Cambridge University Scholarships for Indian Students in 2026: How to Apply & Eligibility

Let’s start with some facts relevant for Indian students aspiring to study in Cambridge University. 

• Cambridge University, which routinely ranks among the top 10 in QS World University Rankings, is a popular university among Indian students planning to study in the UK. 
• The tuition and living bills to study there can top £45,000 for a single year. 
• This does not include day-to-day living costs. 
• The university advises students to budget £15,660 for a 12-month stay in Cambridge.
• So, the cost of a master’s program at Cambridge University can cross £65,000 with visa, flights, and NHS surcharge.

Naturally, scholarships are a massive boost for any Indian student who wishes to study at Cambridge. 

The university awards more than 1,000 international master’s students each year. But competition for these is intense. 

That said, students who plan early and target the right scholarships stand a strong chance. 

I speak with Indian students everyday, and I know from observation that students who prepare well for scholarships enjoy the rewards of their efforts. 

So, the first step is to know all the scholarships you can apply for.

Here are all Cambridge University scholarships for Indian students. 

University-linked scholarships for Indian students for studying in Cambridge University

• Gates Cambridge Scholarship

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation started the Gates Cambridge Scholarship with a US $210 million endowment in October 2000.

These full cost Cambridge University scholarships are limited to a total of 80 awards each year. 25 are offered to students from the USA and the rest (55) are offered to international students outside the USA across all disciplines each year.

Coverage: Tuition, £22,050 stipend, airfare, visa, plus discretionary extras such as fieldwork

Eligibility: Non-UK citizen, full-time master’s or PhD, academic excellence, leadership 

Deadline: Portal opens in September 2026, applications close in late October 2026, and results are announced in February 2027.

• Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust

The Cambridge Commonwealth Trust (1982) and the Cambridge Overseas Trust (1983) merged in August 2013 to the Cambridge Trust. It now supports around 1,300 international students in residence each year.

Scholarships range from full studentships to £5 k and £15 k grants. And the selection is based on academic merit and proven financial need.

All non-UK applicants admitted to a Cambridge course are eligible for this funding pool.

Places: 500 awards yearly, with £41.4 million disbursed in 2023-24

Levels covered: Master’s, PhD and undergraduate fee top-ups

Also Read: Best Courses to Study in the UK

• St John’s College – Dr Manmohan Singh PhD Scholarships

Dr Manmohan Singh PhD Scholarships offer fully funded doctoral places for Indian students in Science, Technology, Economics, and Social Sciences at Cambridge University’s St John’s College.
The program was launched in 2007 to honor St John’s alumnus and former Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh.

This scholarship is limited to three to four Indian PhD candidates each year. Students have to get accepted to St John’s first to be eligible for this scholarship.

Focus: Three to four full awards each year in science, technology, economics, or social sciences.

Coverage: Tuition, stipend, and airfare.

Deadline: Usually around December and January (15 January 2026 for 2026-27 intake).

• Oxford & Cambridge Society of India (OCSI) Scholarships

The alumni-run OCSI began awarding travel grants in the 1960s and formalized its current scholarship scheme in the 1990s.

This scholarship offers up to 10 grants worth £4k–£15k each year for master’s or second undergraduate degrees.

Eligibility: Indian passport; applicants must be under 30 on 1 September and show leadership records.

Application deadline closes 31 May 2027, with results in July.

• College-backed Awards

Cambridge University hosts about 31 Colleges, many of which have overseas scholarships for international students on their own books. 

Most colleges give £500-£5,000 as Cambridge University fee relief or living grants. You can ask your admitting college once you hold an offer

• International Disabled Students’ Fund (IDS Fund)

International Disabled Students’ Fund is another Cambridge University support fund that eligible Indian students can apply to.

The IDS Fund assists with assistive tech, specialist tutors, or disability-related travel for fee-classified international students. You can apply after you receive your offer.

• Pemanda Monappa Scholarship

The Pemanda Monappa Scholarship was created in 2010 by Sonna Belliappa to honor his father, Mr. Pemanda Monappa, a decorated Indian Police officer. It is run in partnership with the Cambridge Trust.

This scholarship helps students from southern Indian states (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana) with variable tuition top-ups and has a deadline in early February each year.

Here is an overview of major Cambridge University scholarships open to Indian students in 2026. 

In addition to the scholarships offered by Cambridge University, there are multiple other UK-wide funds that Indian students can pair with to increase their coverage.

External scholarships for Indian students to study at Cambridge University 

In addition to Cambridge University scholarships, Indian students can make use of other government-backed or charity-run schemes in the UK. 

In 2025, for example, about 170 Indians secured fully funded master’s seats through awards like Chevening, Commonwealth Shared, Inlaks, and Felix. 

• Chevening Partner Awards at Cambridge

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office launched Chevening in 1983 to build global leaders and Cambridge joined as a partner university.

Indian students get about 35-40 full scholarships yearly across UK universities.

Eligibility criteria for this Cambridge University scholarships is: 

• Hold an Indian citizenship.
• Hold an undergraduate degree that meets a UK master’s entry.
• Have at least 2 years / 2,800 hours post-UG work experience (jobs, internships, or volunteering).
• Apply to three eligible UK master’s courses.
• Gain an unconditional offer from one of the applied universities by Chevening’s deadline.
• Meet Chevening’s English-language requirement.
• Commit to return to your home country for two years after the award ends.
• Have never held a UK government-funded scholarship in the past five years.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

Similarly, the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship funds full tuition and living costs for one-year master’s courses for students from developing Commonwealth countries, including India.

Eligibility criteria include:

• Indian passport
• Financial need
• Admission to an eligible one-year taught master’s program
• Course must match development goals
• Agreement to return home after the course

The Inlaks Scholarship

Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation grants cover fees and living costs up to US $100,000 for Indian citizens admitted to top-ranked programs.

Eligibility criteria:

• Indian citizenship under 30 with first-class undergraduate degrees
• Admission to a top-ranked program (professional master’s such as MBA/MPA are excluded)
• Strong academic record
• Clear career goals

Also Read: 6 Scholarships for Indian Students To Study in UK

Felix Scholarships

Felix Scholarships also provide full tuition, a £16,000 stipend, and flight costs to academically strong, economically disadvantaged Indians pursuing select master’s and DPhil courses each year.

Eligibility criteria:

• Indian citizenship
• Excellent academic performance
• Verified financial need and an offer from the host university
• Commitment to return to India after studies

Keep in mind that some scholarships cannot be combined. For instance, Chevening cannot overlap with a Gates Cambridge award because both cover full cost. 

Inlaks, however, can top up partial College funds if the budgets align.

How to apply for Cambridge University scholarships as an Indian student?

While the process of submitting documents is different for most scholarships, you can follow these common steps. 

In most cases you will need to hold an unconditional or conditional  offer from Cambridge before a funding panel reviews your file. 

Always upload proof of English scores even with full funding to avoid visa delays.

• Select course and complete the Cambridge Applicant Portal.
• Inside the same form, open the Funding section and tick Gates, Trust, and/or any other partner funds.
• Add scholarship essays and referee emails where prompted.
• Submit before the course-specific deadline (some faculties close in September).
• Track decision emails from January to March; accept within 72 hours.

But most of the time a scholarship is not enough to cover all expenses. Fully funded seats are hard to secure, so many Indian students take education loans to bridge the gap. 

GradRight’s loan search platform matches students with several loan offers from banks, international lenders, and NBFCs at one place online.

This model of competitive bidding has helped over 12,000 students get affordable financing to study abroad since 2020. For instance, Sai Sree Meka used GradRight to get funding for her Masters in Computer Science at University of Georgia.

“I know a lot of people like me who are struggling to get financing. They don’t have a cosigner or collateral. I didn’t know I had an option to get a loan until I learnt of Prodigy from my financial adviser on GradRight.”

  — said Meka, who grew up in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada.