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The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme is a joint initiative between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and UK universities to support students from developing Commonwealth countries.
The aim of the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme (CSSS) is to assist students from developing Commonwealth countries who are of excellent academic calibre but for financial reasons would not otherwise be able to afford to study in the United Kingdom. The scheme allows them to benefit from postgraduate study at a university in the United Kingdom which will help them to contribute toward the development of their home countries.
Awards are for taught Master's programmes only, subjects must be related to the economic, social and technological development of a candidate's country.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- be a Commonwealth citizen, refugee, or British Protected Person;
- be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country;
- be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2026;
- by September 2026, hold a first degree of either first or upper second class (2:1) classification, or lower second class (2:2) classification plus a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree). If you are applying for a second UK Master’s degree, you will need to provide justification as to why you wish to undertake this study;
- not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high-income country;
- be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship;
- have applied for admission to UCL for one of the eligible programmes below:
| Department of Civil, Enviornmental, and Geomatic Engineering MSc Earthquake Engineering with Disaster Management |
| Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction MSc Risk and Disaster Science |
| Development Planning Unit (DPU) MSc Urban Economic Development |
| Division of Medicine MSc Clinical Drug Development |
| Institute for Global Health MSc Global Health and Development |
| Institute for Global Prosperity MSc Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship |
| Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care MSc Humanitarian Policy and Practice |
| IOE - Department of Education, Practice and Society MA Education, Gender and International Development |
Value, benefits, and duration
- There are up to 8 (eight) scholarships available in 2026/27
- The award will cover tuition fees, a maintenance allowance, economy air travel to and from the UK at the beginning and end of the scholar’s degree programme plus additional discretionary allowances.
- Awards are normally tenable for one year only.
Selection
The CSSS is a shared scholarship between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and UCL, and selected candidates have to be accepted and approved by both parties, hence the requirement to also complete the CSSS online application form.
The successful and reserve candidates will be selected upon the recommendation of an academic panel and the Student Funding Office.
How to apply
Results
Successful and reserve nominees selected by UCL can expect to be informed by email in mid April. Final award confirmation should be expected by July 2026 once the CSC completes their criteria checks.
We are unable to inform unsuccessful applicants. If you do not hear from UCL Student Funding Office by the end of June 2026, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.