Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (For High Income Countries)

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

• Academic merit
• Quality of research proposal
• Impact potential

o be considered for these scholarships, candidates must:

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country.
• Show evidence that they are currently permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country. Candidates must have been living in an eligible Commonwealth country for a period of two years prior to the date they submit their application, which must be clear within the application.
• Not be registered for or have started a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD at a UK university prior to the start of the Scholarship and be available to start the Scholarship and academic studies in the UK in September/October 2025 (exact date to be agreed by the CSC). The Scholarship will not be offered to anyone who has already started their PhD in the UK prior to September 2025.
• Hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours standard, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master's degree) by the time they apply for the Scholarship, with evidence of the degree to be submitted within the application.
• Not have commenced or be currently registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, in their home country or elsewhere.
• Hold an unconditional offer or an offer conditional only on finance for the 2025 UK academic year from all of the UK universities listed on their application, to be submitted as part of the application.
• Provide references from at least 2 individuals, in PDF format, signed and on institution letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender's details.
• Provide a supporting statement from a proposed supervisor from at least one of the UK universities listed in the application, in PDF format, signed and on institution letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender's details.