Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for low and middle income countries)

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Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for low and middle income countries)

Areas of Study :
Science and technology, global prosperity, global peace, security and governance
Level :
Doctoral level
Scholarship Funded by :
UK Department for International Development (DFID)
Provided to :
Citizens of low and middle income Commonwealth countries to study in the UK.

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships are for candidates from low and middle income Commonwealth countries, for full-time doctoral study at a UK university. The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is one of the largest and most prestigious international scholarship schemes in the world. Since it was established in 1959, 35,000 individuals have held a Commonwealth Scholarship or Fellowship – 27,000 of them were funded by the UK government, through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC).

Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Commonwealth PhD 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.

These scholarships are offered under six themes:

Science and technology for development
Strengthening health systems and capacity
Promoting global prosperity
Strengthening global peace, security and governance
Strengthening resilience and response to crises
Access, inclusion and opportunity

Scholarship provision

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 usually the cost of journeys made before your award is finally confirmed)
Approved tuition fees
Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,065 per month, or £1,306 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at (current year) levels)
Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (usually the cost of one economy class return airfare to your fieldwork location), where approved
Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to your home country (unless you have claimed (or intend to claim) spouse and/or child allowances during your scholarship, or have received a return airfare to your home country for fieldwork)
Family allowances, as follows:
- Spouse allowance of £229 per month if you and your spouse are living together at the same address in the UK (unless your spouse is also in receipt of a scholarship; other conditions also apply)
- Child allowance of £229 per month for the first child, and £112 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your spouse and children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK
If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £458 per month for the first child, and £112 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
The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining your family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and you must be able to supplement these allowances in order to support any family members who come to the UK with you.

Eligibility Criteria :

To apply for this Scholarship, the applicant 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 available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October (current year)
By October (current year), 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)
NOT be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university before September/October (current year)
Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. For further information on the support available to candidates with a disability, see the CSC disability support statement.

The CSC is committed to administering and managing its scholarships and fellowships in a fair and transparent manner. For further information, see the CSC anti-fraud policy and the DFID guidance on reporting fraud.

Selection process

Each year, the CSC invites selected nominating bodies to submit a specific number of nominations. The deadline for nominating bodies to submit nominations to the CSC is 22 March 2018.

The CSC invites around three times more nominations than scholarships available – therefore, nominated candidates are not guaranteed to be awarded a scholarship. There are no quotas for scholarships for any individual country. Candidates nominated by national nominating agencies are in competition with those nominated by other nominating bodies, and the same standards will be applied to applications made through either channel.

Each nominated candidate’s application will be considered firstly by an academic adviser with expertise in the subject area concerned, and then by the CSC selection committee in competition with other candidates. Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

i) Academic merit of the candidate

ii) Quality of the research proposal

iii) Potential impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country

How to apply

Candidate 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 http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/uk-universities/part-funding . Candidate must apply to one of the following nominating bodies in the first instance – applications for these scholarships

National nominating agencies – this is the main route of application. For a full list including contact details, visit
http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/national-nominating-agencies
Selected universities/university bodies, which can nominate their own academic staff. For a full list, visit
http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/phd-scholarships-low-middle-income-countries/nominating-universities
Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies. For a full list, visit
http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/phd-scholarships-low-middle-income-countries/nominating-ngos

All applications must be made through one of these nominating bodies. Each nominating body is responsible for its own selection process.

You must check with your nominating body for their specific advice and rules for applying, and for their own closing date for applications. The CSC does not impose any age limit on applicants, but
nominating bodies may do so in line with their own priorities. You must make your application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS), in addition to any other application that you are required to complete by your nominating body. Information on how to use the EAS, including detailed guides, is available at http://cscuk.dfid.gov.uk/apply/phd-scholarships-low-middle-income-
countries

Your application must be submitted to and endorsed by one of the approved nominating bodies listed above. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the EAS.

All applications, including full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications (with certified translations if not in English), must be submitted by last date.

You are advised to complete and submit your application as soon as possible, as the EAS will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline. You must provide the following supporting documentation, which must be received by the CSC by last date.

References from at least two individuals
Supporting statement from a proposed supervisor in the UK from at least one of the institutions named on your
application form

Awards made by the CSC are subject to the ongoing endorsement of the nominating body. The CSC cannot accept nominations for these scholarships from other organisations or applications directly from individuals; such applications will not be acknowledged.
Universities or other organisations that wish to be invited to nominate candidates for these scholarships should write to the Executive Secretary, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK, Woburn House, 20-24 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9HF, UK.

Useful Contact

Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK
Woburn House
20-24 Tavistock Square
London WC1H 9HF
United Kingdom
Website: cscuk.dfid.gov.uk

Tags

UK scholarship , UK education , PhD Scholarships abroad , Research scholarship abroad

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