Applications for the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships for the 2023/24 academic year are now open. The scholarship is among the top UK government fully funded scholarship schemes that operate within the framework of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP). it offers a vivid demonstration of the UK’s enduring commitment to the Commonwealth.
Through the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship, the UK government attracts 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 Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), through this scholarship, combines sustainable development with the UK national interest and provides opportunities for international partnerships and collaboration with outstanding young scholars. The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. The commission is also committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates.
Host Institutions
UK universities.
Eligible Countries
Students who are nationals of the countries listed below can apply for the scholarship.
Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, 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, The Gambia, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zambia.
Eligible Courses for the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships
All Master’s Degree courses offered at any UK university.
Number of Scholarships
Not specified.
You may also apply for University of Birmingham Commonwealth Masters Scholarships.
Scholarship Benefits
If you are selected for the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships, you will be provided with:
- Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award
- Approved tuition fees: full fees are covered by agreement between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the UK university, and scholars are not liable to pay for any part of the tuition fee
- Living allowance at the rate of £1,236 per month, or £1,516 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area
- Warm clothing allowance (where applicable)
- Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation (where applicable)
- Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
- If you have children and are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, 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 you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK
- If you share that you have a disability, a full assessment of your needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC)
Scholarship Duration
One year.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the Commonwealth Master’s 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 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)
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format
Please note that the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission would not normally fund a second UK Master’s degree. Therefore, if you are applying for a second UK Master’s degree, you will need to provide justification as to why you wish to undertake this study.
Application Instructions
- Applications are online and must be made using the CSC’s online application system.
- Applications must be made through either the National nominating agencies or
Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies. The commission does not accept direct application, so applicants must be nominated by either of the two nominating agencies. - The following documents must be uploaded in PDF format with your application:
- Proof that you are a citizen or have refugee status in an eligible Commonwealth country: a copy of a valid passport (or national ID card) showing a photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship
- Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications, including to-date transcripts for any courses currently being studied, with certified translations if not in English
- References from at least two individuals, on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details
Kindly note that each nominating agency oversees its own selection process and may have additional eligibility criteria. Therefore, candidates must check with the nominating agency for their specific advice and rules for applying, and their own eligibility criteria. Nominating agencies may as well set their own closing date for applications.
We further advise that candidates should complete and submit their applications as early as possible as the online application system will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline.
Application Deadline
18 October 2022 at 16:00 GMT.
Official Website
www.cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/
DISCLAIMER: Applicants are advised to note that Scholars Guide is not a scholarship agency, and as such may not have any link with the scholarship provider(s). Here, we only advertise scholarships. Therefore, go to the scholarship official website above, read more about the scholarship and make your application.