Commonwealth Scholarships

Often funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Commonwealth Scholarships are offered to exceptionally talented students from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development. The majority of Scholarships are offered with the aim of contributing to the UK’s international development aims and thereby benefit students with the same intent.

Aspects	Details
Offered by	Government
Type of Award	Merit-Based
Level of Study	Postgraduate (one-year course) or PhD
Subjects/ Fields	Engineering and Technology, Science (Pure and Applied), Agriculture and Allied Fields, Humanities and Social Science
Deadline	Varying
Website	https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/

Eligible Countries for Commonwealth Scholarships

Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia are supported in their research that will have a developmental impact in their Countries.

Note- A few countries may not be eligible for all scholarships, so do check your country’s eligibility before applying. 

Types of Commonwealth Scholarships

• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships– Offered to complete a full-time doctoral study at a UK university to applicants from least developed countries and fragile states. 
• Commonwealth Split-Site Scholarships– For candidates from low and middle-income countries to conduct research at a university in the UK for 12 months.
• Commonwealth Masters Scholarships– For students to undertake full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university from eligible low and middle-income Commonwealth countries.
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarships– For postgraduate students from least developed and middle-income countries (including fragile and conflict-affected states), to study master’s program. 
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships– For candidates from eligible low and middle-income Commonwealth countries, to undertake part-time taught Master’s study with UK universities while remaining in their home countries.
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for high-income countries)– For students who are from high-income Commonwealth countries to pursue PhD Scholarships in the UK. 
• Commonwealth Professional Fellowships– For Mid-career professionals working in development-related organizations in low and middle-income Commonwealth countries.

Scholarship Benefits

• Covers full tuition fees by agreement between the CSC and the university.
• Airfare charges from your home country to the UK and return at the end of the award.
• Living allowance of £1,347- 1378 per month. Allowance of £1,652- 1690 per month if you live in London
• Warm clothing allowance (if applicable)
• Travel grants for study-related travel within the UK or overseas
• Provision for fieldwork undertaken overseas
• A paid mid-term visit (airfare) to your home country
• Family allowances
• Additional financial support for disabled candidates
• Medical test fees coverage for visa application

Additional benefits for Professional Fellowships candidates:

• The visa application fee reimbursed
• Living expenses at the rate of £2,057 per month, or £2,553 per month if you reside in London.
• Arrival allowance of up to £1,156.60 
• £3,000 to attend short courses/conferences as well as travel to visit other  UK organizations.

Eligibility Criteria

• A citizen or refugee of an eligible Commonwealth country, or a British Protected Person.
• A permanent resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
• Available to start academic studies in the UK by the start of the academic year.
• By the beginning of your academic year, you should have a bachelor’s degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honors standard, or a lower second-class degree.
• For PhD scholarships, you will need an appropriate master’s degree too.
• Not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in your own country
• Proof that you’ll be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
• Have all supporting documents in the required format

Other criteria required for Professional Fellowship:

• At least five years full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience, in a profession related to the subject of the fellowship programme
• Be in employment at the time of application at an organization
• Provide at least two references
• Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship within the last five years (at the time of taking up the award)
• Not undertaking any academic programme of research or study. 

Documents Required

• Scanned copy of the passport
• Academic transcripts
• Degree certificates
• Admissions letter (if applicable)
• References 
• Personal Statement
• Bank Statements
• Other documents if required

Application Process

The application process is completely online for the Commonwealth scholarships. However, there are mediators generally referred to as nominators through which you can start your application. There are three types of nominators invited to participate in the scholarship programme

• National nominating agencies 
• Selected universities/university bodies 
• Selected non-governmental organizations and charitable bodies.

After applying to any one of them, whichever is applicable and accessible to you, you’ll be nominated based on your eligibility. After selection, you can start applying to CSC online. The application form and other details will be provided to you by your nominating agency. 

For some courses, you may be required to apply directly to the CSC. The application procedure is completely online and you must submit your applications to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s Online Application. 

Important Dates

Applications are now closed for the 2025- 26 session and generally start by the months of September or October and close by December for online applications. We’ll keep you updated on that as soon as the next dates are released. If you are applying through nominators, you may have different deadlines as nominators are allowed to set their own deadlines for applications. Make sure you cross-check with your nominator for an exact application timeline.

Selection process and criteria

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK makes its decisions solely on the basis of the applications received by the candidates. There are no determined quotas for people from different countries and selections are made based on the following three criteria:

• Your academic merit
• Your quality of the research proposal
• The potential impact you’ll have on the development of your home country

Tips for Applicants

The Commonwealth scholarships are highly competitive and thus only candidates whose applications are outstanding across the board are likely to be successful. Follow the below tips to have a successful application and higher chances of selection:

• Check the detailed eligibility criteria to apply for the scholarship. Make sure you check all the boxes and have all the necessary documents ready before application.
• Every year many of the strong candidates are also disqualified just because of incomplete applications. Make sure you are mindful while applying.
• Having good grades in the last degree won’t make any difference, successful applicants are those who have strong academic grades at both undergraduate or postgraduate level (wherever applicable). 
• For successful PhD Scholarship applications, make sure you have a good list of publications and conference papers, better if in internationally respected academic journals.
• Since the CSC is mainly focused on development, your successful selection also depends on your proposal of how your work will lead to development in your home country.
• Lastly, present a well-crafted personal statement. Do not focus more on your academic achievements, rather show how your personal background has encouraged you to want to make an impact in your home country.

FAQs