The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission 

DANISH
'I haven gotten to know some very wonderful teachers here who have helped me understand what it is like to be a really good mentor. They are excellent role models if you are interested in pursuing a career in academia.' - Danish Khatri, MSc in Control Systems

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) is an international scholarship programme, and in the United Kingdom (UK) is responsible for awarding academically bright citizens of developing Commonwealth countries with funding to undertake postgraduate study at UK universities. The CSC wishes to promote equal opportunity, gender equity and cultural exchange.

Accordion widget - Commonwealth scholarship info

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships

Please note: Applications for the 2027-28 will open on 8 September

 

Eligibility

To be considered for Imperial Commonwealth PhD Scholarships you 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)
  • not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in their home country before September/October 2027
  • be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
  • For information on the Imperial Commonwealth Scholarships programme, please refer to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website

 How to Apply

  • You should apply directly through the Commonwealth website
  • As well as applying to the CSC using the application system (CSC Central), applications must apply to a nominator. Nominators may set their own closing dates for applications. Please check the Commonwealth website for further details on how to apply
  • Applicants are also advised to apply for their programme of choice at Imperial College, as soon as applications open, through the standard application process.

Applications must be submitted by 16:00 hours BST (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, 20 October 2026.

How much is it worth?

The scholarship covers

  • Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award
  • Approved tuition fees
  • A stipend (living allowance)
  • Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
  • Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (the cost of one economy class return airfare to the fieldwork location), where approved.
  • Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to the Scholar’s home country, unless they have claimed or intend to claim spouse and/or child allowances during their scholarship or have received a return airfare to their home country for fieldwork.
  • Family allowances - please see the Financial assistance section for further details  

 

Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

Please note: Applications for the 2027-28 academic year will open on Tuesday, 8 September

 

Eligibility

To be considered for Imperial Commonwealth scholarships you 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 your 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 second class degree (2:2) and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)*. The CSC would not normally fund a second UK 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
  • Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
  • For information on the Imperial Commonwealth Scholarships programme, please refer to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission website

*The CSC recognises that disabled people have often faced and overcome challenges or barriers in their education journey which have prevented them achieving the academic requirement for a Commonwealth Scholarship. 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. For more information, please contact CDPF directly using the details on our NGOs and charitable body nominators page.

HOW TO APPLY

 

  • As well as applying to the CSC using the application system (CSC Central), applications must apply to a nominator. Nominators may set their own closing dates for applications. Please check the Commonwealth Master's Scholarship website for further details on how to apply
  • Applicants are also advised to apply for their programme of choice at Imperial College, as soon as applications open, through the standard application process.

Applications must be submitted by 16:00 BST (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday, 20 October 2026. 

How much is it worth?

The scholarship covers

  • Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award
  • Approved tuition fees
  • A stipend (living allowance)
  • Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
  • Provision towards the cost of fieldwork undertaken overseas (the cost of one economy class return airfare to the fieldwork location), where approved.
  • Paid mid-term visit (airfare) to the Scholar’s home country, unless they have claimed or intend to claim spouse and/or child allowances during their scholarship or have received a return airfare to their home country for fieldwork.
  • Family allowances - please see the Financial assistance section for further details  
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

Please note: Applications for the 2027-28 academic year 

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships are for candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries, for full-time Master’s study in the UK on selected one-year courses, jointly supported by UK universities. 

Imperial College London has submitted a bid to the CSC to host Commonwealth Shared scholars in 2027-28 for the following three courses (Theme Science and technology for development):

Important to note: 

  1. Our bid is subject to CSC approval and the outcome will be announced in November.  Please check again this page in November for up-to-date information.   Information will also be available on the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships page on the CSC webpage
  2. To be considered for these scholarships, please submit your course application for admissions in Round 2 (i.e. by Wednesday, 6 January 2027)

    Round 2

    • Applications open on Wednesday 30 September 2026
    • Applications close on Wednesday 6 January 2027
    • Decision by Wednesday 3 March 2027
  3. Information on how to apply for your course can be found on the “Application process” page

 

 

 

 

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships
Please note:  Applications for Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships for the 2025/26 academic year are now closed. 

This programme is currently under review and will not be running in 2026.  

If you have any questions about either of these schemes, please contact the Student Financial Support team.