Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2024/2025 for Students from Developing Countries to Study in UK

The CSC is offering the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2024/2025 for Masters Students from Commonwealth Countries to study in UK Universities. This is different from the Commonwealth Scholarship.

Application Deadline: 14th December 2023 16.00 (GMT)

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: 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
Zambia

To be taken at (country): Various UK Universities. Download CSS prospectus 2024 below for full list of participating universities and respective deadlines.

Applicants may find the following resources useful when researching their choices of institution and course of study in the UK:

• Study UK – British Council website, with guidance for international students and a course and institution search.
• Steps to Postgraduate Study – a guide to asking the right questions about taught postgraduate study in the UK.
• Postgrad.com – information for postgraduate students, with a course search
• Prospects – information on postgraduate study in the UK.
• Research Excellent Framework 2021 results – results of a system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.
• UCAS Postgraduate – guidance on how to find and apply for a postgraduate course.
•  Discover Uni – the official website for comparing UK higher education course data.
• UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) – advice for international students on choosing a course of study.

The CSC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Accepted Subject Areas: Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme is for taught Master’s courses only. All courses undertaken must be demonstrably relevant to the economic, social or technological development of the candidate’s home country.

About Scholarship: The Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, set up by the Department for International Development (DFID) in 1986, represents a unique partnership between the United Kingdom government and UK universities. More than 3,500 students from developing Commonwealth countries have been awarded Shared Scholarships.

UK universities have offered to support the scholarships by contributing the stipend for the students from their own resources, or those which the university has been able to generate from elsewhere.

Offered Since: 1986

Eligibility: To apply for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, candidates must:

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country.
• Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
• Be available to start academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2024.
• By September 2024, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours standard, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree).
• Not have studied or worked for more than one (academic) year or more in a high-income country
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
• Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates.

Selection: Each participating UK university will conduct its own recruitment process to select a specified number of candidates to be awarded Commonwealth Shared Scholarships and put these forward to the CSC. The CSC will then confirm that these candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the programme.

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

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

Number of Scholarships: More than 200 scholarships

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships value:

Each scholarship provides:

• Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before the award is confirmed) – funded by the CSC.
• Approved tuition fees: full fees are covered by agreement between the CSC and the UK university, and scholars are not liable to pay for any part of the tuition fee.
• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,347 per month, or £1,652 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at current levels) – paid and funded by the university.
• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable – paid and funded by the university.
• Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable – paid by the university, funded by the CSC.
• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas – paid by the university, funded by the CSC.
• Contribution towards the cost of a mandatory tuberculosis (TB) test, where required for a visa application (receipts must be supplied) – paid by the university, funded by the CSC.
• If a Scholar has children and is widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of child allowance of £576.61 per month for the first child, and £143 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their children are living with them at the same address in the UK.

Duration of Commonwealth Shared Scholarships: 

Scholarships are tenable for any approved course offered by a participating UK university.

Scholarships are to obtain one degree; funding will not be extended to enable candidates to complete a qualification in addition to or higher than that for which the selection was made.

Scholarships are made in respect of full-time study only and no other course of study may be undertaken at the same time.

Candidates must take the necessary steps to apply for admission to the preferred university. Many courses have strict admission deadlines and candidates should check admission requirements carefully when applying.

How to Apply: Applications to the CSC must be made using the CSC’s online application system.

The CSC is unable to accept any applications or documentation not submitted via the online application system.

Applicants are advised to complete and submit applications as early as possible, as the online application system will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline.

Applicants must apply to study an approved Master’s course at a participating UK university.

• View full list of approved courses
• View details of all participating UK universities

Applicants can apply for more than one course and to more than one university, however they may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship. Note these scholarships are only for Master’s courses and not for undergraduate or PhD study.

Applicants must also apply and secure admission for the chosen university course in addition to applying for a Shared Scholarship. Please check with the chosen university for their specific advice on when to apply, admission requirements and rules for applying.

Applications will be shared with the universities who will nominate their chosen candidates to the CSC in March 2024.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for Details