Students from throughout the Commonwealth who due to financial constraints would not be able to study in the U.K. are the target audience for Commonwealth Scholarships. Through providing financial support for postgraduate courses in various formats, the program contributes to the development of future leaders and innovators.

Till date, over 31,000 people have taken up a Commonwealth Scholarship! 

Availability of awards 

1. Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for least developed countries and fragile states) 
2. Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships (for low and middle-income countries) 
3. Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships
4. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships
5. Commonwealth Distance Learning scholarships 
6. Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for high-income countries)
7. Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

CSC Development Themes 

All Commonwealth Scholarships are offered under six CSC development themes.

1. Science and technology for development
2. Strengthening health systems and capacity
3. Promoting global prosperity
4. Strengthening global peace, security, and governance
5. Strengthening resilience and response to crises
6. Access, inclusion, and opportunity

A. Commonwealth PhD Scholarships

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office funds Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for applicants from the least developed nations and fragile states. 

The application deadline is October 17, 2023.

The candidate must: 

• Have either a lower second-class degree plus a suitable postgraduate qualification, or a first degree with at least an upper second-class (2:1) honors standard by September 2024.
• Not be able to afford this scholarship 

Eligible countries are 

• Bangladesh, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, and  Zambia

Applications will be considered according to: 

• Academic merit 
• Quality of research proposal
• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s country

Financial assistance: 

• Approved tuition fees: Full tuition fees are covered 
• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,347 per month
• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the U.K. or overseas.
• Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas 

B. Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships (for low and middle-income countries) 

• Funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development and are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK. They offer PhD scholars studying at eligible universities across the Commonwealth the opportunity to conduct research at an institute in the UK for 12 months.
• Applicant must be registered for a PhD at a university in an eligible Commonwealth country by the time your Scholarship starts (September 2023)

Eligible counties are: 

• 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, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and  Zambia

Applications will be considered according to: 

• Academic merit 
• Quality of research proposal
• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s country

Financial assistance:
– Approved tuition fees: Full tuition fees covered
– Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,236 per month
– Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
– Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas

C. Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

• Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.
• Candidates from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries are eligible to undertake full-time Master’s study at a UK university.

Applicant must: 

• By September 2024, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honors standard, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification 
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK this scholarship 

Eligible counties are: 

• 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, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and  Zambia

Applications will be considered according to: 

• Academic merit 
• Quality of research proposal
• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s country

Financial assistance:
– Approved tuition fees: Full tuition fees covered
– Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,236 per month
– Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
– Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas

D. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

• Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Shared Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are for candidates from eligible low and middle-income Commonwealth countries, to undertake full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university

Applicant must:

• By September 2023, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honors standard, or a lower second-class degree (2:2) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
• Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high-income country
• Be unable to afford to study in a UK university without this Scholarship

Eligible counties are: 

• 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, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and  Zambia

Applications will be considered according to: 

• Academic merit 
• Quality of research proposal
• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s come country

Financial assistance:
– Approved tuition fees: Full tuition fees covered
– Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,236 per month
– Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
– Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
– Contribution towards the cost of a mandatory tuberculosis (TB) test, where required for a visa application

E.Commonwealth Distance Learning  scholarships 

• Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Shared Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships are 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.

Applicant must –

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person
• Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
• Hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard. A lower qualification and sufficient relevant experience may be considered in certain cases.
• Be unable to afford to study the program without this scholarship.

Eligible counties are: 

• 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, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and  Zambia

Applications will be considered according to: 

• Academic merit of the candidate 
• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s come country

Financial assistance:
Approved tuition fees: Full tuition fees covered 

F. Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for high-income countries)

• Funded by the UK Department for Education (DfE), Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for high-income countries support research that will have an impact in a field relating to sustainable development. They also enhance individual teaching and research capacity leading to increased institutional capacity in academic and other sectors in Commonwealth countries and will contribute to UK higher education and research by attracting high-caliber international candidates and encouraging links and collaboration.
• Commonwealth PhD scholarships are for high-quality graduates who have the potential to undertake world-class research of a developmental nature and to become influential leaders, teachers, or researchers in their home countries.

Applicant must:

• Show evidence that they are currently permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country. 
• Not be registered for or have started a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD at a UK University prior to the start of the Scholarship and be available to start the Scholarship and academic studies in the UK in January/February 2024 
• Hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honors standard, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree) by the time they apply for the Scholarship

Eligible counties are: 

• Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Malta, New Zealand, Seychelles, Singapore, St Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands

Applications will be considered according to:

• Academic merit 
• Quality of research proposal
• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s come country

Financial assistance:
– Approved tuition fees: Full tuition fees covered
– Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,236 per month
– Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
– Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
– Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (the cost of one economy class return airfare to the fieldwork location), where approved.

G. Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

• Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are for mid-career professionals from low and middle-income countries to spend a period of time at a UK host organization working in their sector for a program of professional development.
• provide professionals with the opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills in their given sector, and to have catalytic effects on their workplaces.
• Mid-career professionals (with five years relevant work experience) working organizations in low and middle-income Commonwealth countries.

Applicant must:

• Have at least five years full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience, in a profession related to the subject of the fellowship programme, by the proposed start of the fellowship – voluntary work experience will not be counted towards this minimum
• Be in employment at the time of application at an organization that they will return to upon completion of the fellowship
• Provide at least two references, one of which must be from their current employer. Any applications for which references are not received by the reference closing date will be considered ineligible

Eligible counties are: 

• 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, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu and  Zambia

Financial assistance:

• Approved return airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK.
• Reimbursement of the standard visa application fee.
• Stipend (living allowance) payable monthly (or pro rata) for the duration of the award at the rate of £1,944 per month
• Arrival allowance of up to £1,061.10 (rates quoted at 2022/23 levels), including an element for warm clothing.
• A maximum of £3,000 per Fellow can be agreed by host organizations for short courses/conferences as well as travel to visit other UK organizations where this forms an integral part of the programme.