Friday 22 August 2014

2015 Commonwealth Scholarships for Developing Commonwealth Countries’ Students, UK

UK Department for International Development (DFID) offers Commonwealth Scholarships for developing countries’ students to pursue Master’s, PhD and split-site (PhD) degree program at UK Universities. Approximately 300 scholarships are awarded each year. The CSC invites around three times more nominations than scholarships available – therefore, nominated candidates are not guaranteed to get a scholarship. There are no quotas for scholarships for any individual country. The application deadline for these Commonwealth Scholarships is 3rd December 2014.
Study Subject(s): Scholarships are awarded in all subject areas offered at UK universities, although the CSC’s selection criteria give priority to applications that demonstrate strong relevance to development. Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing Master’s, PhD and split-site (PhD) degree program at UK Universities. Scholarship Provider: UK Department for International Development (DFID)
Scholarship can be taken at: UK

Eligibility: To apply for the awards covered in this prospectus, candidates should:
-Be Commonwealth citizens, refugees, or British protected persons
-Be permanent resident in a developing Commonwealth country (a full list is available at http://bit.ly/cscuk-developing-cw-countries)
-Be available to commence their academic studies in the United Kingdom by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2015
-Hold, by October 2015, a first degree of upper second class Honours standard (or above); or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification, which will normally be a Master’s degree and
-The Commission wishes to promote equal opportunity, gender equity and cultural exchange. Applications are encouraged from a diverse range of candidates.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Students of developing Commonwealth country (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, The Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands (British) and Zambia) can apply for these Commonwealth scholarships.
Scholarship Description: Since their inception in 1959, nearly 30,000 individuals have benefited from the award of Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships to pursue advanced academic study in other Commonwealth countries. About three quarters of awards have been tenable in the United Kingdom. The vast majority of award holders have returned to make a significant contribution to their home countries, in many cases at the highest level, making the award scheme one of the largest and most prestigious in the world. The Commonwealth Scholarships offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC) for Master’s and PhD study for citizens of developing Commonwealth countries in 2015-2016. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s Secretariat is provided by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), which is responsible for all matters concerning selection, academic studies, and evaluation. The British Council is responsible for supporting award holders in their home countries before and after their awards.
Number of award(s): Approximately 300 scholarships are awarded each year.
Duration of award(s):-12 months’ support towards completion of a full-time taught postgraduate qualification at an eligible UK institution. Please note that the Commission offers awards for one-year Master’s programmes only, and does not fund MBAs
-Up to 36 months’ support towards completion of a full-time doctoral postgraduate qualification at an eligible UK institution

What does it cover? Each Scholarship provides:
-Student concessionary or other approved airfare to the United Kingdom and return on expiry of the Scholarship (the cost of journeys made before final award confirmation will not normally be reimbursed, nor can fares be paid for a Scholar’s dependants)
-Approved tuition and examination fees
-A personal maintenance allowance at the rate of £977 per month (£1,208 per month for those studying at institutions in the London Metropolitan area) – rates quoted at 2014-2015 levels
-A grant towards the expenses of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable
-An initial arrival allowance, including visa reimbursement where applicable
-A grant for expenses for approved study travel within the United Kingdom or overseas
-A contribution towards fieldwork costs for those Scholars undertaking doctoral studies for whom a case has been made for fieldwork outside the United Kingdom. This shall not normally exceed one economy class return airfare to the fieldwork location
-A paid mid-term fare to their home country for Scholars on three year doctoral awards. Scholars for whom fieldwork fares are provided to their home country shall not be entitled to a mid-term fare home, nor Scholars who have claimed (or intend to claim) spouse or child allowances for more than 12 months during their award
-For Scholars selected by the Commission for awards exceeding 18 months, a spouse allowance of £220 per month is payable provided that the Scholar and spouse are residing together at the same address in the United Kingdom. It is not paid when the spouse is also in receipt of an award. For Scholars accompanied by their spouse and children, a child allowance is payable at the rate of £138 per month for the first child, and £108 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, provided they are residing with their parents. The Commission’s spouse and family allowances represent only a contribution towards the costs of family maintenance in the UK and Scholars should expect and be able to supplement these allowances to support family members who choose to come to the UK.
-Irrespective of the length of the award, a Scholar who is widowed, divorced or a lone parent will receive an allowance in respect of the first accompanying child and child allowances for the second and third accompanying children.

Selection Criteria: Applications are considered according to the following selection criteria:
-Academic merit of the candidate
-The quality of the proposal
-The likely impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country.

Notification: Candidates will be notified of their provisional selection by the Commission: that is, a selection of the award subject to the Commission agreeing the terms of admission to the university/institution. Candidates will be given a formal Notification of Award – the offer of a Scholarship – as soon as terms of admission to the university/institution have been agreed. Formal confirmation of the award will be issued when all conditions of the Notification of Award have been met. Scholars will be expected to take up the award from the date stated by the Commission in its Notification of Award.
How to Apply: All applications must be made through your nominating agency (or university/university body, if applicable) in your home country. You must check with them in the first instance for specific advice on how to make an application and for their own closing date. The CSC cannot accept any applications direct from candidates for these scholarships. The CSC expects all Commonwealth Scholarship candidates to be nominated by an approved nominating agency/university/university body, and to have completed an application form using Electronic Application System (EAS).
Scholarship Application Deadline: All Scholarship candidates must submit their application using the EAS by 3 December 2014.
Further Official Scholarship Information and Application

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