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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.
Further information can be found on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website here.
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 2021;
- by September 2021, 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;
- apply for admission to UCL for one of the eligible programmes below:
| Department of Chemistry MSc Materials for Energy and Environment |
| Development Planning Unit MSc Health in Urban Development MSc Urban Development Planning |
| Division of Medicine MSc in Clinical and Public Health Nutrition |
| Institute for Global Health MSc Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology |
| Institute for Global Prosperity MSc Global Prosperity MSc Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship |
| Institute of Education MA Education, Health Promotion and International Development MA Educational Planning, Economics and International Development |
| Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction MSc Risk, Disaster and Resilience |
Value, benefits, and duration
- There are up to 7 (seven) scholarships available in 2021/22.
- 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.
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
Applications to this scholarship are currently open
- You must separately apply for admission to UCL for one of the eligible programmes through the standard admissions procedure.
- You must apply for the scholarship on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Electronic Application System (EAS) online following the procedures described on their website.
- Applications to the scheme are now open.
- In order to be considered for this scholarship at UCL, you must complete the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Electronic Application System (EAS) online: by the deadline of 9 April 2021.
All applications received before the deadline will be considered. If an application is received after this deadline it will not be deemed eligible and cannot be considered.
Results
Successful and reserve candidates selected by UCL can expect to be informed by email at the beginning of June. Final notification by the CSC should be expected around the beginning of July.
We are unable to inform unsuccessful applicants. If you do not hear from UCL Student Funding Office by the end of June, please assume your application has been unsuccessful.