The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship is part of the United Kingdom’s international development activities, and it provides Master’s degrees to postgraduate students from low- and middle-income nations.
The program addresses development requirements by training talented professionals and academics, promoting long-term development, and fostering international collaboration.
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are sponsored jointly by the Commonwealth and UK institutions and cover approved travel, full tuition fees, and a monthly stipend.
Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Details:
A Commonwealth Shared Scholarship covers fees, approved fares and personal maintenance. Other scholarships, awards, or bursaries that cover the same costs may not be held concurrently.
For the CSC to administer the application effectively and efficiently after submission, it will be necessary to create a record in the applicant’s name.
If they apply for an award to the CSC, their details will be kept on file. Basic anonymised demographic data for all applicants will be kept for analytical research.
Eligibility Requirements for Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2024
To be considered for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, you must:
- Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country.
- 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 2024.
- By September 2024, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours standard, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree).
- Not have studied or worked for more than one (academic) year or more in a high-income country
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.
Benefits of 2024 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship
Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 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 the award (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 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 £1,347 per month, or £1,652 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 – paid by the university, funded by the CSC.
- Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas – paid by the university, funded by the CSC.
- Contribution towards the cost of a mandatory tuberculosis (TB) test, where required for a visa application (receipts must be supplied) – paid by the university, funded by the CSC.
- If a Scholar has children and is widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of child allowance of £576.61 per month for the first child, and £143 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their children are living with them at the same address in the UK.
Each participating UK university will conduct its own recruitment process to select a specified number of candidates to be awarded Commonwealth Shared Scholarships and put these forward to the CSC. The CSC will then confirm that these candidates meet the eligibility criteria for the programme.
Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:
- Academic merit
- Quality of research proposal
- Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s come country
How to Apply for Commonwealth Shared Scholarship (Step by Step)
To apply for the 2024 Commonwealth Shared Scholarship, here are the step by step process of application
- Open Application Period: Applications for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for the 2024/25 academic year are currently open. Ensure you submit your application by the deadline at 16:00 GMT on Thursday, 14 December 2023, for UK study starting in September/October 2024.
- Online Application System: Utilize the CSC’s online application system exclusively for submitting your application. The CSC cannot accept any applications or documentation outside of this system.
- Apply Early: Due to high demand, it is recommended to complete and submit your application as early as possible. The online application system experiences increased activity leading up to the deadline.
- Select Approved Master’s Course: Choose and apply for an approved Master’s course at a participating UK university. You can view the full list of approved courses on the official website.
- Explore Universities: Research and view details of all participating UK universities. While you can apply for more than one course and to more than one university, you can only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship. Note that these scholarships are specifically for Master’s courses.
- Admission Application: Apart from applying for the Shared Scholarship, you must also apply and secure admission for your chosen university course. Refer to the chosen university’s guidelines for application timelines, admission requirements, and application rules.
- Nomination Process: After applications close, universities will nominate their chosen candidates to the CSC in March 2024. Ensure you follow the university’s specific advice during the admission process.
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