Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

Key facts
Level	Master's
Where	UK
Funded by	UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), run by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC)
What it covers	Full tuition fees Approved return airfare Monthly stipend (higher rate in London) Study travel grant Child allowance for eligible single-parent scholars
Who can apply	Citizen of, or refugee status in, an eligible Commonwealth country (or British Protected Person) Permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country First degree of at least 2:1 (or 2:2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification) Unable to afford UK study without the scholarship Not already holding a UK Master’s One-year taught Master’s only (MBAs not funded)
Documents usually required	Passport or national ID Full transcripts (with certified translations if needed) At least two signed references (PDF) Application through CSC Central and nomination by a national nominating agency or approved body
Usual application window	Closes October
Official website	cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk

Level

Master's

Where

Funded by

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), run by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC)

What it covers

Full tuition fees
Approved return airfare
Monthly stipend (higher rate in London)
Study travel grant
Child allowance for eligible single-parent scholars

Who can apply

Citizen of, or refugee status in, an eligible Commonwealth country (or British Protected Person)
Permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country
First degree of at least 2:1 (or 2:2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification)
Unable to afford UK study without the scholarship
Not already holding a UK Master’s
One-year taught Master’s only (MBAs not funded)

Documents usually required

Passport or national ID
Full transcripts (with certified translations if needed)
At least two signed references (PDF)
Application through CSC Central and nomination by a national nominating agency or approved body

Usual application window

Closes October

Official website

cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk

Details change from year to year. Always confirm dates and rules on the official website before applying.

Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships fund one year of taught Master’s study at an approved UK university for talented students from eligible Commonwealth countries.

How to apply

You must apply both to the CSC (through CSC Central) and to a nominator in your country, usually the national nominating agency. The CSC does not accept direct applications. Nominators set their own earlier deadlines. For the 2027/28 round, the CSC deadline was 16:00 BST on 20 October 2026, with results by July 2027.

Missing documents at the deadline make an application ineligible, so prepare transcripts and references well in advance.