2016 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. Awards are made in respect of full-time study only and no other course of study may be undertaken at the same time. The application deadline for these Commonwealth Scholarships is 19 November 2015.

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 these scholarships, you must:
-Be a Commonwealth citizen, refugee, or British protected person
-Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
-Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2016
-By October 2016, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
-The CSC promotes equal opportunity, gender equity, and cultural exchange. Applications are encouraged from a diverse range of candidates.

Scholarship Open for International Students: Students from developing Commonwealth country (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, 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: Commonwealth Scholarships for Master’s and PhD study in the UK are offered for citizens of developing Commonwealth countries. These scholarships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), with the aim of contributing to the UK’s international development aims and wider overseas interests, supporting excellence in UK higher education, and sustaining the principles of the Commonwealth.

Number of award(s): Not Known

Duration of award(s): Scholarships support up to 36 months’ support towards completion of a three-year full-time doctoral postgraduate qualification at an eligible UK university and up to 12 months’ support towards completion of a full-time taught postgraduate qualification at an eligible UK university. The CSC funds one-year Master’s programmes only, and does not fund MBAs.

What does it cover? Each scholarship provides:
-Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor usually the cost of journeys made before your award is finally confirmed)
-Approved tuition and examination fees
-Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,034 per month, or £1,268 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2015-2016 levels)
-Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable ? Warm clothing allowance
-Study travel grant towards the costs of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
-For PhD Scholars, fieldwork grant towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (usually the cost of one economy class return airfare to your fieldwork location)
-For PhD Scholars, paid mid-term visit (airfare) to your home country (unless you have claimed (or intend to claim) spouse and/or child allowances during your scholarship, or have received a return airfare to your home country for fieldwork)
-If your scholarship is at least 18 months long, the following family allowances: Spouse allowance of £222 per month if you and your spouse are living together at the same address in the UK (unless your spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship) and child allowance of £222 per month for the first child, and £109 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your spouse and children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK
-If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent (irrespective of the length of your scholarship), child allowance of £444 per month for the first child, and £109 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK.
-The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining your family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and you must be able to supplement these allowances in order to support any family members who come to the UK with you.

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

Notification: If your application is successful, the CSC will notify you that you have been provisionally selected (selected for an award subject to the CSC agreeing your terms of admission to the university).

How to Apply: You should apply to study at Master’s/PhD level at a UK university with which the CSC has a part funding agreement. All applicants must apply to one of the following nominating bodies in the first instance- the CSC does not accept direct applications for these scholarships: National nominating agencies – this is the main route of application; Selected universities/university bodies, which can nominate their own academic staff and Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies. All applications must be made through your nominating body in your home country. Each nominating body is responsible for its own selection process. You must check with your nominating body for their specific advice and rules for applying, and for their own closing date for applications. The CSC does not impose any age limit on applicants, but nominating bodies may do so in line with their own priorities.
-You must make your application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS).
-Your application must be submitted to and endorsed by one of the approved nominating bodies listed above. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the EAS to a nominating body in your home country.

Application Form

Scholarship Application Deadline: All applications must be submitted by 19 November 2015 at the latest. Please note that this is an earlier deadline than in previous years.

Further Official Scholarship Information and Application

Read more: 2016 Commonwealth Scholarships for Developing Countries Scholarship Positions 2015 2016
http://scholarship-positions.com