Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme 2023

Deadline: March 14, 2023

The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship programme is one of three Master’s programmes offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) provides the UK government scholarship scheme led by international development objectives. It operates within the framework of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) and offers a vivid demonstration of the UK’s enduring commitment to the Commonwealth. By attracting individuals with outstanding talent and identifiable potential from all backgrounds and supporting them to become leaders and innovators on returning to their home countries, the CSC’s work combines sustainable development with the UK national interest and provides opportunities for international partnerships and collaboration.

Benefit

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are jointly funded by the CSC and participating UK universities.

Each scholarship provides:

Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of their Scholarship (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before the award is confirmed) – funded by the CSC
Approved tuition fees: full fees are covered by an 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 £1,236 per month, or £1,516 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at current 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
Contribution towards the cost of 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 Scholars have children and are widowed, divorced, or single parents, a child allowance of £529 per month for the first child, and £131 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if Scholars are accompanied by their children and they are living with them at the same address in the UK (rates quoted at current levels)
If Scholars share that they have a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC.
The CSC’s family allowances are intended to only be used as a contribution towards the cost of maintaining a Scholar’s family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher. Scholars must be able to supplement these allowances to support any family members who come to the UK with them.

Eligible countries

Note that only candidates from the eligible countries listed below can apply for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships in 2023/24.

Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.

Selection Criteria

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 March 2023. The CSC will then confirm that these candidates meet the eligibility criteria for this programme. Universities will inform candidates of their results by July 2023.

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

Academic merit of the candidate
Quality of the plan of study
Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country

Application

In the application form, candidates will be asked to:

List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained
List up to 10 publications and prizes
Provide details of their employment history and explain how each job is relevant to the programme to be undertaken in the UK
Provide a statement on the relevance of their previous work experience to the proposed Scholarship
List names and positions of three referees who are qualified to comment on both the candidate’s capacity to benefit from the proposed Scholarship in the UK and their ability to deliver development impact afterward. One referee must be a current employer (if applicable)
Provide a Development Impact statement in 4 parts.