Do you want to pursue your Master’s and PhD degrees in the UK? We bring you good news! UK Commonwealth Scholarship 2024-2025 is available. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) is the sponsor of the fully funded scholarship program known as the UK Commonwealth Scholarship 2024-2025. Students from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries are eligible to apply for a one-year master’s degree program and a three-year Ph.D. scholarship under this program. Commonwealth scholarship is one of the most prestigious UK scholarships, alongside Chevening and Gates Cambridge.
For the CSC Scholarship, candidates must apply online as well as through a nominating agency. The applicants will be chosen by the nominating agency and sent to the Commonwealth Committee. Scholarship recipients must begin their studies in the UK in September or October 2024. The steps for applying for the UK Commonwealth Scholarship for 2024–2025 are shown below.
Details About UK Commonwealth Scholarship 2024/25 (Masters, PhD)
- Host Country: UK
- Scholarship Name: Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
- Who can Apply: For Master, and PhD
- Financial Coverage: Fully Funded
- Deadline for Commonwealth Masters Scholarship: 17:00 hours BST (16:00 GMT) on 17 October 2024.
- Deadline for Commonwealth PhD Scholarship: 17:00 hours BST (16:00 GMT) on 17 October 2024
How to Apply for the UK Commonwealth Scholarship?
There are two stages involved in applying for the Commonwealth Scholarship 2024:
Commonwealth Online Application System
The CSC’s online application system must be used to submit applications. Applications and supporting documents not submitted online will not be accepted by the CSC.
The application should be finished as soon as possible, applicants are instructed. Waiting until the last day can result in problems because the online application system will be bustling in those final few days.
Apply to the Nominating Agency
Candidates must submit an application to a nominating agency in addition to the CSC. The higher education organization in your country serves as the nominating agency.
There are two different categories of master’s scholarship nominating agencies. Check the links below for your country’s name.
- National nominating agencies – this is the main route of application
- Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies
For PhD scholarships, there are three different categories of nominating agencies:
- National nominating agencies – this is the main route of application
- Selected universities/university bodies – which can nominate their academic staff
- Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies
The scholarship applicants will be sent by the nominating agency to the CSC for review. Direct applications for these scholarships are not accepted by the CSC.
When the nominating agency posts the additional eligibility requirements for the Commonwealth scholarship on its website, applicants must review them.
The deadlines for applications may be determined by nominating agencies independently.
By December 2023, agencies will provide the names of CSC-nominated scholarship applicants.
Outcome of Application
By July 2024, applicants can anticipate learning the results.
Financial Coverage
Each recipient of a Commonwealth Scholarship will receive the following benefits:
- Return Air Ticket
- Covers Full Tuition Fee
- £1,347 or £1,652 per month as a monthly stipend.
- Also includes the allowance for warm clothing.
- Thesis Allowance
- Grants for Additional Study Travel
- The scholarship provides £576.61 for the first kid and £143 a month for the second and third children under the age of 16 if the applicants are widowed, divorced, or single parents.
- Added allowance for a disabled person.
Supporting Documents
The following documents must be uploaded along with the application by applicants:
- Proof that they are a citizen of a country that is eligible for the Commonwealth.
- A Copy of a Valid Passport
- Full transcripts outlining all higher education credentials, up-to-date transcripts for any courses still being taken, and certified translations in cases where the transcripts are not in English. Any transcripts that are incomplete or don’t have all the pages will disqualify the application.
- References in PDF format, signed by two or more people, on institutional letterhead, or in an email with the sender’s information visible.
Advice for Applicants
On the Advice for Applicants page, applicants will obtain general information on Commonwealth Scholarships.
Choosing a University/Course
Candidates must select their preferred university and subject. The links provided here will aid you in selecting the school and course that are best for you.
- Study UK – The website of the British Council offers information for overseas students as well as a course and institution search
- Steps to Postgraduate Study – A primer for the proper questions to ask about taught postgraduate studies in the UK
- Postgrad.com – details for postgraduate students, including a course search
- Prospects – information about postgraduate study in the UK
- Research Excellent Framework 2021 results – results of a system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions
- UCAS Postgraduate – advice on where to look and how to apply for a postgraduate course
- Discover Uni– the official website for comparing course statistics for UK higher education
- UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) – tips on selecting a course of study for international students
Academic applicants with low CGPAs are advised to target schools in smaller cities if their CGPA is poor. You can read our in-depth blog about studying in the UK in 2023 with a low CGPA.
Eligible countries for the Commonwealth UK Scholarship 2024
- Bangladesh
- Belize
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Dominica
- Eswatini
- Fiji
- Gabon
- 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
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
Eligibility Criteria for Applicants
- Either possess citizenship in the stated country or be a refugee there.
- One of the aforementioned countries’ permanent residents.
- Ready to begin academic courses in September 2024.
- Hold a first degree with at least upper second-class (2:1) honors by September 2024, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate certificate (often a Master’s degree).
- Be unable to pay for their studies in the UK, without this Scholarship.
- Have all necessary additional documents in the required format submitted.
Scholarship Tenure
- One Year taught Master’s programmes
- Three Years of full-time study
Application Deadline
Please submit your CSC online application for the Commonwealth Scholarship 2024-2025 by October 17, 2023.
Commonwealth Scholarship Website Link
To Apply for the Commonwealth Master Scholarship: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-masters-scholarships/
To Apply for the Commonwealth Ph.D. Scholarship: https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-phd-scholarships-for-least-developed-countries-and-fragile-states/