Fully Funded Commonwealth PhD Scholarships in UK 2024

The Fully Funded Commonwealth PhD Scholarships in UK is open to all nationals. It supports all brilliant and outstanding applicants from high-income countries who want to pursue a full-time doctoral degree. It will enable students to acquire the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are required to achieve sustainable development goals. It will also help them to become leaders in their home countries. It will also enhance individual teaching and research capacity, increasing institutional capacity in academic and other sectors in Commonwealth countries and contributing to UK higher education and research by attracting international students from high-income countries. 

Funded by the UK Department for Education (DFE), Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for high-income countries enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills necessary for sustainable development. They are aimed at those who otherwise could not afford to study in the UK. The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious international scholarship schemes. Since it was established in 1959, more than 30,000 people have had a Commonwealth scholarship or fellowship and various students were funded by the UK government through the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC).

The benefits of the Fully Funded Commonwealth PhD Scholarships in UK are:

1. The scholarship covers the cost of airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and back at the end of the award.

2. Recipients receive a stipend at the rate of £1,347 per month. For those studying in the London metropolitan area, the stipend is £1,652 per month.

3. Moreover, the UK scholarship includes approved tuition fees, with the CSC and the UK University reaching an agreement to cover the full fees. Scholars are not responsible for any portion of the tuition fee.

4. They also receive a warm clothing allowance where applicable.

5. In addition, scholars also receive a study travel grant to assist with the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.

6. All Commonwealth scholars get a family allowance. If they have a spouse, but no children, scholars receive £290 per month for a maximum of nine months. If they have a spouse and children, they receive £290 per month along with a child allowance of £290 for the first child and £143 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16.

7. If an applicant is declared with a disability, the CSC will offer a full assessment of your needs and eligibility for additional financial support.

8. The Commonwealth PhD scholarship is a great opportunity for international scholars to study in the UK for free.

The eligibility criteria for the Fully Funded Commonwealth PhD Scholarships in UK are stated below:

1. To be eligible for the Commonwealth scholarship, the applicant must be a citizen of an eligible Commonwealth country or have been granted refugee status.

2. Demonstrate current permanent residency in an eligible Commonwealth country, with at least a two-year residency period preceding the application submission.

3. Moreover, applicants must not be registered for or have initiated a PhD or an MPhil leading to a PhD at a UK university before the scholarship begins.

4. All students should be available to start the scholarship and academic studies in the UK in September/October 2024 (the CSC sets the exact date).

5. Also, the Commonwealth PhD Scholarship does not apply to individuals who have already started their PhD in the UK before September 2024.

6. In addition, all applicants must have a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honors standard or a lower second-class degree along with a relevant postgraduate qualification (typically a Master’s degree) when applying for this Ph.D. scholarship in the UK.

7. Similarly, the application process requires evidence of the degree.

8. They should also not be a part of any PhD or MPhil program in their home country or elsewhere.