Commonwealth Split Site PhD Scholarships 2025

Pursue your studies in the UK! Great news! The Commonwealth Split Site PhD Scholarship is now open. In this article, we will explain the scholarship, its benefits, and the step-by-step application process.

The Commonwealth Split Site PhD Scholarship 2025-2026 is a fully funded scholarship for candidates from low and middle-income countries. This scholarship is specifically for PhD studies. It covers airfare from the scholar’s home country to the UK and back at the end of the award, full tuition fees, a monthly stipend of £1,652, a warm clothing allowance, and a study travel grant.

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK (CSC) manages the UK government scholarship scheme, which focuses on international development goals. Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), it operates within the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP). The scheme reflects the UK’s commitment to the Commonwealth, attracting talented individuals from all backgrounds to become future leaders and innovators when they return to their home countries. The CSC combines sustainable development with the UK’s national interest and offers opportunities for international collaboration.

The goal of this scholarship is to provide access to UK resources and expertise for outstanding doctoral candidates from Commonwealth countries. It aims to contribute to UK and Commonwealth higher education and research through collaboration and partnerships.

All CSC scholarship programs are highly competitive, meaning many strong applicants may not be selected. Only those with outstanding applications are likely to be successful. It is important to carefully consider what you include in your application. This page offers advice and guidance for completing the application form, including feedback from the selection panel and common mistakes to avoid.

Scholarship Summary

• Level of Study: PhD
• Institution(s): UK universities with part funding agreements listed on the CSC website
• Study in: UK
• Opportunity Focus Areas: PhD
• Program Period: One year
• Deadline: December 5, 2024

Scholarship Coverage

The Commonwealth Split Site PhD Scholarship provides the recipient with the following benefits:

• Approved Airfare: Covers the cost of airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and back at the end of the award. (The CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants or for journeys made before the award is confirmed.)
• Approved Tuition Fees: Full tuition fees are covered by an agreement between the CSC and the UK university, with no cost to the Scholar.
• Stipend (Living Allowance): £1,347 per month, or £1,652 per month for those studying at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates are quoted at current levels).
• Warm Clothing Allowance: Provided where applicable.
• Study Travel Grant: A grant for study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
• Child Allowance: For widowed, divorced, or single parent Scholars, a child allowance of £576.61 per month for the first child, and £143 per month for the second and third child under 16, if they live with the Scholar at the same address in the UK.
• Disability Support: If a Scholar has a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be provided by the CSC.

Family Allowances: The CSC’s family allowances are meant to contribute to the cost of supporting a Scholar’s family in the UK. However, the actual costs are likely to be much higher, so Scholars must be prepared to supplement these allowances to fully support any family members who accompany them to the UK.

Eligibility Criteria for Commonwealth Split Site PhD Scholarship

To qualify for this scholarship, candidates must meet all of the following requirements:

• Required Language: English
• Eligible Countries: Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Saint Helena, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zambia.
• Citizenship: Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country.
• Residency: Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
• PhD Registration: Be registered for a PhD at a university in an eligible Commonwealth country by the time the scholarship starts in September 2024.
• Institutional Link: Ensure an institutional or departmental link exists between the home university and the proposed UK university. This link must be more than just a collaboration between individuals; both supervisors must provide supporting statements detailing the link to ensure eligibility.
• Study Start: Be available to start academic study in the UK in September 2024.
• Academic Qualifications: By September 2024, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours, or a lower second-class degree with a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree).
• Financial Need: Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
• Documentation: Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals with the potential to bring about change. They are committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination, encouraging applications from a diverse range of candidates. For more information on support for scholars with disabilities, see the CSC disability support statement.

There is no age limit for CSC applications, but applicants should check with their employers for any age restrictions on leave entitlement.

How to Apply for Commonwealth Split Site PhD Scholarship?

Please follow the following application instructions to apply for this scholarship.

(1) Applications to the CSC must be made using the CSC’s online application system..

(2) Upload the following documents.

• Proof that they are a citizen or have refugee status in an eligible Commonwealth country: a copy of a valid passport (or national ID card) showing a photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship.
• Full transcripts detailing all higher education qualifications, including to-date transcripts for any courses currently being studied, with certified translations if not in English. Where any transcripts are missing or do not include all pages, the application will be considered ineligible.
• References from at least two individuals, in PDF format, signed and on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details.
• A supporting statement, in PDF format, signed and on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details, from a proposed supervisor in the UK from the institution named on the application form.
• A supporting statement, in PDF format, signed and on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s details, from the current supervisor at the home university.

(3) Applicants 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.

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