Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships for Low and Middle Income Countries 2022

Funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Split-site 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.

Purpose: To widen access to UK equipment and expertise for high quality doctoral candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries, and to contribute to UK and Commonwealth higher education and research through collaboration and partnerships.

Intended beneficiaries: High-quality graduates whose proposed research has a developmental focus and who have the potential to become influential teachers or researchers in their home countries.

About Commonwealth Scholarships

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) provides the main UK government scholarship scheme led by international development objectives. The CSC is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for International Development (DFID). The CSC operates within the framework of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) and is a vivid demonstration of the UK’s enduring commitment to the Commonwealth. By supporting innovators and leaders of the future from across the Commonwealth, and by attracting outstanding talent to Britain’s univer... read more

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships

Aim and Benefits of Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships

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

• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,133 per month, or £1,390 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2021-2022 levels)

• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable

• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas

• If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £485 per month for the first child, and £120 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK

Requirements for Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships Qualification

To apply for these scholarships, prospective Scholars 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 registered for a PhD at a university in an eligible Commonwealth country by the time your scholarship starts (September 2022)

• Ensure that an institutional or departmental link exists between your home university and your proposed UK university. This link must be greater than simply a collaboration between individuals – see section on ‘Tenure and placement’ for further details. Both supervisors must provide a supporting statement which provides further details of the link to ensure your application is eligible.

• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK in September 2022

• By September 2022, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a 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

Interview date, Process and Venue for Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships

Eligible applications will be considered in line with the CSC’s CSC Selection Criteria 2022, including by the CSC selection committee in competition with other candidates.

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

• Academic merit of the candidate

• Quality of the research proposal

• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Scholars should apply to study at a UK university which has a part funding agreement with the CSC. Part funding agreements are at the discretion of individual universities. For a list of universities that have agreed to part fund Commonwealth Scholarships, visit the UK universities with part funding agreements page on the CSC website.

You must make your application directly to the CSC using the CSC’s online application system. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the CSC’s online application system.

For more details,visit the website