Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust
Cambridge International Scholarship (Cambridge Trust)
The Cambridge Trust's main PhD award for international students. It covers international fees and living costs for the length of the PhD and can be held at any college in any subject. You are considered automatically when you tick the funding box in your Cambridge application and apply by your course's funding deadline.
Application round
There is no separate form. Submit your Cambridge application, references included, by your course's funding deadline: 8 December 2026 or 6 January 2027 at 23:59 GMT (06:59 the next morning in Thailand). Many PhD courses use the December date, so check yours. Awards are made from mid-February to the end of July, mostly in February and March; if you have not heard by the end of July you were unsuccessful.
The IELTS requirement
The Trust has no English requirement of its own; your PhD course does. Cambridge research degrees typically ask for IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with high per-element scores (the PhD in Engineering, for example, wants 7.0 overall with 7.0 in listening, writing and speaking and 6.5 in reading). You don't need the result to submit the application, but an offer will be conditional on it, and the Trust only funds students who take up their place, so aim to have 7.0 before offers arrive in spring 2027.
Where is your IELTS score now?
Your university sets the IELTS score for this scholarship. Take the free level test to get an estimated band for each skill before you apply.
What it covers
- University fees at the international rate
- A maintenance allowance for living costs for the length of the course
- The student visa fee and the Immigration Health Surcharge
- Up to six extra months of maintenance to write up, on application
- Flights are not listed as part of the award
Who can apply
- Citizens of any country except the UK and Ireland, paying overseas fees
- Applying to start a full-time or part-time PhD at Cambridge (114 eligible courses; premium-rate courses excluded)
- Highly ranked by your prospective department: selection is on academic merit, research potential, exam results and references
- Apply for admission and tick "Yes, I wish to apply for funding" in the Applicant Portal; no extra questions
- Complete application, including references, in by your course's funding deadline
Key facts
- Provider
- Cambridge Commonwealth, European and International Trust
- Where you study
- UK
- Study level
- PhD
- Funding
- Fully funded
- Application round
- Closes January 6, 2027
Already know your score?
Build an IELTS plan for this scholarship
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What band do you need?
Your overall IELTS target.
We checked these details against the provider's official page on November 1, 2026. Rules and dates change every round, so confirm them there before you apply.
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