Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

Benefits & funding

• Full approved tuition fees.
• Approved return airfare between the scholar’s home country and the UK.
• A living allowance of £1,712 per month, or £2,000 per month at universities in the London metropolitan area, at the rates currently published.
• A grant toward study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
• For an eligible widowed, divorced, or single-parent scholar whose children live with them in the UK, £622 per month for the first child and £154 per month for the second and third child under 16.
• Additional disability-related support may be available following an individual needs assessment.

Eligibility

• The standard route requires citizenship of, or refugee status granted by, an eligible Commonwealth country; British Protected Persons may also apply.
• Applicants must be permanently resident in one of these eligible countries: Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, 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, and Zambia.
• Applicants must be available to begin UK study at the start of the academic year in September 2027.
• By September 2027, applicants normally need a first degree at upper second-class honours level or above; a lower second-class degree can qualify when paired with a relevant postgraduate qualification, usually a Master’s degree. A contextualised nomination route is available through the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum for some disabled applicants who do not hold a 2:1 degree.
• Applicants must be unable to afford UK study without the scholarship and must submit all required documents.
• There is no CSC age limit. Applicants who have already studied at Master’s level at a UK institution or previously received a Commonwealth Scholarship at Master’s level are not eligible.
• The award funds one full-time taught Master’s degree lasting one year; MBA programmes are not funded.

Application process

1. 1
   Check the rules and any earlier deadline set by the relevant national nominating agency or approved NGO or charitable-body nominator.
2. 2
   Prepare the CSC application, including qualification records, employment history, a development-impact statement, study plan, personal statement, career plans, and referee details.
3. 3
   Upload proof of citizenship or refugee status, complete higher-education transcripts with certified translations where needed, and at least two signed references in PDF format.
4. 4
   Submit the application through CSC Central by 16:00 BST on 20 October 2026 and separately complete the nominator’s process; the CSC does not accept direct, unnominated applications.
5. 5
   Apply for admission to preferred UK universities and courses early enough to meet their separate deadlines.

Program timeline

1. Applications open.

   8 September 2026

2. 20 October 2026 at 16:00 BST

   CSC application and supporting-document deadline; nominators may impose an earlier deadline.

3. Participating nominators submit nominations to the CSC.

   December 2026

4. Applicants can expect outcome notifications.

   July 2027

5. Study begins in the UK.

   September or October 2027