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UK Commonwealth Masters & PhD Scholarships, 2024

Application for UK Commonwealth Scholarship is now open for Masters and PhD students from developing Commonwealth countries to study in UK, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

Scholarship Benefits: 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).
  • 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).
  • Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
  • Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
  • 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.

To be taken at: UK Universities

Application Deadline: 17th October 2023 at 16:00 GMT.

Eligible Countries: Developing commonwealth countries

Scholarship Type: Masters, PhD

About Scholarship: Every year, the UK provides scholarships for people from developing Commonwealth countries who want to pursue Master’s or PhD degrees in the UK. These scholarships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The goal is to help with the UK’s international development efforts and other global interests. These scholarships also promote high-quality education in the UK and uphold the values of the Commonwealth.

Who Can Apply For Commonwealth Scholarship? 

For Masters, here are the requirements:

  • 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 2023
  • By September 2023, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree (2:2) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree). The CSC would not normally fund a second UK Master’s degree. If you are applying for a second UK Master’s degree, you will need to justify as to why you wish to undertake this study
  • NOT be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in your home country before September 2023
  • Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
  • Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format

For Ph.D, Here are the requirements;

  • 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 2023
  • By September 2023, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second-class degree (2:2) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (a Master’s degree)
  • NOT be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university before September 2022
  • NOT have commenced and be currently registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, in your home country or elsewhere
  • Have the support of a potential supervisor from at least one UK university listed in your application form
  • Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format
  • Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship

Selection Criteria: Applications are considered according to the following selection criteria:

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

Selection process

Each year, the CSC invites selected nominating bodies to submit a specific number of nominations.

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 compete with those nominated by other nominating bodies, and the same standards will be applied to applications made through either channel.

Number of Scholarships: Approximately 300 scholarships are awarded each year. The CSC invites around three times more nominations than scholarships available – therefore, nominated candidates are not guaranteed to get a scholarship. There are no quotas for scholarships for any individual country. Candidates nominated by national nominating agencies compete with those nominated by universities/university bodies, and the same standards will be applied to applications made through either channel.

Duration of Scholarships: 12 months for Masters and up to 36 months for PhD

How to Apply for UK Commonwealth Scholarships.

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.

As well as applying to the CSC, applicants must apply to a nominating agency.

Nominating agency for Master’s scholarships:

Nominating agency for PhD Scholarships:

Each nominating agency oversees its own selection process and may have additional eligibility criteria. Applicants must check with the nominating agency for their specific advice and rules for applying, and their own eligibility criteria.

Nominating agencies may set their own closing dates for applications.

Agencies will nominate scholarship candidates to the CSC by December 2023.

Applicants can expect to hear the outcome by July 2024. We will contact all applicants by email, and they should ensure all folders of their email accounts are monitored, including junk mail and spam folders. A scholarship offer may be withdrawn if a scholarship candidate is emailed but does not respond within a specified time.

Visit Masters Scholarship webpage for more details. Read carefully for guidance.

Visit PhD Scholarship webpage for more details. Read carefully for guidance.

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Comments (7) on "UK Commonwealth Masters & PhD Scholarships, 2024"

  1. Good day ma/sir please I will like to apply

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