Overview
The Commonwealth Scholarship is a scheme offered by the United Kingdom (UK) government, which provides funding to talented individuals from diverse backgrounds to pursue a Master's degree in the UK. These scholarships aid applicants from Countries with low or middle income who can’t afford to study in the UK for studies beginning in September/October 2026.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Commonwealth scholarships, applicants need to:
- Be a citizen of a Commonwealth eligible Country or have refugee status for an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person.
- Be a permanent resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
- Be available to start academic studies in the UK at the start of the September 2026 academic year.
- Hold a first degree of at least second-class upper (2:1) honours, or a second-class lower degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree) by September 2026.
- Demonstrate that they are unable to study in the UK without this scholarship.
- Have submitted all the required documents in the stated format.
Below is a list of Commonwealth eligible countries
- Bangladesh
- Belize
- Botswana
- Cameroon
- Dominica
- Eswatini
- Fiji
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- 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
- Togo
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Vanuatu
- Zambia
What types of degrees are funded
The types of degrees typically funded are one-year Master's degrees, not research or MBA degrees. The scholarship is for one full-time degree only. In addition, the proposed degree of study should align with the Commonwealth’s development themes, which are:
- Science and technology for development
- Improving population health, health systems, and capacity
- Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship
- Strengthening peace, security & governance
- Strengthening resilience & response to crises
- Access, inclusion & opportunity
Benefits
The benefit of the Commonwealth scholarships includes, but is not limited to, the following:
- Full flight coverage to the United Kingdom at the beginning of the study and back to the scholar's home country at the end of the award (the CSC will not cover the cost of fares for dependents, nor the cost of journeys made before confirmation of the scholarship).
- A full tuition fee coverage agreement between the CSC and the UK university, which implies that the successful scholars will not pay for any part of the tuition fee.
- A living allowance of £1,452 per month, or £1,781 per month for scholars studying in universities in the London metropolitan area.
- Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
- A grant that covers the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
- Child allowance for scholars who have children and are widowed, divorced, or single parents.
- Additional support for scholars with disability based on a full assessment of their needs.
Application Timeline
- Applications open: September 2, 2025
- Application Closes: December 2025
- Results of the application will be announced by July 2026
Required Documents
- Proof of citizenship or refugee status in an eligible Commonwealth country. These include
- 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 up-to-date transcripts for any courses currently being studied (with certified translations if not in English). The application will be considered ineligible if any transcripts are missing or do not include all the requested pages.
- Signed references from at least two individuals, in PDF format. The reference must be on institutional letterhead or an email showing the sender’s details.
For the referees, they will be asked to comment on the applicant based on:
- How long, and in what capacity, have they known the applicant?
- Their perspective on the suitability of the applicant for the proposed Scholarship and the need for the particular subject of study in the UK.
- Their information on how, and to what extent, the applicant has shown ability in terms of:
- capability to grasp concepts and reason analytically;
- capacity for original thought;
- And motivation and perseverance in achieving objectives.
- Assessment of the applicant’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
- The applicant’s potential to impact development in their home country.
- Any other general qualities that the referee considers would make the applicant a good recipient of a Scholarship.
Application Process and Tips
You are advised to do the following for a successful application:
- Apply through the CSC Central application system.
- State the qualification you are applying for.
- List your three preferred universities and courses in order of preference and explain the reason for your choice. Kindly note that the CSC will make the final decision on the institution of study.
- Apply to your preferred Universities (probably in advance, as some courses have set deadlines).
In addition to applying through CSC, applicants must apply to a nominator. Commonwealth lists two types of nominators for the scholarship scheme:
- National nominating agencies – (main route of application).
- Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies.
Commonwealth recommends that applicants prepare their answers outside of the CSC system and add them to the form once finalised.
There is a template application form and guidance document available to assist applicants when applying.
The form uses a two-factor authentication (2FA) system and will require access to either a smartphone or a second email account when registering. The 2FA system must be passed each time a user logs in to access the form.
According to the Commonwealth, the application is in four parts. In the application form, applicants will be asked to list the following :
- All undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained.
- List up to 10 publications and prizes.
- Employment history and explain how the experience gained supports and is relevant to the choice of programme to be studied in the UK.
- List of names and positions of three referees who are qualified to comment on both their capacity to benefit from the proposed Scholarship in the UK and their ability to deliver development impact afterwards. One of the referees must be a current employer (if applicable), and at least two references must be included with the application.
- Provide a Development Impact statement in four parts.
- In the first part of the application, the candidate is to explain how the scholarship relates to
- Global, national, and local development issues
- Development issues related to the Chosen CSC development theme and its wider sector.
- The second part of the application will focus on how the candidate intends to apply their newly acquired skills after the scholarship.
- For the third section, the candidate will outline the developmental changes they expect after the scholarship. These include:
- The outcomes that they aim to achieve
- The time frame for their implementation
- The beneficiaries of this new development.
- In the fourth section, applicants are to discuss how they will detail and measure the impact of their work after the scholarship.
In addition, the Commonwealth states that the applicants will be asked to:
- Confirm their award objectives and how each objective will be met by the Scholarship programme.
- Confirm what their career plans are for the five years following the Scholarship.
- Confirm their long-term career plans.
- Provide a detailed plan of study.
- State how their personal background has encouraged them to want to make an impact in their home country. Applicants may wish to highlight areas where they have already made significant contributions, such as overcoming personal or community barriers in accessing higher education or within their field.
- Summarise the ways they have engaged in voluntary activities and the opportunities they have had to demonstrate leadership.
Selection Criteria
The selection is made from a pool of nominations. Please note that being nominated does not guarantee that you will be selected. Candidates will be selected based on the following:
- Candidate merit (including academic experience)
- The quality of the research proposal
- Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country
If an application is successful, the CSC will notify the applicant that they have been provisionally selected (selected for an award subject to the CSC agreeing to the terms of admission to the university), making the applicant a provisional scholarship candidate.
Applicants will get feedback on their applications by July 2026
Conclusion
The Commonwealth Scholarships are committed to supporting students by investing in their development to drive positive change. By making your application genuine and detailed, you demonstrate the qualities needed as a Commonwealth scholar.