COMMONWEALTH PHD SCHOLARSHIPS

Applicant eligibility

1. To apply for this scholarship, applicants must:
2. Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person.
3. Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
4. Be available to start academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2024.
5. 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)*.
6. Not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in their home country before September/October 2024.
7. Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
8. Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format. The CSC recognises that disabled people have often faced and overcome challenges or barriers in their education journey which have prevented them achieving the academic requirement for a Commonwealth Scholarship. Disabled applicants who can demonstrate their potential to contribute to international development but who do not hold a Undergraduate degree may be considered for a contextualised nomination through the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum (CDPF) nominator.​​​​​​​

Stated amount: Not Available Each scholarship provides:

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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).
4. Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
5. Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
6. Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (the cost of one economy class return airfare to the fieldwork location), where approved.
7. Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to the Scholar’s home country, unless they have claimed or intend to claim spouse and/or child allowances during their scholarship or have received a return airfare to their home country for fieldwork Family allowances, as follows (rates quoted at current levels):
8. If a Scholar is accompanied by their spouse but no children: spouse allowance of £290 per month for a maximum period of nine months, if they and their spouse are living together at the same address in the UK (unless the spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply).
9. If a Scholar is accompanied by their spouse and children: spouse allowance of £290 per month and child allowance of £290 per month for the first child, and £143 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their spouse and children are living with them at the same address in the UK (unless their spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply).
10. 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.
11. If a Scholar shares that they have a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC. The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining a Scholar’s family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and Scholars must be able to supplement these allowances to support any family members who accompany them to the UK.​​​​​​​ Number of Scholarship is the subject to availability, for more please visit official website.

No information available.

1. Applications to the CSC must be made using the CSC’s online application system. The CSC is unable to accept any applications or documentation not submitted via the online application system.
2. Applicants are advised to complete and submit applications as early as possible, as the online application system will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline.
3. As well as applying to the CSC, applicants must apply to a nominating agency. There are three types of nominating agency for PhD scholarships:
4. National nominating agencies – this is the main route of application.
5. Selected universities/university bodies – which can nominate their own academic staff.
6. Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies. Nominating agencies put forward applicants to the CSC for consideration. The CSC does not accept direct applications for these scholarships. Each nominating agency oversees its own selection process and may have additional eligibility criteria. Applicants must check with the nominating agency for their specific advice and rules for applying, and their own eligibility criteria. Nominating agencies may set their own closing dates for applications. Applicants can expect to hear the outcome by July 2024. We will contact all applicants by email and they should ensure all folders of their email accounts are monitored, including junk mail and spam folders. A scholarship offer may be withdrawn if an applicant is emailed but does not respond within a specified time.

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

1. Academic merit
2. Quality of research proposal
3. Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s come country For further details, see the Commonwealth Scholarships selection criteria. Applicants should note the criteria carefully and link their answers in the application form to each point listed. Other Info Tenure and placement
4. Scholarships are tenable at any approved UK university or higher education institution with which the CSC has a part-funding agreement for a specific programme of research for 36 months of full-time study only. For the full list, see here: cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/uk-universities
5. Scholarships are to obtain one degree; funding will not be extended to enable candidates to complete a qualification in addition to or higher than that for which the selection was made.
6. Scholarships are made in respect of full-time study only and no other course of study may be undertaken at the same time.
7. The CSC does not provide new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, defined as the extraction, production, transportation, refining and marketing of crude oil, natural gas or thermal coal, as well as any fossil-fuel fired power plants.
8. Applicants must make clear in the application which qualification they are applying for. This will enable the CSC to consider the application in the correct category. Applications which do not make this clear may be considered ineligible.
9. Applicants are advised to list three universities and supervisors that they think are the most appropriate for their study, in order of preference, and to explain their reasons. This is important because the CSC will not change the university or supervisor (or the order of preference) of a provisionally selected candidate after the point of selection, unless exceptional information becomes available that could not have been foreseen at the time of application.
10. Applicants may propose to study at one university for a four-year PhD, but this must be based in a recognised Doctoral Training Centre. They must research this option thoroughly and justify its added value compared with a three-year PhD. As the CSC will fund only a limited number of four-year PhDs, applicants are strongly advised to also propose at least one three-year PhD choice.
11. The CSC will make the final decision on institution of study, and reserves the right to overrule any preferences indicated by the candidate. The CSC will consider the suitability of the course and its value for money when deciding on any overrule.
12. Applicants must take the necessary steps to apply for admission to their preferred universities in advance of their scholarship application. Many courses have strict admission deadlines and candidates should check admission requirements carefully when applying. If an applicant is selected for a scholarship and has not applied and been accepted for a course, it may not be possible to proceed with the scholarship.
13. Applicants must provide a supporting statement for a named supervisor from at least one of the UK universities to which they are applying. Details of what the supporting statement should include are outlined in the supporting documentation section. Applicants are strongly advised to provide a supporting statement from a supervisor at the first choice university. If not, the CSC reserves the right to select for placement at another university for which a statement is provided. Financial assistance
14. 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).
15. 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.
16. 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).
17. Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
18. Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
19. Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (the cost of one economy class return airfare to the fieldwork location), where approved.
20. Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to the Scholar’s home country, unless they have claimed or intend to claim spouse and/or child allowances during their scholarship or have received a return airfare to their home country for fieldwork. Family allowances, as follows (rates quoted at current levels): a. If a Scholar is accompanied by their spouse but no children: spouse allowance of £290 per month for a maximum period of nine months, if they and their spouse are living together at the same address in the UK (unless the spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply). b. If a Scholar is accompanied by their spouse and children: spouse allowance of £290 per month and child allowance of £290 per month for the first child, and £143 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their spouse and children are living with them at the same address in the UK (unless their spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply). c. 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. If a Scholar shares that they have a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC. The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining a Scholar’s family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and Scholars must be able to supplement these allowances to support any family members who accompany them to the UK. For more information, see the current Handbook for Commonwealth Scholars. Please note that the conditions outlined in the Handbook are subject to change.​​​​​​​