Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2023 : Benefits,Eligibility,Required Documents

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships enable talented Indian doctoral students to complete a 12-month funded placement at a participating UK university. If you are selected, you will receive a tuition waiver, travel expenses, and a living stipend.

Income Tax Software FY 2024 2025: Download (C Ramanjaneyulu)

This page will explain how the Commonwealth PhD Scholarship programme for Indian students works, what benefits it provides, and how to apply for funding.

What do Commonwealth Scholarships entail?

The Commonwealth Scholarships scheme is aimed at students from across the Commonwealth who would not be able to study in the UK otherwise. The scheme supports future innovators and leaders by funding postgraduate studies in a variety of study formats.

This ancient award is the primary scholarship scheme for the United Kingdom’s international development goals. It is intended to attract outstanding talent to UK universities while also supporting long-term development abroad.

Subject matter

This scholarship is for study in a variety of subjects. It is available to students whose studies fall under one of the following themes:

  1. Developmental science and technology
  2. Improving health-care systems and capacity
  3. Increasing global prosperity
  4. Improving global peace, security, and governance
  5. Increasing resilience and crisis response
  6. Opportunity, inclusion, and access

Commonwealth PhD Scholarship Cutoff date 2023

The following are the key Commonwealth PhD Scholarship 2023 deadlines:

Occurrence  Time limit
Application Submission  November 
Outcome  February

Benefits of Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2023 in the United Kingdom:

  • It is a global scholarship programme that addresses a variety of development issues.
  • It provides full financial assistance to those who would not be able to study in the UK otherwise.
  • Following the award, it provides approved airfare from the home country to the UK and then from the UK to the hometown.
  • It covers approved tuition fees as well as a monthly stipend of £1,236 or £1,516.
  • It provides students with warm clothing allowance if necessary.
  • It offers students study travel grants within and outside of the UK.
  • It includes a paid midterm visit to the home country, family allowances, and a monthly spouse allowance of £266. (in case of no children).
  • If a candidate’s child and spouse accompany him or her, it provides a monthly spouse allowance of £266 and a monthly child allowance of £131.
  • If the candidate is accompanied by children but not by a spouse, the first child receives a £529 monthly allowance; the second and third children receive a £131 monthly allowance.

Commonwealth PhD Scholarship Eligibility

To apply for these scholarships, you must do the following:

  • Be a citizen or have obtained refugee status in one of the Commonwealth countries.
  • Be a permanent resident of a Commonwealth country.
  • Begin your academic studies in September/October of 2023.
  • By September 2023, you must have earned an honours or master’s degree.
  • Not be enrolled in a PhD programme in the United Kingdom before September 2023.
  • I have uploaded all necessary documentation.
  • Unable to afford to study in the United Kingdom

Documentation in support

To be eligible, applications must include supporting documentation.

Candidates must collect references and supporting statements from referees and proposed supervisors in the UK, on institution letterhead or an email clearly displaying the sender’s details, and then upload them in PDF format to the application system along with their other supporting documentation. Previously, referees and supervisors would have received a separate email requesting their statements.

The references and supporting statements must be uploaded to the application system by the application deadline; we will not accept references and supporting statements in any other way or after this date.

The following documents must be uploaded with the application by candidates:

  • Evidence that the applicant is a citizen of or has refugee status in a Commonwealth country: a copy of a valid passport (or national ID card) with a photo, birth date, and country of citizenship
  • Full transcripts of all higher education qualifications, including current transcripts for any courses being studied, with certified translations if not in English
  • At least two personal references on institutional letterhead
  • At least one of the institutions listed on the application form must provide a supporting statement on institutional letterhead from a proposed supervisor in the UK.

Process to Apply

  1. You must apply online through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s (CSC) application system, naming the Canon Collins Trust as your nominating body.
  2. Commonwealth PhD Scholarship applications for the academic year 2023/24 (for LDCs and fragile states) are now open and will close on October 18, 2023.
  3. All references and supporting statements must be submitted by 16:00 (GMT) on October 18, 2023.
  4. You should complete and submit your application as soon as possible because the online application system will be extremely busy in the days preceding the application deadline.

1)Is the Commonwealth Scholarship only available to PhD students?
Beneficiaries expected: Commonwealth PhD scholarships are available to high-achieving graduates with the potential to conduct world-class developmental research and become influential leaders, teachers, or researchers in their home countries.

2)How can I apply for a Commonwealth PhD scholarship?
Who is eligible to apply? You must be a citizen or permanent resident of a Commonwealth country to apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship. If you are a refugee or a British protected person, you will still be eligible. Finally, without the scholarship, you must be unable to afford to study in the UK.

3)Is obtaining a Commonwealth Scholarship difficult?
As a seasoned education consultant, we understand that becoming a Commonwealth Scholar is difficult but not impossible. Because academic merit is one of the major selection criteria for Commonwealth scholarships, you must have the minimum eligible score to apply for the scholarships.

4)What is the cost of a Commonwealth PhD scholarship?
Information on the stipend:

Full-time students pay AU$28,854 (2023 rate) per year in fortnightly instalments. Part-time students pay AU$14,427 (2023 rate) per year in fortnightly instalments. A doctorate takes three years full-time, while a research Master’s degree takes two years.

5)Can PhD students be awarded fellowships?
Fellowship for Junior Researchers

ICMR JRF fellowships fund admission to PhD and research programmes in biomedical sciences, with a focus on life sciences (120 fellowships) and social sciences. JRF positions are awarded based on performance in a national entrance examination.

6)Who can apply for a PhD fellowship?
1.1 Doctoral Fellowships are awarded to selected Indian scholars enrolled in Ph. D. programmes at UGC-recognized universities/deemed universities, institutes of national importance, ICSSR research institutes, and colleges with Ph. D. programs.

Scroll to Top