Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for Developing Countries

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (with funding from the Department for International Development (DFID), and UK universities, to support scholarships for students from developing Commonwealth countries. These scholarships are for candidates from least developed and lower middle income Commonwealth countries, for full-time Master’s study on selected courses, jointly supported by UK universities.

This scholarship, which is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), are available for talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development and are aimed majorly for the category of people who cannot afford to study in the UK.

Intended beneficiaries

High-quality postgraduate students who have not studied extensively overseas before, who would not otherwise have the opportunity to study in the UK, and who have the potential to enhance the development of their home countries with the knowledge and leadership skills they acquire.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are offered for selected taught full-time Master’s courses. Please see the ‘applicable courses’ section below. These scholarships do not cover PhD study, or any pre-sessional English language teaching.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships Universities

1. Aberystwyth University
2. Bangor University
3. Bath Spa University
4. Brunel University London
5. City University London
6. Coventry University
7. Cranfield University
8. Durham University
9. Goldsmiths University of London
10. Imperial College London
11. King’s College London
12. Liverpool Hope University
13. Liverpool John Moores University
14. London School of Economics and Political Science
15. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
16. Newcastle University
17. Nottingham Trent University
18. Oxford Brookes University
19. Queen Margaret University
20. Queen Mary, University of London
21. Queen’s University Belfast
22. Royal Holloway, University of London
23. Royal Veterinary College
24. Sheffield Hallam University
25. SOAS, University of London
26. St Mary’s University
27. University College London
28. University of Aberdeen
29. University of Bath
30. University of Birmingham
31. University of Bristol
32. University of Cambridge
33. University of Chester
34. University of East Anglia
35. University of Edinburgh
36. University of Exeter
37. University of Glasgow
38. University of Kent
39. University of Leeds
40. University of Leicester
41. University of Lincoln
42. University of Nottingham
43. University of Oxford
44. University of Portsmouth
45. University of Reading
46. University of Salford
47. University of Southampton
48. University of St Andrews
49. University of Stirling
50. University of Strathclyde
51. University of Sussex (Institute of Development Studies)
52. University of the West of England
53. University of Warwick
54. University of Wolverhampton

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Eligible Courses – Categorized Under Six 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

Eligible Candidates

To apply for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scholarships, you 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 an eligible Commonwealth country
• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2020
• By September 2020, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification.
• Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high income country
• And lastly, be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship

Eligible Commonwealth countries

Bangladesh, Cameroon, Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia

Application Criteria for Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

• Academic merit of the candidate
• The potential impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country

Value/Benefits

The award will cover:

• Tuition fees
• Maintenance allowance
• Economy air travel to and from the UK
• Plus additional discretionary allowances.

This award usually tenable for one year.

Application Procedure

• You must apply for the scholarship on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Electronic Application System (EAS) online following the procedures described on their website.