The scholarship aims to attract individuals with outstanding talent and identifiable potential from all backgrounds and support them to become leaders and innovators upon returning to their home countries.
Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development.
These scholarships are offered under six themes:
Science and technology for development
Strengthening health systems and capacity
Promoting global prosperity
Strengthening global peace, security, and governance
Strengthening resilience and response to crises
Access, inclusion, and opportunity
Eligibility
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 a developing Commonwealth country
Hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard. A lower qualification and sufficient relevant experience may be considered in certain cases.
Be unable to afford to study the program without this scholarship.
The CSC aims to identify talented individuals with the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. For further information on the support available to candidates with disabilities, see the CSC disability support statement.
Benefits
The CSC has a funding cap of £18,000 per scholarship. Universities may contribute funding from an approved source if the full cost of the award is more than £18,000.
The scholarship must cover all elements of the award, including:
Course tuition fees
Grant to contribute to study-related costs
Partnership development costs
Any UK residential program(s)
Where a university intends to run a UK residential program as part of the course, the university is expected to provide at least the following level of support:
Return travel from the Scholar’s home country to the UK location
Cost of UK visa
Maintenance stipend of £1,133 per month (£1,390 for Scholars in London), to be paid for the full duration of the UK residential. These amounts are set by the UK government for all students on government-funded scholarships, and increase annually.
Required Documents
In the application form, candidates will be asked to:
List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained
List up to 10 publications and prizes
Provide details of their employment history and explain how each job is relevant to the programme to be undertaken
Provide a statement on the relevance of their previous work experience to the proposed Scholarship
List names and positions of two referees who are qualified to comment on both the candidate’s capacity to benefit from the proposed Scholarship in the UK and their ability to deliver development impact afterwards. One referee must be a current employer (if applicable)
Provide a Development Impact statement in 4 parts.
Candidates must upload the following documents with the application:
Proof that the applicant is a citizen or has refugee status in an eligible Commonwealth country: a copy of a valid passport (or national ID card) showing a photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship
Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications, including to-date transcripts for any courses currently being studied, with certified translations if not in English
References from at least two individuals, on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details
Application Process
Applications for Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships for the 2025/26 academic year are now open. Interested and qualified applicants should follow the step-by-step process below;
The application closing date is Thursda,y 20 May 2025 at 16:00 (GMT).
Candidates must apply and secure admission to study an approved Master’s course at a participating UK university in addition to applying for a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship via the CSC’s online application system
Candidates can apply for more than one course and to more than one university, however, they may only accept one offer of a Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarship.
Note that Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships are only for Master’s courses and not for undergraduate or PhD study. Please check with the chosen university for their specific advice on when to apply, admission requirements, and rules for applying.
