General Scholarships

  • Eligibility:
    • General scholarships are open to Commonwealth citizens and British protected persons permanently resident in any Commonwealth country other than the United Kingdom
       
    • Awards are for postgraduate study (Masters, PhD and one-year Split-Site mode), with the exception of applicants from the Falkland Islands, Maldives, Seychelles and St Helena, who may also apply for undergraduate courses. Please see the section on ‘Split-Site Doctoral Scholarships’ for information on how the Split-Site model works.
       
    • Candidates for postgraduate study should hold an upper second class degree or equivalent or a second class degree and an acceptable postgraduate qualification.
       
    • Applications must be submitted by a CSFP nominating body. These include national agencies in participating countries, a number of universities in developing countries and a small number of other organisations. From 2006 entry, General Scholarships incorporated the former Commonwealth Academic Staff Scholarships: view the list of universities and inter-university bodies invited to nominate candidates for 2007 entry. Please note that the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK cannot consider or acknowledge applications from unsolicited sources.
       
    • Download the full prospectus

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  • Subject: Unrestricted, but for developing countries applications should clearly be related to the future social and economic development of their home country. There are additional requirements for awards involving Clinical training in Medicine and Dentistry.

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  • Institution of Tenure: The majority of awards are tenable at any approved institution of higher education in the United Kingdom. In recent years, however, a minority of awards have been funded jointly with specific universities. A list of universities offering such awards is available here. It is emphasised that there is no separate procedure for applying for joint awards. Candidates naming the institutions concerned on their application forms will be considered automatically.

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  • Length of Tenure: Awards are available for the duration of the course of study or research degree concerned, up to a maximum of 36 months. General Scholarships represent the largest scheme offered by the Commission, with 120-150 awards made annually.

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  • Value: University fees, scholar's return travel, book allowance, apparatus, approved study travel, personal maintenance (plus allowances, where applicable, for spouses and children).

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  • Closing Date: Nominations from agencies (see below) must be received in London by 31 December in the year preceding the award being taken up.

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  • Applications: Applications must be made in the first instance to the Commonwealth Scholarship agency in the country in which the applicant has his/her permanent home. Please choose the relevant country from the list of Agencies below to get more details and the correct application form.

  • List of Nominating Agencies: