The Commonwealth PhD scholarships in UK are an excellent opportunity for international students who want to pursue their PhD abroad for free. Commonwealth Scholarships 2024 supports all brilliant and outstanding applicants from least developing countries who cannot afford to study abroad otherwise. This fully funded UK scholarship will enable students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are required to achieve sustainable development goals. This scholarship in the UK will also help them to become leaders in their home countries. Commonwealth scholarships encourage students from diverse backgrounds, countries and races to apply for doctoral scholarships in the UK. Fully funded scholarships in the UK also promote cooperation and collaboration among countries.
These international PhD scholarships will also enhance individual teaching and research capacity. Increasing institutional capacity in academic and other sectors in Commonwealth countries and contributing to UK higher education and research by attracting international students. Furthermore, the scholarships will provide full financial assistance for international students. A fully funded PhD scholarship covers the full tuition fee, return airfare, accommodation allowance, living stipend, and a grant for international travel related to academia. The UK Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2024 are merit-based, and the selection criteria include academic merit, quality of the study plan and prospective effect on the development of their home country.
Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth PhD Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for sustainable development. The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious international scholarship schemes. Since it was established in 1959, more than 30,000 people have had a Commonwealth scholarship or fellowship; 28,500 of these were funded by the UK government through the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC).
Themes for Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2024:
Commonwealth PhD scholarship for international students is open for six themes:
- Promoting global prosperity
- Science and technology for development
- Strengthening international peace, security and governance
- Resilience and response to the crisis
- Strengthening health systems and capacity
PhD Program Duration:
The duration of the fully funded UK Commonwealth Scholarships for PhD students is 3 years.
- Country: United Kingdom
- Financial coverage: Fully Funded
- Eligible Regions: Bangladesh, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Cameroon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Tanzania, Gambia, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Zambia
- Deadline: October 17, 2023
Eligibility criteria for the Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2024:
- Applicant must be a citizen of an eligible Commonwealth country, have received refugee status, or be a British-protected person.
- Be a permanent resident of an eligible Commonwealth country.
- They must be available to start academic studies in the UK at the start of the UK academic year, i.e., September 2024.
- Furthermore, applicants must have a first degree of at least the upper second-class honors standard (2: 1) or a second-class degree (2: 2) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (a master’s degree) by September 2024.
- They must not be registered for a PhD or MPhil leading to a PhD at a UK university.
- Moreover, not started or currently registered for a PhD or MPhil leading to a PhD in the applicant’s home country or elsewhere.
- They must have the support of a potential supervisor from at least one UK university listed on the application form.
- Applicants must provide all supporting documentation in the required format.
- Most importantly, they must not be able to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
Benefits of the Commonwealth PhD scholarships 2024:
- Approved airfare from the applicant’s home country to the UK and returned at the end of the scholarship.
- The fully-funded PhD scholarship covers the approved tuition fees.
- Stipend (living allowance) at £1,347 or £1,652 per month for those students who are at universities in the London metropolitan area.
- The fully funded scholarship for international students also provides a warm clothing allowance if required.
- Applicants will also get a study travel grant.
- Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (the cost of one economy class return airfare to fieldwork location), if approved.
- Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to home country or spouse and/or child allowances during the scholarship if applicable.
- Family allowances.
- Opportunity for international scholars to study in the UK for free.
Application Requirements:
- Proof that you are a citizen or have refugee status from an eligible Commonwealth country. A copy of your valid passport (or national identification card) showing your photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship uploaded into the online application system.
- Complete transcripts detailing all of your higher education qualifications, including updated transcripts for any qualifications you are currently studying (with certified translations if not in English), uploaded to the online application system.
- References from at least two people – submitted directly by arbitrators to the online application system (arbitrators will receive an email request to submit online)
- Supporting statement from a proposed UK supervisor from at least one of the institutions named on your application form – submitted directly by your proposed supervisor to the online application system (supervisors will receive an email request to submit online).
- The CSC will not accept supporting documentation submitted by nominating agencies or outside the online application system.
- Supporting documentation uploaded to the online application system must be uploaded as files that are no more than 5MB in size and must be in one of the following formats: PDF, .doc, .docx, .odt, .jpg, jpeg. Files sent in any other format (including Zip files and PDF wallets) will NOT be accepted.
- List of publications and prizes up to 10.
- Details of employment history and how the experience is relevant to the program you are applying to in the UK.
- A Development Impact statement, which must cover the four required sections.