The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is an international scholarship programme, and in the United Kingdom (UK) is responsible for awarding academically bright citizens of developing Commonwealth countries with funding to undertake postgraduate study at UK universities. The CSC wishes to promote equal opportunity, gender equity and cultural exchange.
Accordion widget - Commonwealth scholarship info
- Commonwealth PhD Scholarships
- Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships
- Commonwealth Shared Scholarships
- Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships
Please note: Applications for the 2025-26 academic year are open
Eligibility
To be considered for Imperial Commonwealth PhD 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
- be available to start academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2025.
- By 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)
- not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in their home country before September/October 2025.
- be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
- For information on the Imperial Commonwealth Scholarships programme, please refer to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website
How to Apply
You should apply directly through the Commonwealth website; all applications should be made via the nominating agency in your home country. Applicants are also advised to apply for their programme of choice at Imperial College, as soon as applications open, through the standard application process.
Applications must be submitted by 16:00 hours BST (15:00 GMT) on 15 October 2024.
How much is it worth?
The scholarship covers
- Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award
- Approved tuition fees
- A stipend (living allowance)
- Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
- Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
- Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to the Scholar’s home country, unless they have claimed or intend to claim spouse and/or child allowances during their scholarship or have received a return airfare to their home country for fieldwork.
- Family allowances - please see the Financial assistance section for further details
Please note: Applications for the 2025-26 academic year are now open
Eligibility
To be considered for Imperial Commonwealth 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
- Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2025
- By September 2025, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree (2:2) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree). The CSC would not normally fund a second UK 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
- For information on the Imperial Commonwealth Scholarships programme, please refer to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website
HOW TO APPLY
You should apply directly through the Commonwealth Master's Scholarship website; all applications should be made via the nominating agency in your home country. Applicants are also advised to apply for their programme of choice at Imperial College, as soon as applications open, through the standard application process.
Applications must be submitted by 16:00 BST (15:00 GMT) on 15 October 2024.
How much is it worth?
The scholarship covers
- Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award
- Approved tuition fees
- A stipend (living allowance)
- Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
- Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
Please note: Applications for the 2025-26 academic year are now open
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are for candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries, for full-time Master’s study in the UK on selected one-year courses, jointly supported by UK universities.
Imperial College London has been offered 2 awards for the 2025/26 academic year. Please note that these are the only two eligible courses for 2025 entry.
- MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering (Department of Materials)
- MSc Advanced Chemical Engineering (Department of Chemical Engineering)
Eligibility criteria:
To apply for this scholarship, you must:
- Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person
- Be a permanent resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
- Have submitted an application to study on one of the two eligible courses at Imperial as soon as the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship competition opens (competition is open from 12th November 2024). Important: Please note that in order to be eligible for this award, applicants must also hold an offer of admission by the time selection takes place. Selection will take place early February 2025.
- Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2025
- By September 2025, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard, or a second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
- Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high-income country
- Be unable to afford to study at a UK university without this scholarship
- Commit to return to your home country within one month of the end date of your scholarship
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format
How to Apply:
You should apply directly through the Commonwealth Scholarships website. Applicants are also advised to apply for their programme of choice at Imperial College, as soon as applications open, through the standard application process. Applications for this scholarship must be submitted via the Commonwealth website by 16:00 (GMT) on Thursday 12th December 2024.
For more information regarding this scholarship, please visit our dedicated Commonwealth Shared Scholarship page.
Please note: Applications for the 2025-26 academic year are open
Applications are open for Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships for the 2025/26 academic year for PhD candidates from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries to spend 12 months at a UK university as part of their doctoral studies in their home country.
The closing date for applications, including all supporting documentation, is 16:00 GMT on 16 December 2024. In addition to the CSC's online application, applicants must apply to study at Imperial. Candidates should apply to study at Imperial College London for a Research Occasional (FT). This should be Entry term Autumn 2025-26 application.
The scholarships are aimed at high-quality graduates whose proposed research has a developmental focus and who have the potential to become influential teachers or researchers in their home countries.
Split-site Scholarships are delivered through an existing institutional or departmental link between the candidate’s home university and proposed UK university.
For full details, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, visit Commonwealth Split-Site Scholarships
If you have any questions about either of these schemes, please contact the Student Financial Support team.