Cambridge International Scholarship
The Cambridge International Scholarship is funded by the Cambridge Trust and covers the international tuition fee plus a maintenance stipend for the full duration of a PhD at the University of Cambridge. Roughly 250 awards are made each year across the Cambridge Trust funding family — Sri Lankan applicants compete in the global pool with no country quota. There is no separate application form; ticking the funding boxes on the Cambridge graduate application opens you up to automatic consideration.
Open for October 2027 entry — December 2026 / January 2027 funding deadlines. Dates follow the same annual pattern — confirm the current round before applying.
University of Cambridge
University-funded
emoji_events Award Overview
Tuition
100% International Fee Covered
Maintenance
~£21,000/yr (matches UKRI rate)
Duration
Full PhD (3-4 years)
Awards
~250/year (Cambridge Trust portfolio)
info How this award actually works
Who awards it
University of Cambridge — not Lanka Scholar. We are not the awarding body and cannot grant, reserve or guarantee this award.
How you are considered
Through your admission application. Awards like this are usually assessed automatically from the application you already submit — there is typically no separate scholarship form to fill in.
What it covers
Full Tuition + Maintenance for PhD. This is a reduction in tuition, not a full ride. You still fund the remainder, plus living costs and the balance your visa requires you to show.
Where we come in
We make the admission application strong enough to be competitive — course choice, documents, references and deadlines. The funder makes the decision.
fact_check Eligibility Criteria
Non-UK Citizen
Open to international students paying the overseas tuition rate. Sri Lankan citizens are fully eligible. UK / Ireland / EU-settled applicants apply under separate Cambridge Trust schemes.
Cambridge PhD Offer
Must have applied for (or be holding an offer for) a full-time PhD programme at Cambridge. Most schemes do not fund taught Master's via this exact scholarship — for those, see Cambridge Trust Master's awards.
Outstanding Academic Profile
Top-decile academic record — first-class Bachelor's plus a strong Master's (distinction or equivalent) is the standard floor. Cambridge departments rank applicants before forwarding the strongest to the Trust.
Meet the Funding Deadline
You must submit your Cambridge application by the relevant funding deadline (typically early December for US applicants, early January for international). Late applications are not considered for this award.
account_tree Application Process
Apply to a Cambridge PhD
Submit your Cambridge graduate application via applicant.cam.ac.uk by the funding deadline. The standard documents apply — research proposal, references, transcripts, English test (if required), and a writing sample if asked by the department.
Indicate funding interest
On the funding section, tick the Cambridge International Scholarship and the Cambridge Trust scheme(s) you want to be considered for. No separate Cambridge Trust application form.
Departmental ranking
Departments review academic merit and forward their top nominees to the Cambridge Trust funding committee. Sri Lankan PhD applicants are competitive when nominated by their department.
Trust shortlisting + offer
The Cambridge Trust matches successful nominees to funding from the portfolio of awards. Outcomes are typically released March-May for an October start.
About the Cambridge Trust
The Cambridge Trust funds over 500 international scholars annually across Master's and PhD programmes. The International Scholarship is its flagship PhD award and is fully aligned with UKRI maintenance rates so awardees can live on the stipend in Cambridge.
#5
QS World Ranking 2026
500+
Trust Scholars / Year
Since 2000
Trust Programme Running
Looking for a scholarship because of the cost?
Then start here instead. Scholarships are competitive, usually partial, and decided by someone else — they are the least reliable way to make studying abroad affordable. Your destination and course choice move the number far more, and both are entirely within your control.
Work out your real number
Tuition, living costs, visa funds and flights for your destination — so you know the gap you are actually trying to close.
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