Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme.The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme is a collaborative initiative of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and UK universities to assist students from developing Commonwealth countries.
The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS) aims to help students from developing Commonwealth countries who have excellent academic credentials but cannot afford to study in the United Kingdom due to financial constraints. The scheme enables them to pursue postgraduate studies at a university in the United Kingdom, allowing them to contribute to the development of their home countries.
The awards are only for taught Master’s programs, and the subjects must be related to the candidate’s country’s economic, social, and technological development.
What exactly is a Commonwealth Scholarship?
The Commonwealth Scholarship scheme is designed for students from across the Commonwealth who would not be able to study in the UK alternatively. The scheme ensures future innovators and leaders by funding postgraduate studies in a variety of study formats.
This ancient award is the foremost scholarship scheme for the United Kingdom’s international development goals. It is intended to attract incredible talent to UK universities while also supporting long-term development abroad.
Commonwealth Scholarship Details
Commonwealth Scholarship 2023
Details
Name of the Scholarship
Commonwealth Scholarship
Number of Scholarships
Three hundred (300)
Education Qualification
Masters or Ph.D.
Application Mode
Online
Nationality
Commonwealth countries
Name of Origination
United Kingdom’s(UK) Department for International Development (DFID)
The CSC’s priorities for 2023-24 will be as follows:
Priorities for Strategic Planning
To ensure that all scholarships and fellowships are focused on six development-related themes, as well as to further integrate the themes into CSC programming and impact reporting.
To reach an agreement on the distribution of awards across programmes and countries based on the CSC’s and the UK government’s strategic priorities.
Climate change and female education and careers will be integrated into the CSC’s communications, engagement, alumni, and evaluation programming.
To create a mechanism for reviewing scholarship and fellowship programmes based on evidence of impact, which will include an analysis of overhead costs.
To carry out the CSC’s Time Limited Programme, which is centred on a specific theme that addresses current political or environmental challenges confronting the Commonwealth. The current fiscal year’s theme is Green Energy, Air, and Oceans.
To embed and promote the unique nature of the CSC offer, namely its focus on Commonwealth needs in terms of research and development in all of its programming.
Maintain high-level doctoral research opportunities and increase the number of Split-site Scholarships, recognising the unique opportunities for collaboration and partnership that this Program provides.
Master’s Degree Program Eligibility Criteria
To be considered for the Commonwealth Scholarship, master’s students must be eligible applicants.
be a citizen of any Commonwealth country/permanent resident of a Commonwealth developing country
be under the age of 40
NOT have previously registered for a Master’s degree at another university.
Those who have travelled abroad for training, studies, or personal reasons may also apply.
have a bachelor’s degree as a minimum qualification
A minimum of 60% in Social Science and 65% in Science is required.
Ph.D. Program Qualification
To be eligible for the Commonwealth Scholarship, a candidate must
have a master’s degree or are in their final year of study
NOT have previously applied to any other university for a Ph.D. or MPhil programme.
have a minimum Social Science score of 60% or higher and a Science score of 65% or higher
be a citizen of any of the Commonwealth countries
be able to pay for a university education in the United Kingdom
have been accepted to a university in any Commonwealth country
NOT MORE THAN 40 YEARS.
The candidate must also be financially capable of attending a university in the United Kingdom. Students who have received an admission offer from any university in a Commonwealth country are eligible to apply.
Advantages
Each scholarship includes the following:
Flights from your home country to the UK and back at the end of your award (“The CSC will not pay back the expense of dependant fares or journeys made prior to your award beingconfirmed”).
Tuition fees have been approved.
Stipend (living allowance) of £1,133 per month, or £1,390 for those attending universities in the London metropolitan area .
Allowance for warm clothing, if applicable.
Where applicable, a thesis grant to help with the costs of writing a thesis or dissertation.
Study travel grants are available to help with the cost of study-related travel within the UK or abroad.
If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, you are entitled to a child allowance of £485 per month for the first child and £120 per month for the second and third children under the age of 16, provided you are accompanied by your children and live at the same address in the UK .
If you declare a disability, the CSC will conduct a thorough assessment of your needs and determine your eligibility for additional financial assistance.
The application procedure for Commonwealth Scholarships is as follows:
Every year in November, the Commonwealth Foundation reviews applications. Students interested in applying in 2023 should, however, keep an eye on the original website to stay up to date on the most recent deadlines.
Log in to the CSC’s official online portal to submit an application. Following the selection of your country name, you can investigate the eligibility criteria for your specific region. Your application is complete once you have met all of the requirements.
Commonwealth Scholarships selection procedure:
It should be noted that Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships are awarded solely on the basis of merit.
The Commonwealth Scholarships Commission’s finalised list of scholarship holders includes the names of those candidates who the Scholarship panel determined would contribute the most to the welfare of their home countries.
This also implies that the selection process is highly competitive, with the final decision made by the Member States represented by the Foundation Grants Committee.
1)When will I be able to apply for the Commonwealth Scholarship 2023-24?
When is the application deadline? Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship applications for the academic year 2023-24 are now open. The deadline for applications (including supporting documentation) is October 18, 2023. Visit the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission’s website for more information.
2)How do I apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship in 2023?
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. You must also have an upper second-class undergraduate honours degree.
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)Is an IELTS required for a Commonwealth Scholarship?
Nominated candidates must take the IELTS, for which they should contact their local British Council office. If an IELTS test is taken within the specified time frame, it is considered valid. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission specifies this at the time of scholarship announcement.
