Cambridge Commonwealth Trust

The Cambridge Commonwealth, European & International Trust (formerly Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, merged in 2013 with Cambridge Overseas and European Trusts) was established in the 1980s by the University of Cambridge to provide scholarships enabling outstanding students from around the world, particularly the Commonwealth and developing nations, to study there regardless of socioeconomic background. Its mission centers on promoting academic excellence, financial need, and global diversity in Cambridge's student body, with values of merit-based access, inclusion, and societal impact upheld by a board of university leaders and King Charles III as Patron. As the largest funder of international students at Cambridge—having awarded over 22,000 scholarships from 149 countries—it coordinates full-cost and part-cost awards for postgraduate (primarily PhD and Masters) and limited undergraduate programs across all subjects and colleges, often via partnerships like the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission or field-specific schemes such as the David and Susan Hibbitt Scholarship for Engineering.

Funding exclusively supports individual students already admitted to Cambridge courses (excluding most professional degrees like MBA), prioritizing academic merit and need with global reach emphasizing non-UK citizens from China, India, the US, and emerging economies. No organizational or charitable applicants are accepted; eligibility requires completing the funding section in the university's online admissions portal, with automatic consideration for most awards.

Typical grants range from £10,000 partial contributions to full coverage of tuition, college fees, maintenance (£18,000–£19,000 annually), and sometimes travel. Applications align with Cambridge deadlines—2 December 2025 or 7 January 2026 for 2026/27 entry (some earlier)—with annual decisions from March to July. Distinctively, it avoids project, capital, or non-Cambridge funding, instead leveraging philanthropy, transparent reviews every five years, and strategic co-funding to fill diversity gaps and empower global talent.