Scholarship Overview

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships allow talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development. The Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships are offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and are aimed for those who could not afford to study in the UK. Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships of Commonwealth Scholarship Commission are for those candidates who are from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries. India is one of the Commonwealth countries. This scholarship will help the candidates to take admission into full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university.

The Commonwealth Master’s scholarships are offered under the six development themes. These are:

• Promoting global prosperity
• Science and technology for development
• Strengthening health systems & capacity
• Access, inclusion, and opportunity
• Strengthening global peace, security & governance
• Strengthening resilience and response to crises

How to Apply for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships?

Right now, the applications for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships for the 2023/24 academic year are open. Before applying for the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships, it is advised to the candidates to check the eligibility conditions carefully. Note that the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) does not accept direct applications for these scholarships. The applications can be submitted by using the CSC’s online application system. The candidates are required to apply to one of the nominating agencies as well as to the CSC.

The nominating agencies shall then put forward candidates to the CSC. These nominating agencies have their own selection process and may have some additional eligibility conditions as well. The candidates are also required to submit some documents as well with the application. So, check with the CSC to know the list of documents. If the candidates’ application is successful, then the CSC shall notify them via email that they have been provisionally selected.  

Selection Process for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships of Commonwealth Scholarship Commission

The applications of the candidates are considered if they meet the following selection criteria:

• Quality plan of the study
• Academic merit of the candidates
• Potential impact on the development of the home country of the candidates

Financial Assistance under Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

The Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships provide:

• Approved airfare from the home country to the UK and return at the end of the award
• Approved tuition fees; full fees are covered by the agreement between the UK university and CSC (Scholars are not required to pay for any part of the tuition fee)
• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,236 per month, or £1,516 per month for the ones who are at the universities in the London Metropolitan area
• Warm clothing allowance (wherever it is applicable)
• Study travel grant provided towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
• Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a dissertation or thesis, wherever applicable
• If the candidates share that they have a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support shall be offered by the CSC
• If the candidates have children and are divorced, widowed, or a single parent, a child allowance of £529 per month for the first child, and £131 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16 (If candidates are accompanied by their children and they are living at the same address in the UK)

Applicable course, university and country

This scholarship is applicable for Masters Degree

This scholarship is applicable for all universities in UK

• The scholarship funds taught Master’s programs

Scholarship amount details

Scholarship amount can be used for

Type of Expense	Indicates if scholarship can be used for this type of expense
Tuition & Fees	✔Scholarship amount can be used for this
Living Expense	✔Scholarship amount can be used for this
Accommodation	×Not covered in scholarship
Air Fare/Travel Expenses	✔Scholarship amount can be used for this
Spouse/Child Care	×Not covered in scholarship
Health Cover	×Not covered in scholarship
Application	×Not covered in scholarship
Others	✔Scholarship amount can be used for this

• 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).
• 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.
• 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).
• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
• 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.

Student Awards

Number of students to be awarded: Varies

Scholarship Eligibility

Special Restrictions

• No Special Restriction applicable

Exams Details

Exam name	Indicates if exam is required and cutoff (if any)
UG	Required (minimum score 60.0%)

Eligibility

To be considered for these scholarships, applicants 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 academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year.
• 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)*. The CSC would not normally fund a second Master’s degree. If applying for a second Master’s degree, applicants must provide justification as to why they wish to undertake this study.
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
• Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.

Preference will be given to following candidates:

• Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:
  • Academic merit of the candidate
  • Quality of the plan of study
  • The potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country

Application Process for this scholarship

Application Documents

Type of documents	Indicates if this type of document is required to be submitted
LOR	Required

• Documents required:
  • Proof of citizenship or refugee status – uploaded to the online application system
  • Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications including to-date transcripts for any qualifications you are currently studying (with certified translations if not in English)
  • References from at least two individuals – submitted directly by the referees to the online application system

 

• Application Process
  • Applicants must apply to the nominating bodies in the first instance
  • All applications must be made through one of these nominating bodies. Each nominating body is responsible for its own selection process and may have additional eligibility criteria
  • Applicant must check with your nominating body for their specific advice and rules for applying, their own eligibility criteria, and their own closing date for applications
  • Applicant must make your application using the CSC’s online application system, in addition to any other application that they are required to complete by their nominating body

 

• Supporting documentation uploaded to the online application system must be uploaded as files that are no more than 5 MB in size and must be in one of the following formats: PDF, .doc, .docx, .odt, .jpg, .jpeg. Files submitted in any other format (including Zip files and PDF Portfolios) will NOT be accepted

Scholarship Application

This scholarship needs a separate external application.

Important Dates

	Date	Additional Details
Application final end date	Not Available	Applications are closed now

Please note that these dates could be in local country times and may not be IST (Indian standard time).

Phone number

+91 11 261 72492