Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK is responsible for managing Britain's contribution to the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP). The CSC makes available seven types of award and supports around 700 awards in total annually.

The Commonwealth Shared Scholarships programme is one of three Masters programmes offered by the CSC. It’s designed to provide training for skilled and qualified professionals and academics from Commonwealth countries who would not otherwise have been able to study in the UK. You can find full details of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship on the CSC website. Details include:

• Approved return airfare from your home country to the UK
• Fully funded tuition fees covered by an agreement between the CSC and the UK university
• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,347 per month, or £1,652 per month if studying at a university in the London metropolitan area
• Warm clothing allowance
• Study travel grant: funding towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
• Child allowance: those who have children and are widowed, divorce, or a single parent, will receive £576.61 per month for the first child, and £143 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16. Only applicable if their children are living with them at the same address in the UK

Eligiblity

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country
• Be a permanent resident of an eligible Commonwealth country
• Be available to start academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September
• By September of the year applying, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Masters degree)
• Not have studies of worked for more than one (academic) year 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

Application

• All applications must be submitted through the CSC’s online application system
• Applicants must apply to a nominating agency (you can do this through National nominating agencies or selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies.)

Find further useful information on the CSC's advice for applicants page.