The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK runs this time-limited SIDS stream with funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. It reserves 20 Master’s scholarships for the 2027/28 cohort, the second of two planned annual cohorts.
Recipients undertake a one-year, full-time taught Master’s degree at an approved UK university. Their course must support one of four CHOGM 2024 aims covering resilient institutions, environments, economies, or societies, and scholars join SIDS-focused activities and networking.
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 current rates.
- A grant for study-related travel and, where applicable, assessed disability support and child allowances.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be citizens of, or hold refugee status from, one of the 18 eligible SIDS countries, or be British Protected Persons, and must be permanently resident in an eligible country.
- Eligible countries are Belize, Dominica, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Kiribati, Maldives, Mauritius, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
- Applicants must be ready to begin study in the UK in September 2027 and be unable to afford UK study without the scholarship.
- By September 2027, applicants must hold at least an upper second-class bachelor’s degree, or a lower second-class degree plus a relevant postgraduate qualification, normally a Master’s degree.
- The award supports a one-year, full-time taught Master’s course aligned with one of the four programme aims; MBA and research Master’s courses are not funded.
- Employment experience is not required. Applicants who have already completed a UK Master’s degree or received a Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship are not eligible.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Belize · Dominica · Fiji · Grenada · Guyana · Jamaica · Kiribati · Maldives · Mauritius · Nauru · Papua New Guinea · Saint Lucia
+ 6 more
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu
Residence required
Belize · Dominica · Fiji · Grenada · Guyana · Jamaica · Kiribati · Maldives · Mauritius · Nauru · Papua New Guinea · Saint Lucia
+ 6 more
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu
Education required
Bachelor · Master
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Application process
- 1Check the national nominating agency’s eligibility rules and deadline; eligible disabled and LGBT+ applicants may also use the named CSC NGO nominator routes.
- 2Research up to three approved UK universities and courses, and apply for admission early because university deadlines are separate.
- 3Prepare the required qualifications, transcripts, references, study plan, personal statement, leadership evidence, and development-impact responses.
- 4Submit the scholarship application through CSC Central and complete the nominator’s process by both applicable deadlines; the CSC does not accept direct applications without nomination.
Program timeline
Applications open.
8 September 2026
CSC application deadline.
20 October 2026 at 16:00 BST
Participating nominators submit nominations to the CSC.
December 2026
Applicants can expect selection results.
July 2027
Master’s study begins in the UK.
September/October 2027