Commonwealth Masters Scholarships 2027-2028 in the United Kingdom: A Fully Funded Scholarship Opportunity for International Students

Commonwealth Masters Scholarships 2027-2028

The agency-nominated Master’s programme is one of three Master’s programmes offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) provides the UK government scholarship scheme led by international development objectives. It operates within the framework of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) and offers a vivid demonstration of the UK’s enduring commitment to the Commonwealth. By attracting individuals with outstanding talent and identifiable potential from all backgrounds and supporting them to become leaders and innovators on returning to their home countries, the CSC’s work combines sustainable development with the UK national interest and provides opportunities for international partnerships and collaboration.

Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development, and are aimed at those who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK.

Beneficiaries: Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships are for candidates from eligible low and middle income Commonwealth countries, to undertake full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university.

Applicant Eligibility

To be considered for these scholarships, applicants must:

Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person.
Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
Be available to start academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2027.
By September 2027, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours standard, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)*.
Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.Disabled applicants who can demonstrate their potential to contribute to international development but who do not hold a 2:1 Undergraduate degree may be considered for a contextualised nomination through the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum nominator.
There is no age limit for CSC applications. Applicants are advised to confirm with their employers any age restrictions on leave entitlement they may have in place.
The CSC has a preference for applicants who have already completed their undergraduate degrees and would not normally fund a second Master’s degree.

If applying for a second Master’s degree, applicants must provide justification as to why they wish to undertake this study. Applicants who have already studied at Master’s level at a UK institution, or have already received a Commonwealth Scholarship at Master’s level, will not be considered eligible.

All Commonwealth Scholars commit to returning home following the end of their scholarships to contribute to the development of their home countries. Switching to a graduate or other visa to remain in the UK is not permitted. 

How to Apply

Applications for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships for the 2027/28 academic year are now closed.

The closing date for applications was 16:00 BST on Tuesday 20 October.

Please note that this opportunity is for study in the UK beginning in September/October 2027.

Applications to the CSC are made using the application system, CSC Central.

The CSC is unable to accept any applications or documentation not submitted via CSC Central.

Candidates wishing to save a copy of an application that has already been submitted can access the system using the ‘view a submitted application’ function.

It is recommended to prepare answers outside of the system and then adding them to the form once they have been finalised.

There is a template application form and guidance document available to assist applicants when applying.

The form uses a two-factor authentication (2FA) system and will require access to either a smartphone or a second email account when registering. The 2FA system must be passed each time a user logs in to access the form.

When logging in to view a saved or completed application, a user will be asked for a reference (in format 01234-SSP-UK-15) and a 22-character passcode. These are found in the Application Reference Number email you received upon completing the enter your details page. Please remember to keep this email and the details contained within it safe.

Candidates are asked to note:

The save function should be used to avoid loss of data.
Refreshing the browser window will cause candidates to exit the form and will result in any unsaved data being lost.
Applications may not be edited after submitting.
For security reasons, the passport is not visible when viewing a submitted application.

Candidates are advised to complete and submit applications as early as possible as we anticipate that the online application system will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline and we are not able to accept late applications if you run out of time to submit.

Users should use system back buttons rather than those on the browser. Please note that clicking on the CSC logo will return users to the log in screen where they will need to pass 2FA again to enter again.

As well as applying to the CSC, applicants must apply to a nominator.

There are two types of nominator invited to participate in the Master’s Scholarship programme:

National nominating agencies – this is the main route of application.
Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies.

Participating nominators put forward an agreed number of candidates to the CSC for consideration. The CSC does not accept direct applications for these scholarships.

Each nominator oversees its own selection process and may have additional eligibility criteria. Applicants must check with the nominator for their specific advice and rules for applying, and their own eligibility criteria.

Nominators may set their own closing dates for applications. They will nominate candidates to the CSC by December 2026.

Selections are made from the pool of nominations. Candidates are asked to note that a nomination is no guarantee of selection.

Applicants can expect to hear the outcome of their applications by July 2027. We will contact all applicants by email and they should ensure all folders of their email accounts are monitored, including junk mail and spam folders. A scholarship offer may be withdrawn if a candidate is emailed but does not respond within a specified time.

Supporting Documentation

Applications must include supporting documentation to be eligible.

Please note that applicants are required to collect references, on institution letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details, from referees then upload them in PDF format to the application system with their other supporting documentation.

The references must be uploaded to the application system by the deadline for applications and we are unable to accept references any other way or after this date.

Applicants must upload the following documents with the application:

Proof that they are a citizen or have 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. Where any transcripts are missing or do not include all pages, the application will be considered ineligible. If to-date transcripts are not available, the application must include an explanation why this is the case.
References from at least two individuals, in PDF format, signed and either on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details.

Applications will be considered ineligible if any of the required documentation is not included by the closing date.

The CSC will not accept supporting documentation submitted outside the online application system.

References must clearly by written by the referee in their own words. When completing the references, referees should be asked to comment as fully as possible on the applicant, keeping in mind the following points for inclusion, as appropriate:

How long, and in what capacity, the referee has known the applicant.
The referee’s views on the applicant’s suitability for the proposed Scholarship and the need for the particular subject of study in the UK.
Information on how, and to what extent, the applicant has shown ability in terms of:
- capability to grasp concepts and reason analytically;
- capacity for original thought;
- and motivation and perseverance in achieving objectives.
Assessment of the applicant’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
The applicant’s potential to impact development in their home country.
Any other general qualities which the referee considers would make the applicant a good recipient of a Scholarship.

Please note that the CSC does not charge to apply for any of its scholarships or fellowships through its online application system.

Completing the Application Form

In the application form, applicants are asked to:

List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained.
List up to 10 publications and prizes.
Provide details of employment history and explain how the experience gained supports and is relevant to the programme to be undertaken in the UK.
List names and positions of three referees who are qualified to comment on both their capacity to benefit from the proposed Scholarship in the UK and their ability to deliver development impact afterwards. One of the referees must be a current employer (if applicable) and at least two references must be included with the application.
Provide a Development Impact statement in four parts.

In the first part applicants should explain how the proposed scholarship relates to:

Development issues at the global, national, and local level
Development issues connected to the chosen CSC development theme and the wider sector

The second part should explain how they intend to apply their new skills once the Scholarship ends.

The third part should outline what they expect will change in development terms following the Scholarship, including:

The outcomes that they aim to achieve
The timeframe for their implementation
Who the beneficiaries will be

In the fourth part applicants should write about how the impact of their work could be best measured and evidenced.

Applicants are also asked to:

Confirm what their award objectives are and how each of them will be met by the Scholarship programme.
Confirm what their career plans are for the five years following the Scholarship.
Confirm their long-term career plans.
Provide a detailed plan of study.
Provide a personal statement to summarise the ways in which their personal background has encouraged them to want to make an impact in their home country. Applicants may wish to highlight any areas where they have already made significant contributions, including overcoming personal or community barriers in accessing higher education or within their field.
Summarise the ways in which they have engaged in voluntary activities and the opportunities they have had to demonstrate leadership.

Financial Assistance

Each scholarship provides:

Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before the award is confirmed).
Approved tuition fees: full fees are covered by agreement between the CSC and the UK university, and Scholars are not liable to pay for any part of the tuition fee.
Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,712 per month, or £2,000 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at current levels).
Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
If a Scholar has children and is widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of child allowance of £622 per month for the first child, and £154 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their children are living with them at the same address in the UK.

If a Scholar shares that they have a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC.

The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining a Scholar’s family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and Scholars must be able to supplement these allowances to support any family members who accompany them to the UK.

For queries not covered on the website, please use the contact us form.