The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s greatest centres of learning and research, founded in 1209 and home to alumni who have shaped science, politics, literature, and virtually every other field of human knowledge. For Nigerian students, Cambridge represents the pinnacle of academic ambition — and the scholarship pathways available to Nigerian postgraduate applicants make it a realistic destination for those with the right profile. This guide covers the three most relevant Cambridge scholarship opportunities for Nigerian students — the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, the Cambridge Commonwealth European and International Trust Awards, and the Cambridge-Africa Programme — with complete information on who qualifies, what each covers, and how to apply.
Before going through the scholarships, it is important to understand how Cambridge postgraduate admissions and funding work. The University of Cambridge uses a single online application system — the Cambridge Applicant Portal — for both admissions and funding. When you apply for a postgraduate course at Cambridge, you complete your scholarship applications simultaneously within the same form. You do not apply for Cambridge first and then separately for funding — it is one integrated process. This means your scholarship application is only as strong as your admissions application, and your admission is only considered if your scholarship application is complete. Both must be submitted together by the course-specific deadline.
Scholarship 1 — Gates Cambridge Scholarship
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship is the most prestigious and comprehensive fully funded award available to Nigerian postgraduate students at Cambridge. Established in 2000 through a $210 million donation from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, it awards approximately 80 full scholarships annually to outstanding international students — around 55 in the international round, which is the round Nigerian applicants compete in.
What it covers: Full tuition fees (the University Composition Fee at the appropriate rate), a maintenance allowance of £21,000 per year for a single student (pro rata for courses shorter than 12 months, and available for up to four years for PhD scholars), return economy class airfare between Nigeria and the UK, inbound visa costs, and the Immigration Health Surcharge. Additional discretionary funding is available for academic development (up to £2,000), dependent children, and other exceptional circumstances.
Who can apply: Citizens of any country outside the UK — Nigerian citizens are fully eligible. You must be applying for a full-time postgraduate degree at Cambridge — a PhD, MPhil, MLitt, or eligible one-year postgraduate course. There is no age limit and no minimum work experience requirement.
Selection criteria: The Gates Cambridge Trust selects scholars based on four criteria — outstanding intellectual ability, clear and compelling reasons for choosing your specific course, a genuine commitment to improving the lives of others backed by concrete evidence, and demonstrated leadership capacity.
How to apply: The Gates Cambridge application is integrated into the Cambridge graduate admissions form. When completing your Cambridge application, select Gates Cambridge in the funding section and complete the three supplementary components — a statement of purpose, a personal statement on your commitment to improving lives, and a leadership essay. You also need a separate Gates Cambridge reference in addition to your two academic references. The international round deadline for the 2027–2028 cycle is expected to fall in December 2026 or January 2027 — check the specific deadline for your chosen course in the Cambridge Course Directory at graduate.study.cam.ac.uk. The Gates Cambridge application portal opens in September 2026.
Scholarship 2 — Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust Awards
The Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust administers a range of partial and full scholarships for outstanding international postgraduate students, many of which are specifically targeted at students from Commonwealth developing countries — a category that includes Nigeria. These awards are considered automatically as part of the Cambridge graduate admissions process, meaning that eligible Nigerian applicants are assessed for funding without needing to submit a separate application beyond their graduate admissions form.
What they cover: Awards vary in scope — some cover full course fees and a living stipend, while others are partial awards covering tuition only or a contribution toward fees. The specific value depends on the individual award and the funding partners involved.
Who can apply: Nigerian postgraduate applicants who are applying for a graduate degree at Cambridge and who indicate their interest in university funding on the Cambridge application form. Awards are competitive and selection is based on academic merit, with some awards having additional criteria related to field of study, development relevance, or nationality.
How to apply: Indicate your interest in university and Trust funding in the relevant section of the Cambridge graduate admissions application. No separate application form is required for most awards — your admissions application and the funding section within it serve as your application. Submit by your course’s specific admissions deadline. Check the Cambridge Postgraduate Funding Search at graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance for the full list of current awards and eligibility criteria.
Scholarship 3 — Cambridge-Africa Programme Scholarships
The Cambridge-Africa Programme supports African researchers and scholars at the University of Cambridge through a range of fellowship and scholarship awards. Several Cambridge-Africa awards are specifically targeted at Sub-Saharan African students and researchers — including Nigerians — who are pursuing postgraduate study or research at Cambridge.
What they cover: Benefits vary by individual award. Some provide full funding including tuition, living stipend, and travel. Others provide partial support such as research grants, travel funding, or bursaries toward living costs.
Who can apply: Sub-Saharan African students, including Nigerians, who are applying for or enrolled in postgraduate programmes at Cambridge. Some awards require applicants to be from specific partner African universities — check the eligibility conditions of each individual award carefully. Awards are available at Master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral research levels.
How to apply: Some Cambridge-Africa awards are applied for through the Cambridge Postgraduate Funding Search alongside your admissions application. Others have separate application processes. Visit the Cambridge-Africa Programme website at cambridge-africa.cam.ac.uk for the complete and current list of awards and their individual application instructions.
How to Maximise Your Chances of Cambridge Scholarship Funding
The most important strategy for Nigerian applicants seeking Cambridge scholarship funding is to identify every award you are eligible for before completing your application, and to apply for all of them simultaneously through the Cambridge application system. Use the Cambridge Postgraduate Funding Search at graduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance to filter awards by your proposed course, your nationality, and your level of study. Read every eligible award’s requirements carefully. Select all relevant awards in your application form. Write your personal statement and supporting statements with the funding criteria in mind — not just the academic admissions criteria.
For the Gates Cambridge Scholarship specifically, your research proposal for PhD applicants and your three supplementary essays are the heart of your application. They must be specific, honest, and compelling. Generic statements of good intentions do not win Gates Cambridge Scholarships. Specific, evidence-based demonstrations of your intellectual ability, leadership, and commitment to others do.
Deadline Information
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship 2027–2028 international round application portal opens in September 2026. Nigerian applicants’ deadlines depend on their chosen course — most fall in December 2026 or January 2027. Check the Cambridge Course Directory for your specific course’s deadline. The Cambridge-Africa Programme and Trust awards follow your course’s admissions deadline. Moreschooling will publish updates as soon as the Gates Cambridge portal opens and as new Cambridge-Africa awards are announced. Bookmark this page and visit graduate.study.cam.ac.uk for the most current information.