Commonwealth Scholarship 2028/29: Master’s and PhD Eligibility, Nominating Agencies and Deadline

Commonwealth Scholarships pay for a one-year master’s or a three-year PhD at a UK university for people from eligible low and middle-income Commonwealth countries who could not afford UK study otherwise. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, covers tuition, a return flight and a monthly stipend of £1,712 (£2,000 in London). You cannot apply to the CSC alone: you also need a nomination from an approved body, usually your country’s national nominating agency.

The 2027/28 round closed at 16:00 BST on 20 October 2026. The Commonwealth Scholarship deadline for the 2028/29 round is 20 October 2027, and your national agency will close earlier than that. This guide explains who qualifies, the full country lists for master’s and PhD awards, how the nominating route works country by country (with Nigeria as a worked example) and how to write the development impact statement that decides most applications.

Commonwealth Master’s and PhD Scholarships at a glance

What Commonwealth Scholarships cover

For single parents on the master’s award, the CSC lists £622 a month for the first child and £154 a month each for the second and third child under 16. The CSC calls family allowances a partial contribution, so budget for the rest. IELTS is not a CSC requirement, but your UK university may still ask for an English test.

Commonwealth Scholarship eligibility

The CSC’s rules for the current round are the same for both awards, apart from the PhD-only points:

1. Citizenship: a citizen of, or refugee recognised by, an eligible Commonwealth country, or a British Protected Person.
2. Residence: permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
3. Start date: able to begin in the UK by September of the start year.
4. Degree: by that September, a 2:1 honours degree, or a 2:2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a master’s). Disabled candidates without a 2:1 can be put forward through the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum.
5. Finance: unable to afford UK study without the award.
6. Documents: all supporting documents uploaded in the required format.
7. PhD only: not already registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to one, before the autumn of the application year.

Who cannot apply

• Master’s applicants who have already completed a master’s at a UK institution or held a Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship. A second master’s elsewhere must be justified.
• Current UK government employees and certain relatives, and staff of the British Council and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (former staff may apply three years after leaving).
• Anyone planning to stay in the UK: scholars must go home and cannot switch to a Graduate or other visa.

There is no age limit, and no application fee at any stage.

Eligible countries for Commonwealth Scholarships

Cameroon and Kenya appear on some older listings for the PhD award but are not on the CSC’s current PhD list, and Cameroon is not on the current master’s list either. Small Island Developing States are particularly welcomed for the master’s award.

The nominating route: how it works by country

Every applicant makes two applications: one to the CSC on its online system (CSC Central) and one to a nominator. The CSC then only considers people its nominators put forward, in December. A nomination does not guarantee an award.

• National nominating agencies: the main route for both awards. Each one runs its own selection, sets its own closing date and can add its own rules.
• Selected NGOs and charities: a smaller list, including the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum.
• Selected universities: PhD only, and only for their own academic staff.

National nominating agencies in Africa

Outside Africa, examples include the Higher Education Commission in Pakistan, the Ministry of Education in India, the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka and the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service in Fiji. The CSC is still setting up a route for Malaysian candidates. Check the CSC’s national nominating agencies page for your country’s contact and watch the agency’s own notices from August.

Worked example: Nigeria

The CSC lists Nigeria’s agency as the Federal Scholarship Board in Abuja, which sits under the Federal Ministry of Education. The ministry’s 2027/28 call, as reported in the Nigerian press in September 2026, added rules on top of the CSC’s:

• Admission: evidence of admission from at least two UK institutions.
• NYSC: proof of National Youth Service Corps participation (discharge or exemption certificate).
• Degree: second class upper for master’s; for PhD, a relevant master’s and at least a second class lower first degree, plus a UK supervisor’s statement.
• Documents: passport photograph, transcripts, birth certificate and UK admission letters.
• Hard copy: a printed PDF of your completed CSC form to bring to the screening venue.

The CSC form and the ministry’s requirements were both due by 20 October 2026. Nigeria had 56 Commonwealth scholars in the 2026 intake, according to the British High Commission figures reported by ThisDay. The pattern in Nigeria applies elsewhere: agencies often want admission letters, national service papers or a local interview, so read your agency’s call as closely as the CSC’s.

How to apply, step by step

1. Confirm your country and award: check whether your country is on the master’s list, the PhD list or both.
2. Find your nominator’s call: note its closing date and extra rules. It may close before the CSC deadline.
3. Choose three UK universities and courses in order of preference, and apply for admission. PhD applicants also need three proposed supervisors.
4. Register on CSC Central: you need two-factor authentication (a smartphone or a second email) and the reference number and 22-character passcode from your registration email.
5. Draft offline using the CSC’s template form, then paste in and save often. A browser refresh loses unsaved work.
6. Upload documents: passport or national ID, full transcripts for every higher-education qualification (with certified translations), at least two signed references in PDF on letterhead, and for PhD a signed supervisor statement.
7. Submit to the CSC and your nominator before both deadlines. You cannot edit after submitting, and late forms are refused.

How to write the development impact statement

The CSC scores you on three things: your merit, the quality of your study or research plan, and the likely impact on your home country’s development. The form’s four-part development impact statement carries much of the third. It asks:

1. Relevance: how your study relates to development in your country. Name the problem with a figure or a local example.
2. Application: how you will use what you learn when you return. Name the employer or role.
3. Outcomes: what will change, over what timeframe, and who benefits.
4. Measurement: how you will know it worked, with indicators.

Link the whole thing to one of the CSC’s six development themes: science and technology for development; strengthening health systems and capacity; global prosperity; global peace, security and governance; resilience and response to crises; and access, inclusion and opportunity. A sample opening (put in your own verified figures): “Fewer than one in four general hospitals in my state has a functioning blood bank. I want to return to the state Ministry of Health to lead a regional blood supply network.”

The form also asks for a five-year and long-term career plan, a detailed study plan, a personal statement and a summary of volunteering and leadership. Keep them consistent with each other; assessors read the whole form together.

Common mistakes

• Applying to the CSC and forgetting the national agency, or the reverse.
• Missing transcript pages or untranslated documents, which the CSC treats as ineligible.
• References that are unsigned, not on letterhead or written by the applicant.
• Choosing an MBA or a part-time course, neither of which is funded.
• A development statement full of general claims with no figures, names or timelines.

What happens after you apply

Who should apply, and who should not

Apply if you are from an eligible country, have a 2:1 or equivalent, need the money and have a concrete plan to work on a development problem at home. Skip it if you want an MBA, plan to stay in the UK, already hold a UK master’s (for the master’s award) or are mid-way through a PhD.

Commonwealth Scholarships compared with similar awards

Our guide to scholarships for African students covers more options, and the recommendation letter guide will help your referees.

Commonwealth Scholarship FAQs

When is the Commonwealth Scholarship deadline for 2028?

The CSC deadline for the 2028/29 round is 20 October 2027 at 16:00 BST, based on this year’s date. Your national nominating agency sets its own closing date, which can be earlier.

Can I apply directly to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission?

No. You apply on CSC Central and also to a nominator, usually your national agency. The CSC only considers candidates its nominators put forward.

Is IELTS required for the Commonwealth Scholarship?

The CSC does not require IELTS. Your UK university may, so check each course’s English rules.

Is there an age limit for the Commonwealth Scholarship?

No. There is no age limit for either the master’s or the PhD award.

Sources and updates

Checked on 25 October 2026 against the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships page, its Commonwealth PhD Scholarships page and its national nominating agencies list on cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk. The Nigerian ministry requirements come from the 2027/28 call as reported by CrispNG in September 2026, and the 2026 intake figure from ThisDay. The Scholars4Dev listing gives older stipend rates (£1,378 and £1,690) and includes Cameroon and Kenya on lists where the CSC no longer shows them; this page uses the CSC’s figures. We will update it when the 2028/29 call opens.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.