Commonwealth scholarships are for poor-income citizens of a commonwealth country who wish to study in the UK. Know everything about it by reading the article below.
The Commonwealth Scholarship allows people who want to further their education to the Master’s or Ph.D. level and add to the growth of their country and the world at large.
800 candidates are awarded each year. This is one of the contributions the UK gives to the Commonwealth fellowship.
If you will like to study in one of the UK universities under the Commonwealth fully funded scholarship then you should read this article.
Here, we’ll tell you the best way you can apply and other information you need to know.
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What is Commonwealth Scholarship?
The commonwealth scholarship is a fully funded scholarship, for low-income and middle-income citizens in commonwealth countries who want to continue their studies in the UK
UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) funds most of these scholarships. It began in 1960 with 175 people and since then it has given over 30,000 scholarships.
Also, the UK gives this scholarship to support the UN sustainable development agenda and to bring more intelligent scholars to the United Kingdom.
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Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) Development Theme
For further understanding let’s look at the Commonwealth Scholarship development theme.
Although you can apply for any course of your interest, people who apply for courses within these six themes are more likely to win than others who don’t.
Here are their themes
- Inclusion, access, and opportunity.
- Promoting global prosperity
- Science and technology for development
- Strengthening health systems and capacity
- Strengthening resilience and response to crises
- Strengthening global peace, security, and governance
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The Different Commonwealth Scholarships Available
The Commonwealth scholarship is only for those who have a Bachelor’s degree, however, there is more than one program you can apply for
They include;
1. Commonwealth Masters Scholarship
This is one of the three master’s programs scholarship given by the Commonwealth Scholarship Committee (CSC). It is aimed at middle and low-income motivated persons who are citizens of the commonwealth countries.
Creating great leaders who can impact the sustainable development scheme is another aim.
Make sure you have a high result in your first degree and you choose a course that can impact your home country in your second or third degree if you want to be considered for this study.
This master’s scholarship is closed for now, you can check out other information on it.
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It provides a full-time master’s scholarship for selected courses.
Also, It has a lot of allowances, but they do not allow a second master’s degree if you already have one.
The scholarship is open, the deadline is on the 11th of December 2022. Click here to apply and not all commonwealth countries are qualified to apply for it.
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3. Commonwealth Professional Fellowships
This scholarship is for professionals who have at least 5 years of working experience in the given area of discipline.
This scholarship is in the area of Clean Energy, Air, and Oceans, your documents should be related to that field.
Also, to be qualified you must be working at the time of application and have not taken any Commonwealth scholarship previously.
The scholarship is closed for now. Check out more information on the commonwealth professional fellowship.
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4. Commonwealth Ph.D. Scholarships for Least Developed Countries and Fragile States
To win this scholarship, you must be available to start 2023/2024 and not be registered for any scholarship as of September 2023
It is a Ph.D. award that offers a travel grant, full tuition fee, warm clothing, children’s allowance, etc
Check out this scholarship to know if your country is part of the countries that can apply
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5. Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships (for low- and middle-income countries)
This scholarship is for professionals who will like to use, UK equipment to do in-depth research and become Ph.D. holders in their selected course.
Also, your home institution should be related to the institution of your application, because it is yours they will award you the scholarship
It also grants lots of allowances. Check other protocols for this Commonwealth Ph.D. scholarship to know if your country is eligible
6. Commonwealth Ph.D. Scholarships (for high-income countries)
This scholarship is funded by the UK Department of Education. It is for highly motivated scholars who want to continue their Ph.D. in the UK.
There is not much information on this, however, keep checking for updates here.
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How to Apply
The different awards have different modes of application, check out the Commonwealth application page to know if your country is eligible for any and how to apply for the scholarship.
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Benefits of the Scholarship
- Full tuition fees
- Airfare to the destination university
- Transportation allowances
- Child care allowance
- Monthly Stipend
- Additional support for disabled people
- Arrival allowance
Note that not all awards given have all the benefits mentioned above.
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Criteria to apply for the Commonwealth Scholarship
To be taken for this scholarship you must have the following;
1. Citizenship
To be considered for this scholarship you must be a citizen of one of the commonwealth countries or be a permanent resident there. Also, refugees and British-protected persons can apply for the scholarship.
2. Financial status
This scholarship is for people who can not fund their education in the UK. If you can, there will be no need to apply because you won’t be considered.
These are the two basic criteria, however, each scholarship stream may have its own added criteria you will have to meet to be considered.
3. Total GPA
You should have at least a 2.2 GPA for Bachelor’s degree and a 2.1 GPA for a master’s certificate in a 5-point system. Anything below this will not be considered.
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FAQ About Commonwealth Scholarship
What are the documents required for the Commonwealth Scholarship?
To successfully apply for the Commonwealth scholarship you will need your degree certificate
Your academic transcript
Admission letter
Two references
A copy of your passport
Proof of work experience (if needed)
Can I apply for two scholarships at a time?
You should apply for as many scholarships as possible at the same time. Until you get a scholarship you haven’t gotten one. So when you apply for more scholarships, you increase your chances of winning at least one.
Is the Commonwealth Scholarship a government scholarship?
The majority of the Commonwealth scholarship is provided by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO). They do this to support the Commonwealth states.
Who can join the Commonwealth?
The commonwealth is not limited to any country at all. Any country can join by following the commonwealth procedures for joining.
What are the 7 Commonwealth states?
The commonwealth started with 8 countries including Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom.
What’s a good scholarship amount?
Not all scholarships are fully funded, but a good scholarship pays at least 25% of your tuition fee or gives you above $7000 annually.
How competitive is Commonwealth Scholarship?
The Commonwealth scholarship is very competitive, there is little wonder about this since they offer full-time scholarships with other allowances. Keep in mind too that you have participants from over 50 commonwealth countries competing too.
Do scholarships just give you money?
Some scholarships will give you money as stipends. Sometimes they can also pay your tuition fee to you other times, they’ll pay it directly to the school. The payment largely depends on the school.
The Commonwealth has 6 award scholarships for postgraduate studies. To win any of them, you will need to follow the application processes carefully. Remember also to check out this website from time to time, the for latest updates on the scholarships.Â
