The Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships are paused. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) in the UK says on its scholarships and fellowships page that the Distance Learning Master’s programme “is currently paused” and will not run in 2026 or 2027. There is no 2027/28 call, so there is no deadline to work towards this year. Any site promising a 2027 application window for this scheme is wrong.
The picture for 2026 is less tidy. A final, smaller round did run for study from September 2026: Imperial College London offered five awards for its online Master of Public Health, the University of London offered awards for its MA Human Rights, and applications closed at 16:00 BST on 31 March 2026. Other universities, such as Edinburgh, did not take part. Below I explain what the scheme offered, what the pause means, and the funded options you can still apply for, with the dates I checked on 25 October 2026.
Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships status for 2026 and 2027
| Year | Status | What the official sources say |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 (September 2026 start) | Ran at a reduced number of universities; closed | The CSC candidates page says 2026/27 applications are closed, with university nominations in June 2026 and award notices in August 2026. Imperial and the University of London advertised awards with a 31 March 2026 deadline. Edinburgh says the scheme did not run for its 2026/27 entry. |
| 2027/28 (September 2027 start) | Paused | The CSC scholarships page says the programme will not run in 2026 or 2027. No university bidding round for 2027 awards has been published. |
| Later years | No return date given | The CSC has not said when or whether the programme will return. Edinburgh says it will update its page once the CSC sets its plans. |
The two CSC statements look contradictory for 2026, since a round clearly took place for September 2026 entry. The most likely reading is that the 2026 round had already been set up with universities before the pause took effect, and that no new round will open while the pause lasts. What matters for you is the same either way: you cannot apply for a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship for 2027.
The CSC has paused its Split-site PhD Scholarships too. Its other main schemes for low and middle income countries, the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships and Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, are still running, along with PhD Scholarships for least developed countries and fragile states.
What the scholarship offered
Knowing how the scheme worked helps you judge any version that comes back and spot fake listings. Under the 2026/27 rules:
| Feature | 2026/27 rules |
|---|---|
| Funder | UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, through the CSC |
| Study | Part-time Master’s by distance learning at selected UK universities, studied from your home country |
| Coverage | Tuition fees, plus study grants where needed; Imperial described its awards as full overseas tuition |
| Length | Up to six years, funded as you progress through modules |
| Courses | Only approved courses at participating universities; Master’s only |
| Grades | A 2:1 first degree by September 2026, or a lower degree with relevant experience in some cases |
| Need | You had to show you could not afford the course without the award |
| Application fee | None |
Who was eligible
Applicants had to be citizens of an eligible Commonwealth country, have refugee status granted by one, or be a British Protected Person, and be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country. The 2026/27 list had 44 countries:
| Region | Eligible countries (2026/27) |
|---|---|
| Africa | Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia |
| Asia | Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka |
| Caribbean and Americas | Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Pacific | Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu |
| Atlantic | Saint Helena |
Scholars4Dev still shows an older list of 25 countries. The official 2026/27 list was longer and added countries such as Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Togo, Gabon and Malaysia.
How the application worked
- Course: apply to an approved online Master’s at a participating UK university and secure admission.
- CSC Central: submit a separate scholarship application on the CSC online system, which used two-factor sign-in and could not be edited after submission.
- Documents: upload a passport or national ID, full transcripts and at least two references in PDF.
- Development Impact statement: answer a four-part statement on how the course would benefit your home country.
- Selection: the university shortlisted and nominated candidates, and the CSC approved them, judging merit, study plan and development impact.
If the scheme returns, it will probably keep a similar structure, so keeping a draft Development Impact statement and up-to-date references is not wasted effort. The same material works for the Commonwealth Shared and Master’s Scholarships below.
Alternatives to the Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships
If you wanted a funded UK Master’s without leaving your job, nothing from the CSC replaces this scheme exactly. These are the closest options I could confirm as open or opening:
| Option | Mode | Funding | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Shared Scholarships | One-year Master’s in the UK, full time | Full tuition, return flight, £1,712 a month (£2,000 in London) | Opens 10 November 2026; deadline 16:00 GMT, 8 December 2026 |
| Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships | One-year Master’s in the UK, full time | Full funding through a national nominating agency | The 2027/28 round closed on 20 October 2026; deadline for 2028/29 is 20 October 2027 |
| Mastercard Foundation online scholarships, University of Edinburgh | Online Master’s or postgraduate diploma, for Africans aged 35 or under | Full tuition, a laptop and internet stipend, leadership training | Main forms close 5pm UK time, 19 November 2026 |
| University of Manchester Equity and Merit scholarships (online) | Part-time online Master’s, for nationals of Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe | Full tuition | Window 1 to 31 August 2027 |
(Commonwealth Master’s and Manchester dates based on this year’s dates; confirm on the official pages when the calls open.)
Our distance learning scholarships guide covers the online Master’s awards still running, tuition-free University of the People and free certificate courses, with costs and closing dates. For the full rules on the on-campus Commonwealth awards, nominating agencies and stipends, read our Commonwealth Scholarship guide.
Why Commonwealth Shared is the closest match
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships use the same CSC Central system and almost the same country list, and you apply through a UK university, as you did for the distance learning awards. The big difference is that you must study in the UK for about a year. You also must not have studied or worked for a year or more in a high-income country, although distance learning from home is allowed if you declare it. The 2027/28 courses and universities will be published before the round opens on 10 November 2026.
How to spot fake or outdated listings
- Any page offering a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship with a 2027 deadline is outdated or invented.
- CSC applications go only through CSC Central on cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk. The CSC accepts nothing sent by email or post.
- The CSC charges no application fee. Anyone asking you to pay to apply or to “secure a slot” is running a scam.
- Old listings name the funder as DFID, which was merged into the FCDO in 2020. That is a sign the page has not been updated.
- Check the university’s own scholarship page as well. Imperial, the University of London and Edinburgh all say clearly whether they are taking part.
What to do now if you were planning to apply
- Decide whether you can travel: if you can leave work for a year, prepare for Commonwealth Shared before 8 December 2026.
- If you must stay home: look at the online scholarships in our distance learning guide. Edinburgh’s Mastercard Foundation forms close on 19 November 2026.
- Plan for 2028: prepare a Commonwealth Master’s application for the round closing on 20 October 2027.
- Watch the CSC: check the CSC scholarships page every few months for any news that the distance learning programme is coming back.
Who this affects most
The pause hurts working professionals the most: health workers, teachers, engineers and civil servants who could study part time from home but cannot take a year off. For them, an online award from a university or foundation is the realistic route in 2027. Recent graduates with no work tie-down lose less, since Commonwealth Shared and Master’s Scholarships pay for the full UK experience and a stipend on top.
FAQs on the Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships
Are Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships open for 2027?
No. The CSC says the programme is paused and will not run in 2027, so there is no 2027/28 application round.
Did the scheme run in 2026?
A final round ran at some universities, including Imperial and the University of London, for September 2026 entry. Applications closed on 31 March 2026.
Is there any online Commonwealth scholarship I can apply for instead?
Not from the CSC at the moment. Its open schemes, Shared and Master’s Scholarships, require full-time study in the UK.
What is the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship deadline?
The 2027/28 round opens on 10 November 2026 and closes at 16:00 GMT on 8 December 2026, on CSC Central.
Sources and updates
The pause comes from the CSC’s scholarships and fellowships page. The 2026/27 rules, country list, documents and timeline come from the CSC distance learning candidates page and its university bidding page. Imperial’s five MPH awards and the 31 March 2026 deadline come from Imperial College London’s School of Public Health, the MA Human Rights awards from the University of London, and Edinburgh’s position from its Registry Services funding page. Commonwealth Shared dates, eligibility and stipends come from the CSC Shared Scholarships page, and the 20 October 2026 Master’s deadline from the CSC Master’s Scholarships page. Checked on 25 October 2026. I will update this page if the CSC announces a new round.
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.
