Apply For 2015 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme in UK Universities

Applications are ongoing for the 2015 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme in UK Universities for Commonwealth Countries. The CSC is offering the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme for Masters Students from Commonwealth Countries to study in UK Universities for the 2015/2016 academic session.

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

Without these awards they would not otherwise have been able to benefit from UK higher education. For 2014 69 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. See list of participating universities from the CSS prospective 2015 (downloadable at the link below).

Scholarship Value

The CSC funds the cost of tuition fees (at overseas rate), return airfares, and other allowances. Participating universities are required to support the student stipend for the award holder (at the rate set by the UK government).

The awards are normally tenable for one-year taught postgraduate courses only and about 227 scholarship slots are available. 

Commonwealth Countries

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji*, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guineas, Pitcairn, Rwanda, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania,Tonga,Trinidad and Tobago, Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda,Vanuatu, Western Samoa, Zambia, Zimbabwe*.

Eligibility

To apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, candidates must:

• Be Commonwealth citizens, refugees, or British protected persons
• Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country (a full list is available in the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2015 prospectus)
• Be available to commence their academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2015
• Hold, by October 2015, a first degree of at least upper second class Honours standard
• Not have undertaken studies lasting one year or more in a developed country
• Be unable themselves, or through their families, to pay to study in the UK.

Application Procedure and Deadline

Download 2015 Prospectus for method of application, a list of eligible universities, courses, number of available awards and closing dates. (Download relevant forms and prospectus from the Official Scholarship website. 

All enquiries about Commonwealth Shared Scholarships should be directed to the university to which you wish to apply. 

Official Scholarship Website – http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/shared-scholarships/info-candidates/