Applications are now open for the 2027/2028 Commonwealth PhD Scholarships to Study in the United Kingdom. The intake for this application batch will commence study in September 2027. Eligible international students with good academic qualifications are invited to apply for a chance to study in UK fully funded.
Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), a department of the Government of the United Kingdom, the scholarships are targeted mainly at applicants from least developed countries and vulnerable states (based on the classification by OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), in the Commonwealth) for full-time doctoral study at a UK university.
SUMMARY:
- Scholarship Sponsor(s): UK Government
- Host Institution(s): UK Universities
- Scholarship Worth: Fully Funded
- Number of Awards: Several
- Study Level: Doctoral
- Nationality: Least Developed/Developing Countries
Also Check: Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships 2027/28 [Fully Funded to the UK]
Eligibility Criteria | Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027
Applicants applying for the 2027/2028 Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 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 in September 2027.
- By September 2027, 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).
- Not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in their home country before September/October 2027.
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.
Eligible Countries
Commonwealth PhD Scholarships is open only to candidates from the following eligible countries;
- Bangladesh
- The Gambia
- Kiribati
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Rwanda
- Sierra Leone
- Solomon Islands
- Sri Lanka
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tuvalu
- Uganda
- Zambia
Scholarship Benefits
The scholarship is fully funded, and thus will cover;
- 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 £1,712 per month, or £2,000 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at current levels).
- Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
- Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (the cost of one economy class return airfare to the fieldwork location), where approved.
- Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to the Scholar’s home country, unless they have claimed or intend to claim spouse and/or child allowances during their scholarship or have received a return airfare to their home country for fieldwork.
- Family allowances, as follows (rates quoted at current levels):
- If a Scholar is accompanied by their spouse but no children: spouse allowance of £313 per month for a maximum period of nine months, if they and their spouse are living together at the same address in the UK (unless the spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply).
- If a Scholar is accompanied by their spouse and children: spouse allowance of £313 per month and child allowance of £313 per month for the first child, and £154 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their spouse and children are living with them at the same address in the UK (unless their spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply).
- If a Scholar has children and is widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of child allowance of £622 per month for the first child, and £154 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.
Application Procedures
How-to-Apply: To apply for the Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027/2028, application must be made to CSC using the CSC’s online application system. Applications not submitted via the online application system will not be treated. Early application is advised.
As well as applying to the CSC, applicants must apply to a nominator. There are three types of nominator invited to participate in the PhD scholarship programme:
- National nominating agencies
- Selected universities/university bodies
- Selected NGOs and charitable bodies.
You can find more details on how to reach the nominators and be nominated at the scholarship official website (link below)
Application Deadline: 16:00 BST on 20 October 2026.
