Applications Invited for Commonwealth Shared Scholarship programme

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About the Organization

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) provides the UK government’s scholarship scheme led by international development objectives. It supports the co-creation of research, innovation, and solutions to enact sustainable development priorities across the Commonwealth and beyond.

About the Scholarship

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.

Purpose: To contribute to development needs of Commonwealth countries by providing training for skilled and qualified professionals and academics who would not otherwise have been able to study in the UK.​

Intended beneficiaries: High-quality postgraduate students from Least Developed and middle-income countries (including fragile and conflict affected states), who have not studied for a year or more in a high-income country before, who would not otherwise afford to study in the UK, and who have the potential to enhance the development of their home countries with the knowledge and leadership skills they acquire.

Eligibility

To be considered for these scholarships, candidates 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 2026.
• By September 2026, 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.

How to Apply

Applications for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for the 2026/27 academic year open at 16:30 GMT on Wednesday 12 November 2025. The scholarships are for study in the UK beginning in September/October 2026.

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 9 December at 16:00 GMT.

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 home country

For further details, please refer to the Commonwealth Scholarships selection criteria. You can download a copy of the selection criteria here.

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