Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development. These scholarships are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.
Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships are for candidates from eligible lower and middle-income Commonwealth countries, to undertake full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university.
These scholarships are offered under six CSC Development 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
What does the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship cover?
Each scholarship provides:
- Approved airfare from your home country (India in this case) to the UK and return at the end of your award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before your award is confirmed).
- Approved tuition fees.
- Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,133 per month, or £1,390 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2021-2022 levels).
- Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
- Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable.
- Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
- If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £485 per month for the first child, and £120 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 (rates quoted at 2021-2022 levels).
- If you declare a disability, a full assessment of your needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC.
How To Apply
The entire application process is online.
You MUST submit your applications on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s Online Application System (active from 20 September 2021 to 01 November 2021 (21:30 IST)) as well as on the Ministry of Education’s SAKSHAT Portal (active from 01 October 2021 to 07 December 2021).
Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant must be a resident and a permanent citizen of India.
- Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2022.
- By September 2022, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard (in the Indian context, this means a minimum of 60% marks in graduation), or a second class degree (2:2) (in the Indian context, this means 50-59% marks in graduation) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree).
- If you are applying for a second UK Master’s degree, you will need to provide justification as to why you wish to undertake this study.
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship. (Candidates are compulsorily required to sign a declaration that they do not have access to sufficient funds to study in the UK).
- Candidates must have an offer from admission from a UK University partnered with the CSC for the September/October 2022 intake at the time of applying on the SAKSHAT Portal.
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.
Supporting Documentation
- Proof that you are a citizen of India: a copy of your valid passport (or national ID card) showing your photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship uploaded to the online application system.
- Full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications including to-date 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 individuals – submitted directly by the referees to the online application system (referees will be sent an email request to submit online).
Nomination Criteria
- 39 Nominations will be made to the CSC for the 2022 Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship.
- Candidates who have received an offer of admission from any UK University partnered with the CSC must upload a copy of the same on the SAKSHAT portal.
- In case there are more applications than the number of nominations to be made, ranking of the UK University from where the candidate has secured an offer of admission as per the ‘QS Ranking 2022’ would be taken to draw up the merit list.
- Nominations would be made on a development theme-wise proportional basis i.e. the more the number of applications received under a particular theme; the more will be the share of that theme under the overall ceiling of 39 nominations.
The Application Form
In the application form, prospective candidates will be asked to:
- List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained (if applicable).
- List up to 10 publications and prizes (if applicable).
- Provide details of your employment history and explain how each job is relevant to the programme you wish to undertake in the UK (up to 100 words per employment).
- Provide a statement on the relevance of your previous work experience to the proposed Scholarship (up to 300 words).
- List names and positions of three referees who are qualified to comment on both your capacity to benefit from your proposed Scholarship in the UK and your ability to deliver development impact afterwards. One of your referees must be your current employer.
- Provide a Development Impact statement in 4 parts.
Refer to this sample document for an example of the questions asked within the online application system.
Application Deadline
- Applications must be submitted by 16:00 (GMT) on 1 November 2021.
- References must be submitted by 16:00 (GMT) on 22 November 2021.
- The nomination deadline is 22 December 2021.
Important Points to keep in Mind
- Awards are tenable at any approved UK university or higher education institution with which the CSC has a part funding agreement for a specific programme of study.
- Awards are made in respect of full-time study only and no other course of study may be undertaken at the same time.
- The CSC funds one-year taught Master’s programs only and does not fund MBAs.
- You must make clear in your application which qualification you are applying for.
- You are advised to list three universities and courses that you think are the most appropriate for your study, in order of preference, and to explain your reasons.
- The CSC will make the final decision on the institution of study and reserves the right to overrule any preferences indicated by the candidate.
- You must take the necessary steps to apply for admission to your preferred universities in advance of your scholarship application.
