Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for Students from Developing Countries

Deadline: 9th April, 2021

Apply for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for students from developing countries and middle-income commonwealth countries. The scholarship is for a full-time Master’s study on selected courses, jointly supported by UK Universities.

The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is one of the largest and most prestigious international scholarship schemes in the world. Since it was established in 1959, over 30,000 individuals have held a Commonwealth Scholarship or Fellowship – 28,500 of them were funded by the UK government, through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC).

The CSC awards around 700 scholarships and fellowships for postgraduate study and professional development to Commonwealth citizens each year.

Commonwealth Shared 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.

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and 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.

These 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

Eligibility

To apply for these scholarships, you must:

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person
• Must be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK, or remotely if required, by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2021.
• 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 (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 at a UK university without this scholarship
• Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format

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SEE ALSO: University of Nottingham Developing Solutions Scholarships, 2021

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Eligible Commonwealth countries

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

Selection process

Each participating UK University will conduct its own recruitment process to select a specified number of candidates to be awarded Commonwealth Shared Scholarships. Universities must put forward their selected candidates to the CSC in May 2021. The CSC will then confirm that these candidates meet the eligibility criteria for this scheme. Universities will inform candidates of their results in July 2021.

Applications will be consideration according to the following selection criteria:

• Academic merit of the candidate
• Potential impact of the study on the development of the candidate’s home country.

For further details, see the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2021 selection criteria

How to apply

You can apply for more than one taught Master’s course and/or to more than one university though the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships Scheme, but you may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship. These scholarships do not cover undergraduate courses, PhD study, or any pre-sessional English language teaching, and are usually tenable for one year only.

View the full list of eligible courses.

You must also secure admission to your course in addition to applying for a Shared Scholarship. You must check with your chosen university for their specific advice on when to apply, admission requirements, and rules for applying. View a full list of university contact details

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For more information on the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, visit the official page here.