UK COMMONWEALTH SPLIT-SITE SCHOLARSHIPS ( Africans can apply to study in the UK)

A-Media January 26, 2023

7 4 minutes read

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships enable talented and motivated individuals to gain the knowledge and skills required for sustainable development.

DEADLINE: 02 March 2023

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Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships

Funded by the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Split-site 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. They offer PhD scholars studying at eligible universities across the Commonwealth the opportunity to conduct research at an institute in the UK for 12 months.

Purpose: To increase the number of high-caliber doctorate candidates from low- and middle-income Commonwealth nations who have access to UK equipment and knowledge, and to support Commonwealth higher education and research through partnerships and collaboration

Intended beneficiaries: High-quality graduates whose proposed research has a developmental focus and who have the potential to become influential teachers or researchers in their home countries.

Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships are offered under six CSC Development themes.

How to apply

For the school year 2023–2024, applications for Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships are currently being accepted.

Applications and all accompanying materials must be submitted by March 2, 2023, at 6:00 GMT.

Applications must be submitted online through the CSC’s application platform.

Candidates must apply to study at a UK university which has a part funding agreement with the CSC. Part funding agreements are at the discretion of individual universities. For a list of universities that have agreed to part fund Commonwealth Scholarships, visit the UK universities with part funding agreements page on the CSC website.

Since the online application system will be extremely active in the days leading up to the application deadline, candidates are recommended to complete and submit applications as early as possible.

Supporting documentation

Applications must include supporting documentation to be eligible.

Note that candidates must gather references and supporting documents from referees and proposed supervisors in the UK and upload them in PDF format to the application system along with their other supporting documents. References and supporting documents must be on institution letterhead or an email clearly identifying the sender’s details. Previously, referees and supervisors would be contacted separately through email to provide references and supporting documentation.

The references and supporting statements must be uploaded to the application system by the application deadline. We are unable to accept references and supporting statements any other way or after this date.

Candidates must upload the following documents with their application:

A document proving the applicant’s citizenship or refugee status in a Commonwealth nation: a replica of a current passport (or national ID card) with a photo, birthdate, and nation of citizenship

Transcripts in full, with certified translations if not in English, detailing all higher education credentials, including current transcripts for any courses being taken.

References on official letterhead from at least two people

A letter of support, on the letterhead of the institution, from the potential supervisor in the UK, from at least one of the organizations listed on the application form.

Supporting statement from the current boss at the home university on institutional letterhead

If any of the required documentation is not provided by the closing date, the application will be considered ineligible.

Additionally, candidates may upload any university admissions letters that are available for their desired courses.

The CSC will not accept supporting documentation submitted by nominating agencies or outside the online application system.

Please note that the CSC does not charge candidates to apply for any of its Scholarships or Fellowships through its online application system, and it does not charge organisations to nominate candidates.

Candidate eligibility

Future Scholars who wish to apply for these Scholarships 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

By the time your Scholarship begins, you must be enrolled in a PhD program at an institution in a Commonwealth nation that qualifies (September 2023)

Make sure there is a departmental or institutional connection between your own university and the suggested UK university. This connection must involve more than just a couple of people working together; for more information, see the section on “Tenure and placement.” To ensure that your application is accepted, both of your supervisors must submit a supporting statement that offers more information about the link.

Be available to start your academic studies in the UK in September 2023
possess a first degree with at least an upper second class (2:1) honors standard by September 2023, or a lower second class degree plus an appropriate postgraduate degree (often a Master’s degree)
be in need of this Scholarship to be unable to pay to study in the UK

Eligible countries

Please note that only candidates from the eligible countries listed below can apply for Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships in 2023/24.

Bangladesh

Beliz

Botswana

Cameroon

Dominica

Eswatini

Fiji

Gabon

Ghana

Grenada