Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan
(CSFP)
For Australians to study in the United
Kingdom in 2010
Applications for the
2010 round have now closed.
The application round for doctoral
study only in the United Kingdom from October 2010 under
the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan is now open. Full
details of the awards and applications procedures can be accessed
from the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC) website at
developedcommonwealthscholarships
The awards for 2010 will be supported by the
UK Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) with joint
funding from participating UK universities. The awards will only be
tenable only at the 68 participating UK universities. A list of the
participating UK universities (correct as at 27 July 2009)
is available for
download here.
Please check the
CSC website for information on
scholarships to developed Commonwealth countries (including
Australia) and updates on the list of participating
institutions.
The terms and conditions and eligibility requirements are
outlined in the 2010 Scholarship Prospectus:
Please note:
§ Candidates
should hold, or expect to hold by October 2010, a first degree of
at least upper second class honours level or a degree of a second
class and a relevant postgraduate degree.
§ Candidates
should be able to take up their awards in the UK from October 2010;
deferments are only granted in the most exceptional cases, and in
any event will not be considered for start dates beyond January
2011.
The Application form for 2010
CSFP is available for download from the Electronic Application
System (EAS) of the CSC
website. Before submitting an application
electronically, please note that selection of CSFP awardees is
based upon three main criteria:
the academic record and potential of the
candidate;
the quality of the proposal; and
the candidate's leadership credentials. Please
see:
Selection Criteria 2010 (PDF 110 KB).
This year the CSC is piloting an electronic
application system (EAS) in which applications and supporting
documents, including references, are submitted online. For
applicants who attended university in Australia, completed
applications (plus confidential references), should be submitted
online or sent to the university you most recently attended. Please
send your completed application and ALL accompanying documentation
to the university scholarship office. For private applicants (those
who have never attended university in Australia), completed
applications (plus confidential references) can be sent directly to
IDP Education Pty Ltd. The deadline for applications from
individual applicants is 11 November 2009 and from
Universities the deadline is 18 November 2009.
Please note that applicants who have attended university in
Australia cannot apply directly through IDP.
It is strongly recommended
that candidates apply independently to their preferred institutions
in the UK at, or before, the time of their application. Where
offers of entry have been received at the time of application,
copies of these should also be enclosed in the application.
The Australian selection committee, usually
comprising Australian academics, will meet in December 2009 to
consider all the applications. All applicants will be informed of
the outcome of their application at the conclusion of each short
listing process. Applicants who are recommended to the UK selection
process for a second round can expect to receive notification of
their selection status by late March 2010. There are no interviews
during the selection process.
All applicants will be informed at the same
time and are asked not to contact IDP. Once the selection committee
has made their decision it is final. Nominations are subject to the
strength of competition and the university places available. It is
not possible for IDP to offer feedback to unsuccessful
applicants.
For more information on the CSFP, the
selection process in the UK and countries participating in the
CSFP, please go to: http://www.csfp-online.org/
FAQ
- How should the application be submitted?
§
This year the CSC is piloting an electronic application system
(EAS) in which applications and supporting documents, including
references, are submitted online. If you are submitting a
hard copy application, the form should be printed and supporting
documents should contain the original signatures of CERTIFIED
documents. All the transcripts, certificates and birth certificate
should be provided as CERTIFIED copies Originals are not
required.
§
Applications are normally sent through the University at
which you most recently studied in Australia. Please
contact your respective universities for advice on their internal
deadlines for submission.
For Applicants who have NOT attended university in Australia
(“private applicants”). applications should be
sent directly by mail for the attention of:
CSFP Project Manager
IDP Education Pty Ltd
1 Geils Court
Deakin ACT 2600
- Is there a Word version of the application
form?
§
As you are advised to apply electronically, hard copy will
not be required. If you submit hard copy, you can print the PDF
form onscreen and complete by hand. You require Adobe Reader v8.0
or above installed on your computer to do this. The 2010
application form is available for download at the CSC
website.
- Can references be submitted
electronically?
§
YES References can be submitted online if you
apply electronically. When you enter the email address of your
referee in the online application, an email will be sent direct to
your referees. Candidates cannot submit the online application form
without including the names and email addresses of their
referees.
For applicants who have not attended university in Australia,
references can be sent directly to IDP.
- Should I have an admission letter from the university
in the UK before applying?
§
Although this is not a requirement, in order to secure places at
the most appropriate institutions, we strongly advise candidates to
submit independent applications directly to their preferred
institutions either before or at the same time as they submit their
scholarship application.
§
- Deadline for submission of COMPLETE
application
The closing dates for applications (hard or
soft copies) to IDP are:
11 November 2009 – from
private applicants only (applicants who have not attended
university in Australia)
18 November 2009 – from
universities for applicants who attended university in Australia.
Note that Universities may have an earlier internal deadline for
submission. You should check with the university.
Please send all documents to
fellowships.enquiries@idp.com.
All referees reports must be received by IDP by 18 November
2009.
- Can I apply for split-site awards?
§
Yes, where there is a link between the UK institution and the
institution in Australia. This can be an agreement to supervise
from the prospective UK supervisor. Only candidates who can show
this level of link are eligible to apply for a Split-Site
Scholarship.
Where a link can be shown to exist already between academics within
the two departments then this will add weight to the
application.
