Department for International Development (DFID) offers Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for Masters Students in UK. All courses undertaken must be demonstrably relevant to the economic, social or technological development of the candidate’s home country. Awards are available at participating institutions in the UK only. A grant of up to £225 to cover thesis (Master’s) costs is available; also available is £200 for study travel. The cost of up to 10 Kilograms of excess baggage (books only) is available for scholars returning home at the end of theirawards. The application deadline is 16th April 2014.

Study Subject(s): Scholarships are provided to learn any of the courses offered by the UK Institutions.
Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing master’s degree level at UK Institutions.
Scholarship Provider: Department for International Development (DFID), UK
Scholarship can be taken at: UK

Eligibility: Applicants must:
-be nationals of (or permanently domiciled in) a developing Commonwealth country, and not currently be living or studying in a developed country.
-hold a first degree at either first or upper second class level
-be sufficiently fluent in English to pursue the course
-have not previously studied for one year or more in a developed country
-be able to confirm in writing that neither they or their families would otherwise be able to pay for the proposed course of study
-be willing to confirm that they will return to their home country as soon as their period of study is complete

Scholarship Open for International Students: The students of developing Commonwealth countries (Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji*, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn, Rwanda, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) can apply for these scholarships.

Scholarship Description: Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are for taught Master’s courses only. All courses undertaken must be demonstrably relevant to the economic, social or technological development of the candidate’s home country. Awards are available at participating institutions in the UK only.

Number of award(s): 250 scholarships are offered (The number of awards is divided among all universities).

Duration of award(s): Awards are normally tenable for one-year taught postgraduate courses only.

What does it cover? -CSC and participating UK institutions will jointly meet the full costs of an award holder’s study in the UK. Tuition fees and air fares to and from the UK are paid by the CSC and the maintenance allowance is paid by the scholar’s host institution, at the level set by the UK Government: £1,173 per month for scholars based in London and £948 per month for the rest of the UK. (October 2013 figures with an inflationary increase for 2014/15 academic year).
-A grant of up to £225 to cover thesis (Master’s) costs is available; also available is £200 for study travel. The cost of up to 10 Kilograms of excess baggage (books only) is available for scholars returning home at the end of their awards.
-No additional allowances are paid for spouses or other dependents.

Selection Criteria: Not Known

Notification: Not Known

How to Apply: All enquiries should be addressed to the university at which you wish to study and through which you should apply for a Shared Scholarship, not to the CSC. The university will advise you on eligibility issues and how to make an application. There are two options:
-Option 1: Most universities will handle advertising and recruitment directly using their own application form, and you should therefore apply to the university direct. Following their closing date for applications, the university will ask those candidates which it selects to complete the CSC’s application form using our Electronic Application System (EAS). Please note that candidates must complete their application via the EAS by 16 April 2014 at the latest, in order to be nominated to the CSC by their host university.
-Option 2: Some universities request all of their Shared Scholarship candidates to apply via the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS). You will be advised by the institution if this is the case, and should then access the EAS once. Applications must be submitted in time to meet the university’s own deadline, which will be made clear in the EAS and is listed in the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships prospectus 2014. (Where a university has not specified a closing date, you should contact the institution to ascertain the latest date that applications will be accepted.)

Scholarship Application Deadline: The application deadline differs for each university. Candidates must complete their application via the EAS at the latest by 16th April 2014, in order to be nominated to the CSC by their host university. All institutions are asked to forward their nominations to the CSC no later than 30th April 2014 using the EAS.