2022 Commonwealth PhD Scholarships For Developing Countries (Fully Funded)

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships are for candidates from least developed countries and fragile States in the Commonwealth, for full-time doctoral study at a UK university.

Commonwealth PhD scholarships are for high-quality graduates who have the potential to undertake world-class research of a developmental nature and to become influential leaders, teachers, or researchers in their home countries.

Host : The Commonwealth
Eligible Countries: All Developing Countries
Benefits: Full Scholarship | £1,516 Monthly Stipends | Family Accommodation & Living Allowance | Airfares Tickets
Deadline: October 18, 2022

Commonwealth PhD scholarships contribute to the development needs of Commonwealth countries by supporting research that will have a developmental impact. The scholarships are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

1. Academic merit of the candidate
2. Quality of the plan of study
3. Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country

Scholarship Requirements:

To apply for these scholarships, candidates 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 2023
• By September 2023, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1)
• honours standard, or a second class degree (2:2) 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 your home country before September/October 2023
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
• Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format

Scholarship Duration and Reward

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 the cost of journeys made before your 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 £1,236 per month, or £1,516 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at current levels)

• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
• 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 your fieldwork location), where approved
• 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

Family allowances, as follows (rates quoted at current levels):

• If you are accompanied by your spouse but no children: spouse allowance of £266 per month for a maximum period of nine months, 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; other conditions also apply)
• If you are accompanied by your spouse and children: spouse allowance of £266 per month and child allowance of £266 per month for the first child, and £131 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if your children are living with you at the same address in the UK

Required Documentations & Questionnaire

Applications must be made using the CSC’s online application system.

In the application form, candidates will be asked to:

• List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained
• List up to 10 publications and prizes
• Provide details of employment history and explain how each job is relevant to the programme to be undertaken in the UK
• Provide a statement on the relevance of previous work experience to the proposed Scholarship
• List names and positions of three referees who are qualified to comment on both capacity to benefit from the proposed Scholarship in the UK and the candidate’s ability to deliver development impact afterwards. One of your referees must be a current employer (if applicable)
• Provide a Development Impact statement in 4 parts.

Method of Application

Applications for the Commonwealth PhD scholarships for the 2023/24 academic year are now open.

The closing date for applications (including all supporting documentation) is 18 October 2022 at 16:00 GMT.

Applications must be made using the CSC’s online application system

Candidates must apply to one of the below nominating agencies as well as to the CSC. Nominating agencies will then put forward candidates to the CSC. 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

Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies

Each nominating agency oversees its own selection process and may have additional eligibility criteria.

Candidates must check with the nominating agency for their specific advice and rules for applying, and their own eligibility criteria. Nominating agencies may set their own closing date for applications.

FIND OUT MORE AND APPLY

Deadline:

October 18, 2022