Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are fully funded one-year master’s scholarships at selected UK universities for citizens of 43 lower and middle-income Commonwealth countries. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) and each university split the cost. You get full tuition, a return flight and a monthly stipend of £1,712, or £2,000 at universities in the London area. The scheme is for people who could not afford UK study without it.
For September 2027 entry, applications open on Tuesday 10 November 2026 and the deadline is 16:00 GMT on Tuesday 8 December 2026. You apply through the CSC’s online system, and you must also apply to the university for your chosen course. Only approved courses count. I checked every rule below on cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk and the participating university pages on 25 October 2026.
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2027/28 at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Funders | Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK and the host university |
| Level | Taught master’s, normally 12 months |
| Courses | Approved courses only; 185 courses at 44 universities in the 2026 round |
| Eligible countries | 43 Commonwealth countries |
| Tuition | Paid in full |
| Stipend | £1,712 a month, or £2,000 in the London area |
| Flights | Approved return airfare to the UK |
| Applications open | Tuesday 10 November 2026 |
| Deadline | 16:00 GMT, Tuesday 8 December 2026 |
| Start of study | By September 2027 |
| Age limit | None |
The CSC runs two other master’s routes, Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships (nominated by national agencies) and Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships. Shared Scholarships differ because the university chooses its candidates for its own approved courses and then nominates them to the CSC.
What Commonwealth Shared Scholarships cover
| Benefit | Details |
|---|---|
| Tuition fees | Full fees, under the agreement between the CSC and the university |
| Airfare | Approved return fare between your home country and the UK, funded by the CSC; not for dependants |
| Stipend | £1,712 a month, or £2,000 a month at universities in the London metropolitan area |
| Warm clothing allowance | Where applicable |
| Thesis grant | Where applicable, towards the cost of your dissertation |
| Study travel grant | Where applicable, for study-related travel in the UK or overseas |
| TB test | A contribution to the TB test needed for the visa, with receipts |
| Child allowance | For widowed, divorced or single parents with children under 16 living with them in the UK: £622 a month for the first child, £154 a month each for the second and third |
| Disability support | A needs assessment arranged by the CSC |
Some listing sites still quote the older stipend of £1,452, or £1,781 in London. The CSC’s current rates are £1,712 and £2,000. The CSC also says family allowances are only a contribution, so if a spouse or children come with you, you will need your own money to support them. Dependants’ flights are not paid.
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships eligibility
- Citizenship: you are a citizen of an eligible Commonwealth country, or have refugee status granted by one.
- Residence: you are permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
- Start date: you can start UK study by September 2027.
- Degree: by September 2027 you hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours, or a lower second class degree plus a relevant postgraduate qualification, usually a master’s.
- Time in rich countries: you have not studied or worked for one academic year or more in a high-income country.
- Financial need: you could not afford to study in the UK without the scholarship.
- Documents: you upload every supporting document in the required format by the deadline.
Edge cases
- Online study: remote study at a university in a high-income country while living at home is allowed, but you must declare it.
- Grade equivalents: the 2:1 rule is a UK standard. Universities convert your CGPA or class using their own country tables, so check the university’s page for your country.
- Who cannot apply: employees of the UK government, the British Council and the Association of Commonwealth Universities, CSC Commissioners, and their relatives. Former staff of those bodies can apply three years after leaving.
- Age: there is no upper or lower age limit.
Eligible countries for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships
| Region | Eligible countries |
|---|---|
| Africa (19) | Botswana, Eswatini, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia |
| Asia (6) | Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka |
| Caribbean and Americas (8) | Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Pacific (9) | Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu |
| South Atlantic (1) | Saint Helena |
Cameroon, a Commonwealth member, is not on the current list. Wealthier Commonwealth members such as Canada, Australia, Singapore and the UK itself are also excluded.
Participating universities and approved courses
The CSC publishes a new list of universities and courses each year before applications open. The 2026 list had 44 universities, including Bristol, Cambridge, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Imperial, King’s College London, LSE, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Nottingham, Oxford, SOAS, UCL and Warwick. By my count it held 185 courses, grouped under six CSC development themes:
| Development theme | Courses in 2026 | Example courses |
|---|---|---|
| Access, inclusion and opportunity | 12 | Education and development programmes |
| Improving population health, health systems and capacity | 42 | Bristol MSc Medical Statistics and Health Data Science |
| Promoting innovation and entrepreneurship | 19 | Engineering and enterprise master’s |
| Science and technology for development | 41 | Nottingham MSc Advanced Civil Engineering |
| Strengthening peace, security and governance | 27 | Oxford MSt Diplomatic Studies; Edinburgh MSc Future Governance |
| Strengthening resilience and response to crises | 44 | Cambridge MPhil Global Risk and Resilience; UCL MSc Humanitarian Policy and Practice |
Each university only has a few places. In the 2026 round, Bristol offered six awards across eight courses, Nottingham three awards across five courses, and Edinburgh two awards across six MSc programmes. Imperial has bid to host Shared scholars in 2027/28 on three bioengineering and chemistry courses, with the CSC’s decision due in November 2026. The 2027 list may differ from 2026, so check it on the CSC site once it is published and do not pick a course from last year’s list alone.
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships deadline and key dates
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| 2027 university and course list published | Before applications open |
| CSC applications open | Tuesday 10 November 2026 |
| Deadline | 16:00 GMT, Tuesday 8 December 2026 |
| University course application | Set by each university; some require it by the CSC deadline |
| University nominations to the CSC | Spring 2027 (last cycle, universities told candidates around March) |
| Start of study | By September 2027 |
Two applications, two deadlines
The CSC form closes at 16:00 GMT on 8 December 2026, and the system is very busy in the last days. Your university course application has its own deadline, which can be the same day or earlier. Nottingham, for example, required a complete course application by the scholarship deadline last year.
16:00 GMT is 5:00pm in Lagos, 7:00pm in Nairobi, 9:30pm in New Delhi and 10:00pm in Dhaka. The 2026/27 round closed at 16:00 GMT on 9 December 2025.
How to apply for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships
- Check your eligibility: download the CSC eligibility checklist and confirm your country, degree class and time spent in high-income countries.
- Pick approved courses: use the 2027 eligible courses list on cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk. You may apply to more than one course and university but can accept only one offer.
- Apply to the university: submit a full course application to each university you choose. Bristol, for example, only considered candidates with a valid student ID, and Nottingham only shortlisted applicants with an offer.
- Gather your documents: passport or national ID showing your photo, date of birth and citizenship; full transcripts for all higher education, with certified translations if not in English; and at least two signed references in PDF.
- Draft offline: download the CSC template application form and guidance document, and write your answers in a document first.
- Register on CSC Central: create your account on the CSC online system. Log-in uses two-factor authentication, by smartphone or a second email address.
- Fill and save often: refreshing the browser loses unsaved work, so use the save button after every section.
- Submit before 16:00 GMT on 8 December 2026: you cannot edit after submitting, and the CSC accepts nothing sent outside the system.
An application with incomplete transcripts or a missing document at the deadline is ruled ineligible. Ask your university registry for transcripts and your referees for signed letters in early November.
How to write the development impact statement
The form asks for a development impact statement in four parts, a plan of study, your career plans, a personal statement, and details of your referees and voluntary work. The CSC’s published selection criteria for master’s applicants give you the marking themes:
| Criterion | What the CSC looks for first | Also counts |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate merit | Academic record and referee endorsements | Awards, publications, professional experience |
| Study plan | Clear learning goals tied to your objectives; evidence you researched the course and university | An existing offer; clear writing |
| Development impact | The development need, expected outcomes and beneficiaries, and how you will apply your new skills | Leadership, volunteering, fit with national priorities or the CSC theme, measurable benefits |
Build the impact statement around one problem in your country that your course addresses. Name who is affected, what you will do when you return, who you will work with, and how anyone could tell it worked. Your course sits under one of the six themes, so link your plan to that theme by name.
An example opening for a public health applicant: “In the two rural districts where I work as a nurse, fewer than half of children receive their second measles dose on time. With the MSc in Public Health, I plan to set up a text reminder and data system with the district health office and report coverage each quarter.” That gives the need, the beneficiaries, the action and a measure in two sentences.
Common mistakes
- Applying for a course that is not on the approved list for that year.
- Submitting the CSC form but never applying to the university.
- Uploading transcripts for only your last degree, or without certified translations.
- Leaving the form for the final day, when the portal slows down.
- Writing a development statement about your country in general instead of a specific problem and plan.
- Forgetting a year of study or work in a high-income country, which makes you ineligible.
What happens after you apply
After the deadline the CSC shares applications with the universities. Each university runs its own selection and nominates a set number of candidates to the CSC, usually with reserves. In the last cycle, Edinburgh expected results by mid-March and Bristol told nominated and reserve candidates in the spring. The CSC then confirms the awards.
Once confirmed, you meet your offer conditions, request your CAS from the university and apply for the UK Student visa. The CSC pays your flight, so do not buy a ticket before the award is confirmed; journeys made before confirmation are not refunded. Questions about nomination go to the university, and questions about the CSC form go through the CSC contact form.
Who should apply, and who should not
Apply if you are from one of the 43 countries, have a 2:1 or equivalent, have never spent a year studying or working in a rich country, and want a one-year master’s that matches one of the approved courses. Applicants with a few years of relevant work tend to write stronger impact statements because they can point to real problems they have seen.
Look elsewhere if you want a PhD, an undergraduate degree or a subject that is not on the list, or if you studied abroad in a high-income country. In that case, university fee discounts and other awards in our guide to scholarships for African students may fit better.
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships compared with similar UK awards
| Scholarship | Value | Who applies | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Shared | Full tuition, flights, £1,712 or £2,000 a month | 43 Commonwealth countries, approved courses only | 8 December 2026 |
| Nottingham Developing Solutions | 50% or 100% of master’s tuition | Africa, India, listed Commonwealth countries | 15 April 2027 |
| Bristol Think Big | £6,500 to £26,000 off a master’s | Any overseas fee payer | 19 March 2027 |
| Manchester Global Futures Scholarship | £10,000 to £36,000 off tuition | 23 eligible countries | Varies by region |
For undergraduates, the Cardiff University International Excellence Scholarship takes £10,000 off the first year at a Welsh university.
FAQs on Commonwealth Shared Scholarships
When is the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship deadline for 2027?
The CSC deadline is 16:00 GMT on Tuesday 8 December 2026, for study starting by September 2027. Your university may set an earlier course application deadline.
Do I need an admission offer before applying?
You must apply to the university separately, but rules differ. Edinburgh did not require an offer in the last round, while Nottingham only shortlisted applicants who held one.
Can I apply with a second class lower degree?
Only if you also hold a relevant postgraduate qualification, usually a master’s. Otherwise you need at least a 2:1 or its equivalent by September 2027.
How much is the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship stipend?
The stipend is £1,712 a month, or £2,000 a month at universities in the London area. Tuition and your return flight are paid on top.
Sources and updates
Eligibility, the country list, benefits, documents and the 10 November to 8 December 2026 dates come from the CSC’s Commonwealth Shared Scholarships page. University and course counts come from the CSC’s 2026 eligible courses and university contact pages, and the marking themes from its selection criteria page. Award numbers and university rules come from the Bristol, Nottingham, Edinburgh and Imperial Commonwealth Shared pages. The 9 December 2025 closing date and the older stipend figures come from Opportunity Desk’s 2026/27 listing. Checked on 25 October 2026. I will update this page when the CSC publishes the 2027 course list.
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.
