About Us

Both the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust and the Cambridge Overseas Trust were established as charities by the University of Cambridge in the 1980s in order to provide financial support for international students on degree courses at Cambridge. 

The Trusts, whose Patron is His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, are governed by ten Trustees.  The Chair of the Trusts is Sir Martin Harris, and the Deputy Chair is Mrs Sarah Squire.

The aim of the Trusts is to enable candidates of outstanding academic merit, who would not otherwise be able to take up places at Cambridge, to pursue courses of study or research.  We offer awards to selected students at PhD, Masters and undergraduate level in all subjects, and at all 31 Colleges of the University of Cambridge. Awards, which include both full-cost and part-cost scholarships, are made only at the beginning of a course of study, and continue for the duration of the course.

Some scholarships, including the Cambridge International Scholarships for PhDs, are awarded on the basis of academic merit alone.  Most scholarship schemes also take account of financial need.

To be considered for an award by the Trusts you must be admitted by the University as a student. In the case of most scholarships, your application to the University will automatically ensure that you are considered for an award. However, for certain scholarships which we offer with partner organizations, you will also need to make a separate application. See more information about scholarships and application procedures, and eligibility for scholarships.

Contact details of all our staff can be found on our staff page. 

To contact the Trusts, and to view location map and directions, click here.