Commonwealth PhD Scholarships, 2020, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK

Commonwealth 2019 PhD Scholarships are for candidates from high income Commonwealth countries, for full-time doctoral study at a UK university for awards commencing  between January to March 2020.

These scholarships are funded by the UK Department for Education in conjunction with UK universities to support world class research and to contribute to UK higher education and research to help sustain international recognition of the UK higher education system and for the benefit of wider society. The CSC does not offer scholarships to candidates from high income Commonwealth countries who have already started their PhD study in the UK.

Eligibility

 To apply for these scholarships, you must:

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country
• Show evidence that you are permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country. You must have lived in an eligible Commonwealth country for a period of 5 years for a continuous period within the last 10 years. If the CSC are unable to interpret this from your application, you will be contacted to provide further evidence.
• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK between January to March 2020 (to be agreed by the CSC)
• Hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree) by the time of submitting your scholarship application
• Not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university before January 2020
• Not have commenced and be currently registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, in your home country or elsewhere
• Hold an unconditional offer from your chosen university/universities listed on your CSC online application, at the point of being notified that you have been provisionally selected for an award by the CSC*
• References from at least two individuals
• A supporting statement from a proposed supervisor at one or more of the UK universities

*When applying for this scholarship you should ensure that you have contacted your chosen university/universities to confirm you are able to secure admission between January-March 2020; please be aware that some universities may not offer January-March 2020 admission for some of their courses.

Eligible Commonwealth countries

Anguilla
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Brunei Darussalam
Canada
Cayman Islands
Cyprus
Falkland Islands
Gibraltar
Malta
New Zealand
Seychelles
St Kitts and Nevis
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks and Caicos Islands

Terms and conditions

Full eligibility criteria is included in the Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for high income countries) 2019 terms and conditions.

How to apply

You must make your application directly to the CSC using the CSC’s online application system. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the online application system. You are not required to apply via a nominating body for these scholarships.

Only one application per applicant for these scholarships will be accepted.

Application deadline: Your application must be submitted by 16:00 (BST) on 28 August 2019 at the latest.

You are advised to complete and submit your application as soon as possible, as the online application system will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline.

Supporting documentation: Your application must include the following supporting documentation by 16:00 (BST) on 18 September 2019

• Proof that you are a citizen of an eligible Commonwealth country: a copy of your valid passport (or national ID card) showing your photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship – uploaded to the online application system
• Full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications listed on your online application form (with certified translations if not in English). All transcripts must be up to date at the time of submitting your application, including any transcripts to date for qualifications for which you are currently reading – uploaded to the online application system
• References from at least two individuals – submitted directly by the referee to the online application system (referees will be sent an email request).
• A supporting statement from a proposed supervisor at one or more of the UK universities named on your application form – submitted directly by your supervisor to the online application system (supervisors will be sent an email request).

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

You can view Application Form – Read Only document before you start your online application form.

Click here to access the online application system

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. For further information on the support available to candidates with a disability, see the CSC disability support statement.

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

Selection process

Eligible applications will first undergo a sifting process based on academic merit, from this process a shortlist will be created and only those who have made the shortlist will be considered; firstly by an academic adviser with expertise in the subject area concerned, and then by the CSC selection committee in competition with other candidates.

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

• Academic merit of the candidate
• Quality of the research proposal
• Potential of the candidate to lead in the pursuit of global excellence in research and knowledge

For further details, see the Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for high income countries) 2019 selection criteria.

Anti-fraud policy

The CSC is committed to administering and managing its scholarships and fellowships in a fair and transparent manner. For further information, see the CSC anti-fraud policy and the DFID guidance on reporting fraud.

Enquiries

If you have any queries about applying for a Commonwealth PhD Scholarship (for high income countries), you can contact us. We will not use your email address for any purposes other than responding to your enquiry.

For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.