UK Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme

Apply for this fully funded UK commonwealth shared scholarship scheme

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

Brief description:

The UK Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme provides scholarships for international students from developing Commonwealth countries who wants to study a postgraduate degree in UK Universities.  It is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (with funding from DFID), and UK universities.

The Scheme allows them to contribute toward the development of their home countries. Awards are for taught masters courses only. No awards will be made for undergraduate or doctoral study.

Participating Universities(s):

Scholarships are only available at participating universities in the UK.  See the Booklet for 2022 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Prospectus for details of the UK institutions offering Scholarships joint-funded with the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in 2021.

Fields of study:

Shared Scholarship Scheme (SSS) Awards are offered only for subjects relating to the economic, social and technological development of a candidate’s country.  Additional details of the eligible courses (or departments) offered by the institutions is found at the 2022 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Prospectus (link above).

Number of Scholarships:

It is envisaged that around 170 Scholarships will be offered distributed to the participating institutions.

Target group:

Nationals of Commonwealth Developing Countries (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda Nauru, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana,  British Virgin Islands, Namibia, Cameroon, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana,  India,  Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati,  Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia,  Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guineas, Pitcairn, Rwanda, St Helena,  St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, 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, and Zambia)

Scholarship value/inclusions:

Each scholarship provides:

• Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before your award is confirmed) – arranged by the university; funded by the CSC
• Approved tuition fees – funded by the CSC
• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,133 per month, or £1,390 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2021-2022 levels) – paid and funded by the university
• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable – paid and funded by the university
• Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable – claimed from and paid by the university; funded by the CSC
• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas – claimed from and paid by the university; funded by the CSC
• Reimbursement of the cost of a mandatory tuberculosis (TB) test, where required for a visa application (receipts must be supplied) – claimed from and paid by the university; funded by the CSC
• If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £485 per month for the first child, and £120 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK (rates quoted at 2021-2022 levels)
• If you declare a disability, a full assessment of your needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC.

Eligibility:

Candidates are normally expected to hold a first degree at either first class or upper second-class level. Sponsoring institutions must confirm that candidates are sufficiently fluent in written and oral English to pursue their proposed studies immediately, as no pre-course English Language Teaching is available under these awards.

Applicants should:

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
• 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 2022
• By September 2022, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours standard, or a lower second-class degree (2:2) 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.

Application instructions:

Applications should be made directly to the institutions at which candidates wish to study. The sponsoring institutions will be the judges of academic calibre and will forward their nominations to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for its agreement.

The specific deadlines set by the participating institutions varies but is around February-May of each year (see 2022 Prospectus for exact deadlines).  Candidates should note that institutions are asked to forward their nominations to the CSC no later than 30 April 2022; where institutions have not specified a closing date candidates, you should contact the institution so as to ascertain the latest date that the institution is willing to accept applications.

It is important to read the 2022 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Prospectus and visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply for this scholarship.

Contact information:

All enquiries should be addressed to the University at which you wish to study.  Contact details of each institution can also be found at the 2022 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Prospectus.

Website: 

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