Deadline: November 6, 2019
Applications are open for the Commonwealth Split-site PhD Scholarships 2020. The Commonwealth Split-site Scholarships are for PhD candidates from low and middle income Commonwealth countries, to spend up to 12 months at a UK university as part of their doctoral studies in their home country.
Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), 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. These scholarships are offered under six themes:
- Science and technology for development
- Strengthening health systems and capacity
- Promoting global prosperity
- Strengthening global peace, security and governance
- Strengthening resilience and response to crises
- Access, inclusion and opportunity
Scholarship Value
Each scholarship provides
- Approved airfare from your country to the UK and return at the end of your award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before your award is confirmed)
- Approved tuition fees
- Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,110 per month, or £1,362 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2019-2020 levels)
- Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
- Study travel grant toward the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
- If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £476 per month for the first child, and £117 per month for the second child and the third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK (rates quoted at 2019-2020 levels)
Eligibility
To apply for these 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 registered for a PhD at a university in an eligible Commonwealth country by the time your scholarship is confirmed (September 2020)
- Ensure that an institutional or departmental link exists between your home university and your proposed UK university. This link must be greater than simply a collaboration between individuals.
- Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2020
- By October 2020, 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)
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
Eligible Countries
Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, The Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho,Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Helena, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Tanzania,Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia
Selection Process
Eligible applications will be considered in line with the CSC’s Split-site Scholarships Selection Criteria, including 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 impact on the development of the candidate’s home country
Application
Your application must include the following supporting documentation:
- Proof of citizenship or refugee status: copy of your valid passport (or national ID card) showing your photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship or refugee status– uploaded to the online application system
- Full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications including to-date transcripts for any qualifications you are currently studying (with certified translations if not in English) – uploaded to the online application system
- Supporting statement from your supervisor at your home country university, including details of current institutional links, submitted directly by your supervisor to the online application system (supervisors will be sent an email request).
- Supporting statement from your proposed supervisor at a UK university, including details of current institutional links, submitted directly by your supervisor to the online application system (supervisors will be sent an email request).
- Reference from at least one other individual – submitted directly by the referee to the online application system (referees will be sent an email request)
For more information, visit Commonwealth Split-site PhD Scholarships.
