For developing Commonwealth country
citizens.
Commonwealth Scholarships for Master’s
and PhD study in the UK are offered for citizens of developing
Commonwealth countries. These scholarships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID),
with the aim of contributing to the UK’s international development aims and
wider overseas interests, supporting excellence in UK higher education, and
sustaining the principles of the Commonwealth. For information on other
scholarships offered by the CSC, visit our Apply
page.
You can apply for a Commonwealth
Scholarship for the following levels of study:
·
Master’s
(one-year courses only)
·
PhD...
All subject areas are eligible,
although the CSC’s selection criteria give priority to applications that
demonstrate the strongest relevance to development.
You should apply to study at a UK
university with which the CSC has a part funding agreement. Click here for a list
of UK universities which have part funding agreements with the CSC
Eligibility
To apply for these scholarships, you
must:
·
Be a
Commonwealth citizen, refugee, or British protected person
·
Be
permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
·
Be
available to start your 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. The CSC is committed to administering and managing
its scholarships and fellowships in a fair and transparent manner – for more
information, see the CSC anti-fraud policy.
Terms
and conditions
For full terms and conditions, see the Commonwealth Scholarships 2017
terms and conditions
If you are applying for PhD study, you
may, if you wish, propose to study at one university for a four-year PhD, but
this must be based in a recognised Doctoral Training Centre. You must research
this option thoroughly (further details can be found on the websites of the
individual Research Councils in the UK) and justify the
added value of this above a three-year PhD. As the CSC will fund only a limited
number of four-year PhDs, if you do choose this option, you are strongly
advised to also propose at least one three-year PhD choice.
Selection
process
Each year, the CSC invites selected
nominating bodies to submit a specific number of nominations. The deadline for
nominating bodies to submit nominations to the CSC is 13 December 2016.
The CSC invites around three times more
nominations than scholarships available – therefore, nominated candidates are
not guaranteed to be awarded a scholarship. There are no quotas for
scholarships for any individual country. Candidates nominated by national
nominating agencies are in competition with those nominated by other nominating
bodies, and the same standards will be applied to applications made through
either channel.
Each nominated candidate’s application
is first considered by a member of the CSC’s panel of advisers with expertise
in the subject area concerned, and then by the CSC’s selection committee in
competition with other candidates.
Applications are considered according
to the following selection criteria:
·
Academic
merit of the candidate
·
Quality
of the plan of study
·
Potential
impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country
For further details, see the Selection criteria for 2017
Commonwealth Scholarships for Master’s and PhD study
