Cambridge University Announces Gates Scholars for 2003 from the United States

CAMBRIDGE, England -- The Gates Cambridge Trust has completed the first phase of its selection of Gates Scholars to enter Cambridge University for graduate work in October 2003. This phase covered the selection of students from the United States of America, with 42 scholarships being offered. The names of the recipients are listed below.

Scholars from the United States were chosen from a field of 500 applicants. One hundred and thirty students were short-listed for interviews in Annapolis, Md., on January 31 and February 1, 2003. “These students are among America's best and brightest young men and women,” said Professor Sir Alec Broers, Chairman of the Gates Cambridge Trust and Vice Chancellor of the University. “We are delighted that they will be coming to Cambridge where they will join Gates Scholars from around the world, all of whom are pursuing advanced degrees at the university.”

At this stage, all awards are conditional on the scholars gaining admission to Cambridge's graduate school through the regular university admissions process, and on the scholars themselves confirming that Cambridge is the most appropriate place for them to study.

Selection of scholars from other countries will be completed during June and July, and a full list of Gates Scholars for 2003-2004 will be published by the Trust in October.

The Gates Cambridge Trust was created through an endowment of $210 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The sole purpose of the Trust is to award scholarships to enable the brightest of the world's young leaders and scholars to undertake graduate work at the U.K.'s top university. The scholarship is a full-cost merit award. Its actual value depends on the level of tuition payable for individual courses, but is on the order of $32,000 a year.

The first Gates Scholars came to Cambridge in October 2001. There are currently 236 Gates Cambridge Scholars studying for masters and doctoral degrees. They come from 54 countries outside the U.K. and have been selected from among the 10,000 applicants to the university for graduate admission. By October 2003, which will be the third year of the program, there will be approximately 250 scholars in Cambridge, 100 of them from the United States.

In establishing the Gates Cambridge Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hopes to create a network of future leaders from around the world who will bring new vision and commitment to effecting change and addressing global problems. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to improving people’s lives by sharing advances in health and learning with the global community. The foundation looks for strategic opportunities to extend the benefits of modern technologies around the world, especially where poverty serves as an obstacle to participating in these benefits.

On the Internet:
Gates Cambridge Trust, www.gatesscholar.org
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, www.gatesfoundation.org