যুক্তরাজ্যের কেমব্রিজ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় বিদেশি শিক্ষার্থীদের বৃত্তি দেবে। বৃত্তির নাম ‘গেটস কেমব্রিজ স্কলারশিপ’। বিনা মূল্যে পিএইচডি, এমএলিট বা এক বছরের স্নাতকোত্তর প্রোগ্রামে অধ্যয়নের সুযোগ মিলবে এ বৃত্তি পেলে। বাংলাদেশসহ বিশ্বের বিভিন্ন দেশের শিক্ষার্থীরা এ স্কলারশিপের জন্য আবেদন করতে পারবেন। এ বৃত্তির আবেদন শুরু হবে আগামী ৪ সেপ্টেম্বর থেকে। ‘গেটস কেমব্রিজ স্কলারশিপ’ প্রোগ্রামে আবেদন করা যাবে ১১ অক্টোবর পর্যন্ত।

যুক্তরাজ্যের গেটস কেমব্রিজ ইউনিভার্সিটি স্কলারশিপ ২০০০ সালের অক্টোবরে যাত্রা শুরু করে। মাইক্রোসফটের প্রধান নির্বাহী কর্মকর্তা ও প্রতিষ্ঠাতা বিল গেটস এবং তাঁর স্ত্রী মেলিন্ডা গেটস ‘বিল অ্যান্ড মেলিন্ডা গেটস ফাউন্ডেশন’ নামের একটি ফাউন্ডেশন করেন। সেখান থেকে কেমব্রিজ বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়কে ২২০ মিলিয়ন মার্কিন ডলার অনুদান দেওয়া হয়।

এ বৃত্তির সুযোগ-সুবিধাসমূহ
*টিউশন ফি লাগবে না। এর সঙ্গে অতিরিক্ত ভাতা পাবেন শিক্ষার্থীরা।
*পুরো বছরের জন্য রক্ষণাবেক্ষণ ভাতা হিসেবে ২০ হাজার পাউন্ড পাবেন শিক্ষার্থীরা। ১ পাউন্ড সমান ১৩৯.৫৪ টাকা ধরে বাংলাদেশি মুদ্রায় ২৭ লাখ ৯০ হাজার ৭৬৪ টাকা মিলবে। পিএইচডি শিক্ষার্থীদের জন্য এ সুযোগ চার বছর পর্যন্ত মিলবে।
*উড়োজাহাজের যাতায়াতের খরচ।
*ভিসার ও ইমিগ্রেশন স্বাস্থ্য পরীক্ষার খরচ।
*কেউ এ বৃত্তি পেলে বিভিন্ন কনফারেন্স ও কোর্সে অংশ নিতে ৫০০ থেকে ২ হাজার পাউন্ড পর্যন্ত পাবেন
*পারিবারিক ভাতা বাবদ প্রথম সন্তানের জন্য ১১ হাজার ৬০৪ পাউন্ড এবং দ্বিতীয় সন্তানের জন্য ১৬ হাজার ৫৪৮ পাউন্ড পাবেন এ বৃত্তি পেলে। স্ত্রী বা স্বামীর জন্য কোনো ভাতা বা অর্থ মিলবে না।
*পিএইচডির অংশ হিসেবে ফিল্ড ওয়ার্কের সময় স্বাভাবিক রক্ষণাবেক্ষণ খরচ।
* মাতৃত্ব/পিতৃত্ব তহবিল।

Who can apply?

You can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship if you are:

• a citizen of any country outside the United Kingdom
• applying to pursue one of the following courses at the University of Cambridge:
  • PhD (full-time or part-time*)
  • MLitt (full-time)
  • One year postgraduate course (full-time), with some exceptions – see below

* For October 2024 entry, Gates Cambridge is continuing to pilot a scheme which allows applicants to apply for funding for a part-time doctoral degree.

Current student at Cambridge?​

If you are currently studying at Cambridge and wish to apply for a new postgraduate course you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. For example, if you are currently studying for an MPhil you can apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to pursue a PhD. Current Gates Cambridge Scholars may also apply for a second scholarship if they are applying for a new degree. All current Cambridge students will be considered the second, international round. However, if you have already started a course (e.g. you are currently part way through a PhD) you cannot apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship to fund the remainder of it.

General funding at Cambridge

Whether or not you are eligible for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you may be eligible for other funding offered by the University of Cambridge. See www.student-funding.cam.ac.uk for more details.

Courses which Gates Cambridge does NOT consider:

• Any Undergraduate degree, such as BA (undergraduate) or BA affiliated (a second BA)
• Business Doctorate (BusD)
• Master of Business (MBA)
• Master of Finance (MFin)
• MASt courses
• PGCE
• MBBChir Clinical Studies
• MD Doctor of Medicine degree (6 years, part-time, Home students only)
• Graduate Course in Medicine (A101)
• Part-time degrees other than the PhD
• Non-degree courses

The application process

Watch the University’s short overview film about applying for postgraduate admission and funding and then read below about specific requirements for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

A combined application form

Applicants submit their application for admission and funding (Gates Cambridge and other funding) via the University’s Graduate Application Portal.

To be considered for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you must complete the section to apply for admission to a course and a College place and the Gates Cambridge part of the funding section. Gates Cambridge has access to the full application for admission and funding when reviewing applications.

The admission section

In this section you are applying to a specific graduate course and a College place. You will provide all of the usual details about yourself, your academic background, plans and suitability for the proposed course.

The funding section

In this section you can apply for a range of funding offered by the University and associated bodies, including the Gates Cambridge Scholarships, which has it’s own sub-section. When applying for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship you will be asked to provide the following:

Gates Cambridge statement

In the application form we ask:

In no more than 3000 characters (approximately 500 words) please explain why you are applying for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship and how you meet the four main criteria. Full details about how to apply, including selection criteria and guidance on completing this statement, can be found at: www.gatescambridge.org

The statement is used by Gates Cambridge to help distinguish between those candidates who have nominated by academic departments. It helps us identify those candidates who, as well as being academically outstanding, possess a capacity for leadership and commitment to improving the lives of others. This is the only part of the application form where applicants are specifically asked about their fit with the Gates Cambridge programme and you should use your background, achievements, experiences and future aims to show how you specifically meet the programme’s criteria.

Research proposal (PhD applicants only)

Gates Cambridge requires PhD applicants only to submit a research proposal as part of their application for funding. Most PhD applicants will upload a research proposal as part of their application for admission, but where this is not the case a research proposal is required to apply for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. If you are applying for a degree other than the PhD you do not need to submit a research proposal as part of your materials of the Gates Cambridge Scholarship .

Gates Cambridge reference

In addition to two academic references for admission, Gates Cambridge applicants must arrange for someone to submit a reference setting out how they meet the scholarship’s criteria.

In the application form we ask:

Please give your assessment of the applicant’s suitability for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship. These are awarded on the following criteria: intellectual ability, justification for the choice of course, a commitment to improving the lives of others and leadership capacity.

We also ask:

• How highly would you rank the applicant for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship?
• On what overall group are you basing this ranking?
• What is the size of this group?

The Gates Cambridge reference is used in the same way as the Gates Cambridge statement – to help distinguish between those candidates who have nominated by academic departments.

Referees are also asked how they rate the applicant for the scholarship: exceptional, strong, not strong, weak. They may paste/type up to 4,000 characters into the on-line reference or upload a separate letter.

Who should write the Gates Cambridge reference?

You should ask someone of appropriate standing who is able to answer the question with authority and who understands the criteria and highly competitive nature of the Gates Cambridge programme and academic standards at the University of Cambridge.

Many applicants ask a current or former academic advisor who is aware of their personal attributes, a current or former employer, or a senior member of an organisation with whom they have volunteered – although this is by no means an exhaustive list. Some applicants ask one of their two academic referees to write the Gates Cambridge reference: this is fine, as long as that person has a good understanding of your personal qualities and writes specifically about how you meet the Gates Cambridge criteria (and does not provide a third academic reference).

You should not ask a friend or a family member, or someone who is unable to comment on your suitability for a Gates Cambridge Scholarship.

Some points to consider are:

• It is essential that the Gates Cambridge referee is fully briefed about the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, especially its selection criteria, so they can write the most appropriate reference for you;
• It is useful when referees use specific examples of how you meet the Scholarship’s criteria;
• You will need to ensure your Gates Cambridge referee understands the need to keep the reference focused on the Gates Cambridge criteria (and not, for example, rehash a standard or previous reference).
• You must ensure both your academic and gates Cambridge referees submit their references by the specified deadline

আবেদনপ্রক্রিয়া
‘গেটস কেমব্রিজ স্কলারশিপ’–এর জন্য অনলাইনে আবেদন করা যাবে। আবেদন করতে এবং বিস্তারিত জানতে ক্লিক করুন।