UK Department for International Development (DFID) offers Commonwealth Scholarships for developing countries’. Scholarships are available for pursuing Master’s, PhD and split-site (PhD) degree program at UK Universities.
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is one of the largest and most prestigious scholarship schemes for international study in the world.
Since it was established in 1959, around 34,000 individuals have benefited – 26,000 of them have held awards funded by the UK government, managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC). The CSC’s Secretariat is provided by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), which is responsible for all matters concerning selection, academic studies, and evaluation.
Applicants must hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree).
Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing Master’s, PhD and split-site (PhD) degree program at UK Universities.
Study Subject(s): Scholarships are awarded in all subject areas offered at UK universities, although the CSC’s selection criteria give priority to applications that demonstrate strong relevance to development.
Scholarship Award: Each scholarship provides:
- Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor usually the cost of journeys made before your award is finally confirmed)
- Approved tuition and examination fees
- Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,043 per month, or £1,279 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2016-2017 levels)
- Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable
- Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
- Study travel grant towards the costs of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
- For PhD Scholars, fieldwork grant towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (usually the cost of one economy class return airfare to your fieldwork location), where approved
- For PhD Scholars, paid mid-term visit (airfare) to your home country (unless you have claimed (or intend to claim) spouse and/or child allowances during your scholarship, or have received a return airfare to your home country for fieldwork)
- If your scholarship is at least 18 months long, the following family allowances: Spouse allowance of £224 per month if you and your spouse are living together at the same address in the UK (unless your spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply)
- Child allowance of £224 per month for the first child, and £110 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your spouse and children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK
- If they are widowed, divorced, or a single parent (irrespective of the length of your scholarship), child allowance of £448 per month for the first child, and £110 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining your family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and you must be able to supplement these allowances in order to support any family members who come to the UK with you.
Scholarship can be taken in the UK
Eligibility: To apply for these scholarships, applicants must:
- Be a Commonwealth citizen, refugee, or British protected person
- Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
- Be available to start their academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2017
- By October 2017, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
The CSC promotes equal opportunity, gender equity, and cultural exchange. Applications are encouraged from a diverse range of candidates.
Nationality: Students from developing Commonwealth country can apply for these Commonwealth scholarships.
List of Countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands (British) and Zambia
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirement: Applicants must hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree).
Test Requirement: No
English Language Requirements: Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements in order to be able to study there.
How to Apply: Applicants must make their application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS).
Applicants should apply to study at Master’s/PhD level at a UK university with which the CSC has a part funding agreement. Part funding agreements are at the discretion of individual universities. For a list of universities that have already agreed to part fund Commonwealth Scholarships,
All subject areas are eligible – although you should note that the CSC’s selection criteria give priority to applications that demonstrate the strongest relevance to development.
Applicants must apply to one of the following nominating bodies in the first instance – the CSC does not accept direct applications for these scholarships:
- National nominating agencies – this is the main route of application.
- Selected universities/university bodies, which can nominate their own academic staff.
- Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies
All applications must be made through your nominating body in your home country. Each nominating body is responsible for its own selection process. You must check with your nominating body for their specific advice and rules for applying, their own eligibility criteria, and their own closing date for applications. The CSC does not impose any age limit on applicants, but nominating bodies may do so in line with their own priorities.
Applicants must make an application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS), in addition to any other application form that you are required to complete by your nominating body.
Applicants must provide the following supporting documentation to be received by the CSC by 6 January 2017 in order for your application to be eligible for consideration: ? References from at least two individuals ? Transcripts ? For PhD candidates only, supporting statem
- References from at least two individuals
- Transcripts
- For PhD candidates only, supporting statem
Application Deadline: All applications must be submitted by 15 November 2016 at the latest.
