Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship | UK 2024 | Apply

The Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship enables international students to study part-time for Master’s degrees at UK universities while remaining in their home countries.

The scholarship seeks to recruit individuals from all backgrounds with exceptional skills and significant potential, and to assist them in becoming leaders and innovators when they return to their respective countries.

In this article, we’ll walk you through the process of applying for the 2024 Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship.

Details:

The Commonwealth Masters Scholarship offers funding to talented Masters students from Commonwealth nations for a full-time or distance learning Masters at a UK university, depending on the scholarship scheme.

Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development.

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

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship, candidates should:

• 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 a developing Commonwealth country
• Hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard. A lower qualification and sufficient relevant experience may be considered in certain cases.
• Be unable to afford to study the programme without this scholarship.

The CSC seeks to identify talented individuals with the potential to effect change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and nondiscrimination, and we welcome applications from a diverse range of candidates.

The CSC disability support statement provides more information on the resources available to candidates with disabilities.

Benefits:

The CSC has a funding cap of £18,000 per scholarship. Universities may contribute funding from an approved source if the full cost of the award is more than £18,000.

The scholarship must cover all elements of the award, including:

• Course tuition fees
• Grant to contribute to study-related costs
• Partnership development costs
• Any UK residential programme(s)

Where a university intends to run a UK residential programme as part of the course, the university is expected to provide at least the following level of support:

• Return travel from the Scholar’s home country to the UK location
• Cost of UK visa
• Maintenance stipend of £1,133 per month (£1,390 for Scholars in London), to be paid for the full duration of the UK residential.
• These amounts are set by the UK government for all students on government-funded scholarships, and increase annually.

Required Documents:

In the application form, candidates will be asked to:

• List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained
• List up to 10 publications and prizes
• Provide details of their employment history and explain how each job is relevant to the programme to be undertaken
• Provide a statement on the relevance of their previous work experience to the proposed Scholarship
• List names and positions of two referees who are qualified to comment on both the candidate’s capacity to benefit from the proposed Scholarship in the UK and their ability to deliver development impact afterwards. One referee must be a current employer (if applicable)
• Provide a Development Impact statement in 4 parts.

Candidates must upload the following documents with the application:

• Proof that the applicant is a citizen or has refugee status in an eligible Commonwealth country: a copy of a valid passport (or national ID card) showing a photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship
• Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications, including to-date transcripts for any courses currently being studied, with certified translations if not in English
• References from at least two individuals, on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details

How to apply:

Applications for Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships for the 2024/24 academic year are now open. Interested and qualified applicants should follow the step-by-step process below;

• The application closing date is Thursday 28 March 2024 at 16:00 (GMT).
• Candidates must apply and secure admission to study an approved Master’s course at a participating UK university in addition to applying for a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship via the CSC’s online application system.
• View full list of approved courses and participating UK universities
• Candidates can apply for more than one course and to more than one university, however they may only accept one offer of a
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship.
• Note that Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships are only for Master’s courses and not for undergraduate or PhD study.
• Please check with the chosen university for their specific advice on when to apply, admission requirements and rules for applying.

Financial assistance

Each scholarship provides:

• Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependents, nor the cost of journeys made before the award is confirmed).
• Approved tuition fees: full fees are covered by agreement between the CSC and the UK university, and Scholars are not liable to pay for any part of the tuition fee.
• Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,347 per month, or £1,652 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at current levels).
• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
• If a Scholar has children and is widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of child allowance of £576.61 per month for the first child, and £143 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their children are living with them at the same address in the UK.

Eligible countries:

Please note that only candidates from the eligible countries listed below can apply for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships.

• Bangladesh
• Belize
• Botswana
• Cameroon
• Dominica
• Eswatini
• Fiji
• Gabon
• 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
• The Gambia
• Togo
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Vanuatu
• Zambia

APPLY HERE

Deadline: March 28, 2024