Tips on How to Apply for Commonwealth Scholarships

Tips on How to Apply for Commonwealth Scholarships: Are you from a Commonwealth nation and seriously need scholarships to study in a Commonwealth country? Then applying for a Commonwealth scholarship will be your best bet to achieve your dreams.

Commonwealth Scholarships are given to talented individuals who possess the potential to make change on the global stage. They are scholarship scheme aimed at students from disadvantaged backgrounds across the Commonwealth nations. By funding postgraduate studies in a range of different fields of endeavours, it helps to support innovators and leaders of the future.

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How to Apply for Commonwealth Scholarships | Details

About Commonwealth Scholarships

Commonwealth scholarships is anchored by the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP), an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.  However, there is no central body which manages the CSFP. Instead, participation is based on a series of bi-lateral arrangements between home and host countries.

Each country’s participation is organised by a national nominating agency, which is responsible for advertising awards applicable to their own country and making nominations to host countries.

You may want to apply for the: Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships 2021 for Low and Middle Income Commonwealth Countries

Funding for Commonwealth Scholarships

Each Commonwealth scholarship is fully funded, meaning that it will cover the student’s tuition fees as well as airfare to and from the UK (for Commonwealth Scholarships in UK), a living allowance to support you while studying. Additional grants are also available on some scholarships for cold weather clothing, thesis writing, field work, family visits and the costs of mid-term travel home.

The following Tips on How to Apply for Commonwealth Scholarships will be useful for students:

Who is Eligible to Apply for Commonwealth Scholarship?

To apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of a Commonwealth country. You will still be eligible if you are a refugee or British protected person.

You also need to have an undergraduate honours degree of at least upper second class (2:1). If you wish to study a PhD, you will need an appropriate master’s degree too.

Finally, you must be unable to afford to study in the UK without the scholarship.

See Also: Chevening Scholarships for International Students to Study in UK 2021/2022

Course Eligibility

Commonwealth scholarships support studies in all area of human endeavours for both masters and PhD courses, with specific scholarships available for split-site, shared and distance learning study.

Application Procedures

How to Apply for Commonwealth Scholarships

Interested applicants for the Commonwealth Scholarship will need to apply through a National Nominating agency of his/her country to be awarded the scholarship. Each country has its own specific nominating bodies, with its own rules and eligibility criteria and deadlines for candidates to be well guided.

The course you wish to study will need to be with a university that is partnered with the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. If you have already been accepted on a course with an eligible university, they can apply on your behalf.

You can start your personal application by following the online process on your country page on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commision website . After applying through your country’s page, your application will then be sent directly to your country’s nominating agency.

Document Requirements

Before you begin the online application, you must ensure that you have the following documents handy:

1. Proof of citizenship. If the applicant is a refugee, documents showing refugee status is required as well.
2. Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications.
3. University degree certificates
4. References from two individuals is to be submitted by the referee in the online application system.
5. Supporting statement from a proposed supervisor in the UK from at least one institution listed in the application form and it has to be directly submitted by the supervisor.
6. The documents uploaded on the online application system must not exceed 5 MB in size and must be in any of the following formats: PDF, Doc, Docx, JPG.

Scholarship Application Deadline

Commonwealth scholarship application deadlines are usually in December.  Applicants are to check the page of the scholarship they are interested in at the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website  to see dates.