Applications for Commonwealth Master’s scholarships for the 2027/28 academic year will open on Tuesday 8 September. The closing date for applications to be received is 16:00 BST on Tuesday 20 October. The scholarships are for study in the UK beginning in September/October 2027.
The agency-nominated Master’s programme is one of three Master’s programmes offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) provides the UK government scholarship scheme led by international development objectives. It operates within the framework of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) and offers a vivid demonstration of the UK’s enduring commitment to the Commonwealth.
Purpose: Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.
Intended Beneficiaries: Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships are for candidates from eligible low and middle income Commonwealth countries, to undertake full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university.
Benefits
Each scholarship provides:
- 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.
- 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.
If a Scholar shares that they have a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC.
The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining a Scholar’s family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and Scholars must be able to supplement these allowances to support any family members who accompany them to the UK.
Requirements
To be considered for these scholarships, applicants 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)*.
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.
- There is no age limit for CSC applications. Applicants are advised to confirm with their employers any age restrictions on leave entitlement they may have in place.
The CSC recognises that disabled people have often faced and overcome challenges or barriers in their education journey which have prevented them achieving the academic requirement for a Commonwealth Scholarship. Disabled applicants who can demonstrate their potential to contribute to international development but who do not hold a 2:1 Undergraduate degree may be considered for a contextualised nomination through the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum nominator
For more information, please contact CDPF directly using the details on Commonwealth’s NGOs and charitable body nominators page.
Selection Process
Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:
- Candidate merit (including academic experience)
- Quality of research proposal
- Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country
For further details, please refer to the Commonwealth Scholarships selection criteria.
Applicants should note the criteria carefully and link their answers in the application form to each point listed.
Application Documents
Applications must include supporting documentation to be eligible.
Please note that applicants are required to collect references, on institution letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details, from referees then upload them in PDF format to the application system with their other supporting documentation.
The references must be uploaded to the application system by the deadline for applications and we are unable to accept references any other way or after this date.
Applicants must upload the following documents with the application:
- Proof that they are a citizen or have refugee status in an eligible Commonwealth country: a copy of a valid passport (or national ID card) showing a photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship.
- Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications, including to-date transcripts for any courses currently being studied, with certified translations if not in English. Where any transcripts are missing or do not include all pages, the application will be considered ineligible. If to-date transcripts are not available, the application must include an explanation why this is the case.
- References from at least two individuals, in PDF format, signed and either on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details.
Applications will be considered ineligible if any of the required documentation is not included by the closing date.
References must clearly by written by the referee in their own words. When completing the references, referees should be asked to comment as fully as possible on the applicant, keeping in mind the following points for inclusion, as appropriate:
- How long, and in what capacity, the referee has known the applicant.
- The referee’s views on the applicant’s suitability for the proposed Scholarship and the need for the particular subject of study in the UK.
- Information on how, and to what extent, the applicant has shown ability in terms of:
- capability to grasp concepts and reason analytically;
- capacity for original thought;
- and motivation and perseverance in achieving objectives.
- Assessment of the applicant’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
- The applicant’s potential to impact development in their home country.
- Any other general qualities which the referee considers would make the applicant a good recipient of a Scholarship.
Please note that the CSC does not charge to apply for any of its scholarships or fellowships through its online application system.
Method of Application
Applications for Commonwealth Master’s scholarships for the 2027/28 academic year will open on Tuesday 8 September. The closing date for applications to be received is 16:00 BST on Tuesday 20 October. The scholarships are for study in the UK beginning in September/October 2027.
For More Information,
Application Deadline: October 20, 2026.