How to Apply For Commonwealth Scholarships – Tips to Win Commonwealth Bursary

The Commonwealth Scholarship is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious students’ scholarship. Since its foundation in 1959, the Bursary has been awarded annually and has awarded more than 35,000 individuals bursaries.

The bursary awards more than 900 fully-funded scholarships and bursaries each year to commonwealth citizens for postgraduate studies and professional development. The bursary covers tuition fees, lodging, visas, travel and feeding allowances, and other benefits. This is just as good as with scholarships.

You may be interested to know that there are different categories of Commonwealth bursary. The Commonwealth scholarship Commission in the UK responsible for the Commonwealth scholarship provides citizens of Commonwealth countries a total of 8 bonds and fellowships.

Who can apply for a Commonwealth Bursary?

You must be a citizen or permanent resident of a Commonwealth country to apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship. If you are a refugee or a protected British, you will still be eligible.

You must also have at least a second-class undergraduate honorary degree (2:1). You also need a corresponding master’s degree if you want to study for a Ph.D.

Finally, without the scholarship you must not be able to afford to study in the UK.

How to Apply for Commonwealth Scholarships

Interested applicants for the Commonwealth Scholarship will need to apply through a National Nominating agency of his/her country to be awarded the scholarship. Each country has its own specific nominating bodies, with its own rules and eligibility criteria and deadlines for candidates to be well guided.

The course you wish to study will need to be with a university that is partnered with the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. If you have already been accepted on a course with an eligible university, they can apply on your behalf.

You can start your personal application by following the online process on your country page on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website. After applying through your country’s page, your application will then be sent directly to your country’s nominating agency.

Document Requirements

Before you begin the online application, you must ensure that you have the following documents handy:

1. Proof of citizenship. If the applicant is a refugee, documents showing refugee status are required as well.
2. Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications.
3. University degree certificates
4. References from two individuals are to be submitted by the referee in the online application system.
5. Supporting statement from a proposed supervisor in the UK from at least one institution listed in the application form and has to be directly submitted by the supervisor.
6. The documents uploaded on the online application system must not exceed 5 MB in size and must be in any of the following formats: PDF, Doc, Docx, JPG.

List of Commonwealth Scholarships

Here is a list of over twenty (20) Commonwealth scholarships you can apply for in the 2021 academic year.

• University of Pretoria Commonwealth Doctoral Scholarship for International Students
• 2021 British High Commission Singapore Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships
• Commonwealth Scholarships for Developing Commonwealth Countries
• Commonwealth Scholarships For Ph.D. And Split-Site (Ph.D.) Study
• 230 Fully-funded Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for Students from Developing Countries 2021
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships for Developing Commonwealth Countries 2021
• Bangor University, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for African Students 2021
• Commonwealth Youth Council Poetry Competition for Applicants of Commonwealth Country
• The University of the West of Scotland Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2021
• Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships, At UK Universities 2021
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS) at Sheffield Hallam University 2021
• Fully Funded Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships In UK 2021
• University of Exeter Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2021
• USP Fully Funded Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships In The South Pacific, 2021
• University of Birmingham Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2021
• University of Warwick Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2021
• Rhodes Scholarships at Oxford University for International Students
• Queen’s University Belfast Scholarships for International Students
• Commonwealth Rutherford Fellowships
• Adelaide Scholarships International (ASI) Australia for Masters & Doctoral Studies 2021
• Commonwealth Science Conference 2021
• Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Commonwealth shared bonds 2021/2022 are open to applications. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for the full-time Masters in selected course studies are jointly provided by British University for candidates from the least advanced and low mid-income Commonwealth countries.

Commonwealth Scholarships Eligible Countries

Below are Eligible Commonwealth countries:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Bangladesh
• Belize
• Botswana
• Cameroon
• Dominica
• Eswatini
• Fiji
• The Gambia
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Guyana
• India
• Jamaica
• Kenya
• Kiribati
• Lesotho
• Malawi
• *Malaysia
• Mauritius
• Montserrat
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Nigeria
• Pakistan
• Papua New Guinea
• Rwanda
• Samoa
• Sierra Leone
• Solomon Islands
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• St Helena
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Tanzania
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Uganda
• Vanuatu
• Zambia

Commonwealth Scholarships FAQs

What do commonwealth scholarships cover?

A Commonwealth Scholarship covers fees, approved fares, and personal maintenance. Other scholarships, awards, or bursaries that cover the same costs may not be held concurrently.

What are commonwealth scholarships?

The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.

Commonwealth Scholarships and Fellowships are aimed at talented individuals who have the potential to make change. The CSC offers around 800 awards for postgraduate study and professional development each year.

How to apply for commonwealth scholarships?

To apply for these scholarships, you must: 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 an eligible Commonwealth country.

When do commonwealth scholarships open?

Applications for 2021 Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are likely to open in November 2021 and close by the third week of December 2021.

Does VCU give merit scholarships?

The VCU Office of Admissions offers a variety of merit-based, renewable four-year scholarships for incoming freshmen. Honors scholarships are awarded by the academic year, and Honors students may apply each year.