Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme for Study in UK Universities 2018/2019

Application Deadline: 17th April 2018

The EAS will open for applications on 23rd February 2018.

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Bangladesh, Cameroon, Ghana, Guyana, India, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia.

To be taken at (country): Various UK Universities. Download CSS prospectus 2018 in Program Webpage Link below for full list of participating universities and respective deadlines.

Accepted Subject Areas: Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme is for taught Master’s courses only. All courses undertaken must be demonstrably relevant to the economic, social or technological development of the candidate’s home country. See full list of courses from the 2018 CSS prospectus

Offered Since: 1986


Eligibility: To apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship scheme, candidates 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 your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2018
• By October 2018, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
• Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high income country
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates.

Selection: 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 by 17 May 2018. The CSC will then confirm that these candidates meet the eligibility criteria for this scheme. Universities will inform candidates of their results by July 2018.
Selection criteria include:

• Academic merit of the candidate
• Potential impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country

Number of Scholarships: Up to 227 scholarship positions

Scholarship value: The CSC funds the cost of tuition fees (at overseas rate), return airfares, and other allowances. Participating universities are required to support the student stipend for the award holder (at the rate set by the UK government).

Duration of scholarship: Awards are normally tenable for one-year taught postgraduate courses only.

How to Apply

1. All applications must be made through your chosen university. You must check with your chosen university for their specific advice, admission requirements, and rules for applying. Some universities may require you to complete their own admissions application form as well, which may have a separate closing date. You must take the necessary steps to secure admission to your course at the same time as applying for a Shared Scholarship.
2. You must make your application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS), in addition to any other application that you are required to complete by your chosen university.
3. You can apply for more than one course and/or to more than one university, but you may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship.
4. All applications must be submitted by 23.59 (BST) on 17 April 2018 at the latest. Each university has its own closing date for applications, and most are before this date. Any applications submitted after a university closing date will not be considered; please ensure you apply via the EAS before your university closing date.
5. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the EAS to your UK university, or any applications directly from individuals; such applications will not be acknowledged.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for Details

Sponsors: UK Department for International Development (DFID), as part of the UK international development programme to developing countries, and participating institutions in the UK. The scheme is administered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC).

About Scholarship: The Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, set up by the Department for International Development (DFID) in 1986, represent a unique partnership between the United Kingdom government and UK universities. To date, more than 3,500 students from developing Commonwealth countries have been awarded Shared Scholarships. Without these awards they would not otherwise have been able to benefit from UK higher education.
UK universities have offered to support the scholarships by contributing the stipend for the students from their own resources, or those which the university has been able to generate from elsewhere. See list of participating universities from the CSS prospective 2016 below.