donation to support outstanding graduate students' study at the University of Cambridge.[1] The scholarship is one of the most competitive and prestigious scholarships in the world, with 0.3% of applicants receiving an award.[2]
The gift is the largest single donation to a British university[3] and the University's most prestigious programme for postgraduate students.[4] Each scholarship covers the cost of a postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge and includes funding for academic and professional development. More than 1,800 students from more than 110 countries received the scholarship[5] and more than 200 Gates Cambridge Scholars studying at any time.[6]
Eligibility and selection criteria[]
Applicants from any country other than the United Kingdom are eligible to apply for the Gates Cambridge Scholarships. Candidates must apply to pursue one of the following full-time residential degrees at the University of Cambridge:
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Master of Science (MSc), Master of Letters (MLitt), Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
- Other one-year postgraduate course (e.g. LLM, MRes, MASt)
Applicants concurrently apply to a course, college and department and the offer of a Gates Cambridge Scholarship is conditional on the student gaining full placement in each.
The Gates Cambridge Trustees use four criteria to choose Scholars:
- Academic excellence: Competitiveness is evaluated through academic transcripts, references, experience and the potential to succeed on the chosen course. A departmental nomination is crucial for demonstrating this criterion;
- Choice of course: The Trust seeks Scholars who will have an academically transformative experience at Cambridge. Candidates must demonstrate intellectual superiority and the necessary skills and expertise to complete the course which they have chosen;
- A commitment to improving the lives of others: A defining characteristic of Scholars is their deep devotion to improving lives of others as evident by their past, current and future commitment to the societies in which they will live and work;
- A capacity for leadership: Candidates must show exceptional leadership elements and a pledge to 'take others with them' as future leaders of their fields and communities.[7]
Generally, each class of Gates Cambridge Scholars is composed of 2⁄3 PhD and 1⁄3 one-year Scholars. The Gates Cambridge Trust uses a three-stage selection process to select its Scholars. The application process begins with prospective students applying to study for an eligible degree at the University of Cambridge, either during the U.S. or the global round. Following the initial application, each academic department at the University of Cambridge ranks and nominates eligible applicants for the scholarship. Departmental nominees are the most academically outstanding applicants for postgraduate studies in the department. The list of departmental nominees is then forwarded to the Gates Cambridge Trust, where it is divided into broad subject areas and passed to the Shortlisting Committees. Each Committee reviews the entirety of a departmental nominee and applies the Gates Cambridge selection criteria to shortlist applicants for interview. All shortlisted candidates are interviewed to assess how they meet all Gates Cambridge criteria and Scholars-Elect are selected only after the interview. [8] In 2018, 92 Scholars were selected from a pool of more than 5,500 applicants.[9]
Goals[]
The aim of the Gates Cambridge programme is to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others. Scholars and alumni are already becoming leaders in their fields and contributing to finding solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems.
Gates Cambridge Scholars organizations[]
In 2002, Gates Cambridge Scholars organized and elected a student committee titled "The Gates Scholars' Council".[10] The Council aims to represent the Gates Scholars at Cambridge and to build a scholar community interwoven into the fabric of the university. In cooperation with the Gates Cambridge Trust, the university and various academic and professional organizations, the Scholars' Council organizes a number of academic, social and professional events that have distinguished and built the reputation of the Gates Scholars at Cambridge University. The scholarship is particularly known for its strong academic and social community at Cambridge.[citation needed]
In 2005, the Scholars once again self-organized to create the Gates Scholars Alumni Association,[11] which aims to build upon the friendships and contacts that were first made at Cambridge and to bridge the gap between the different generations of scholars. It is an active and growing organization, with members dispersed all over the world.[citation needed]
Controversies[]
Criticism of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation[]
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation reduced its investments in non-renewable energy in 2016, [12] after recipients of the Gates Cambridge scholarship had urged the Foundation's trustees to divest from fossil fuels a year earlier. [13]
The Foundation gave Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi its 2019 Global Goalkeeper Award for the Swachh Bharat Mission[14] and the "progress India has made in providing safe sanitation under his leadership".[15] More than 100 Gates Cambridge Scholars and Alumni had condemned the Foundation's decision, [16] following the Indian government's decision to withdraw the special status of the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.[17]
Notable scholars[]
Name | University | Cambridge College |
Year | Nationality | Field |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kayla Barron | US Naval Academy | Peterhouse | 2010 | USA | NASA astronaut |
Eric Cervini | Harvard University | King's | 2015 | USA | historian |
Molly Crockett | UCLA | King's | 2006 | USA | neuroscientist |
Johanna Hanink | University of Michigan | Queens' | 2006 | USA | classicist |
Juliet Lapidos | Yale University | Hughes Hall | 2005 | USA | journalist and author |
Kate Marvel | UC Berkeley | Trinity | 2003 | USA | climate scientist and science writer |
Kamalini Mukherji | Jadavpur University | St. John's | 2002 | India | vocalist |
Greg Nance | University of Chicago | Fitzwilliam | 2011 | USA | ultramarathon runner and entrepreneur |
Jaya Savige | University of Queensland | Christ's | 2008 | Australia | poet |
Robyn Scott | University of Auckland | St Catharine's | 2004 | New Zealand | entrepreneur and writer |
Jay Silver | Georgia Tech | Churchill | 2002 | USA | toy inventor |
Tara Westover | BYU | Trinity | 2008 | USA | writer and memoirist |
Melanie Wood | Duke University | Trinity | 2003 | USA | mathematician |
Yeo Bee Yin | Universiti Teknologi Petronas | Corpus Christi | 2009 | Malaysia | politician |
Tyler Goodspeed | Harvard University | Emmanuel | 2009 | USA | economist |
Mary Fan | University of Arizona | St. John's | 2007 | USA | law professor |
See also[]
- Churchill Scholarship at Cambridge University
- Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University
- Clarendon Scholarship at Oxford University
- Yenching Scholarship at Peking University
- Schwarzman Scholarship at Tsinghua University
- Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
- Marshall Scholarship for any university in the United Kingdom
- Mitchell Scholarship for any university in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland
- Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford University
- Jardine Scholarship at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge
- The Flinn Scholarship for any university in Arizona
References[]
- McCormack, Steve (9 March 2006). "Gates opening for the leaders of tomorrow". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 August 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
- ^ "7 Indians selected for Gates Cambridge Scholarship". Hindustan Times. 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ^ mandy (7 April 2017). "Gates Cambridge Class of 2017 announced". Gates Cambridge. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- ^ "The Programme". Gates Cambridge.
- ^ Garner, Mandy (2018-04-12). "Introducing the Gates Cambridge Class of 2018". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ jim.smith (2018-08-16). "The programme". Gates Cambridge. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
- ^ Garner, Mandy (2018-08-16). "The programme". Gates Cambridge. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
- ^ jim.smith (2018-08-16). "Apply overview". Gates Cambridge. Retrieved 2019-09-19.
- ^ Gates Cambridge (2014-10-19). "How we select". Gates Cambridge. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ Garner, Mandy (2018-04-10). "Gates Cambridge Class of 2018 announced". Gates Cambridge. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ The Gates Scholars' Council
- ^ Gates Scholars Alumni Association
- ^ Doughton, Sandi (2015-11-16). "Gates Foundation cuts fossil fuel investments — but why?". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ "An Open Letter from Gates Cambridge Scholars to the Gates Foundation to Divest in Fossil Fuels". HuffPost UK. 2015-12-07. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ "PM Modi receives Global Goalkeeper award for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, says people in India behind its success". India Today. Ist. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ Foundation, Gates (2019-09-24). "Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the Global Goalkeeper Award at tonight's Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards. This award recognizes the progress India has made in providing safe sanitation under his leadership.pic.twitter.com/QSMD4UqxiU". @gatesfoundation. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ Bayliss, Chloe. "Cambridge Gates scholars condemn Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation award to India PM Narendra Modi". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
- ^ Raj, Suhasini; Gettleman, Jeffrey (2019-09-15). "Abused by Soldiers and Militants, Kashmiris Face Dangers in Daily Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
External links[]
- Awards and prizes of the University of Cambridge
- Scholarships in the United Kingdom
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Awards established in 2000