Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

Applications are now open for the 2025 Commonwealth Shared Scholarships. These scholarships are jointly offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and selected UK universities. They support students from developing Commonwealth countries who may not otherwise be able to study in the United Kingdom.

This scholarship is for postgraduate master’s study and offers: 

  • full cover of your tuition fees 
  • return travel costs 
  • a monthly stipend 
  • an allowances package 
  • costs for a mandatory tuberculosis test 

Eligibility 

This scholarship is for study on specific courses across a range of subject areas. The list of eligible programmes for 2025 are: 

You must: 

  • be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country
  • be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country 
  • be available to start your studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2025 
  • achieve a first or upper second class (2:1) honours standard or have a second class degree (2:2) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a master’s degree) by September 2025
  • not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high income country 
  • be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship 
  • commit to return to your home country within one month of the end date of the scholarship 
  • meet the required English language requirements by March 2025 at the latest 

Eligible Commonwealth countries 

  • Bangladesh 
  • Belize 
  • Botswana 
  • Cameroon 
  • Dominica 
  • Eswatini 
  • Fiji 
  • Gabon 
  • The Gambia 
  • Ghana 
  • Grenada 
  • Guyana 
  • India 
  • Jamaica 
  • Kenya 
  • Kiribati 
  • Lesotho 
  • Malawi 
  • Malaysia 
  • Maldives 
  • Mauritius 
  • Monserrat 
  • Mozambique 
  • Namibia 
  • Nauru 
  • Nigeria 
  • Pakistan 
  • Papua New Guinea 
  • Rwanda 
  • Saint Helena 
  • Saint Lucia 
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 
  • Samoa 
  • Sierra Leone 
  • Solomon Islands 
  • South Africa 
  • Sri Lanka 
  • Tanzania 
  • Togo 
  • Tonga 
  • Tuvalu 
  • Uganda 
  • Vanuatu 
  • Zambia 

Deadline to apply 

Applications for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships open on 11 November 2024 and close at 4pm UK time on 12 December 2024. 

How to apply 

Complete your scholarship application on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website by the deadline. You should complete and submit your application as soon as possible.

We'll contact shortlisted applicants in mid-February and invite them to apply for their chosen programme using our online application form.