COMMONWEALTH MASTERS SCHOLARSHIP 2021/2022

The agency-nominated Master programme is one of three Master’s programmes offered by the Commission.

Purpose: Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), Commonwealth Master’s 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.

Intended Beneficiaries: Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships are for candidates from eligible lower and upper middle income Commonwealth countries, to undertake full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university.

These scholarships are offered under six CSC Development themes:

1. Science and technology for development

2. Strengthening health systems and capacity

3. Promoting global prosperity

4. Strengthening global peace and security

5. Strengthening resilience and response to crises

6. Access, inclusion and opportunity

Selection process

Each year, the CSC invites selected nominating bodies to submit a specific number of nominations. The deadline for nominating bodies to submit nominations will be made available in 22 September 2021.

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

• Academic merit of the candidate

• Quality of the plan of study

• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country

Value

Each scholarship provides:

• Approved airfare from your home 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 £1,133 per month, or £1,390 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2021-2022 levels).

• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.

• Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable.

• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.

• If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £485 per month for the first child, and £120 per month for the second and 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 2021-2022 levels).

• If you declare a disability, a full assessment of your needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC. The CSC’s family allowances are intended to only be used as a contribution towards the cost of maintaining your family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher. You must be able to supplement these allowances to support any family members who come to the UK with you.For more information, see the current Handbook for Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows.Please note that the conditions outlined in the Handbook are subject to change.

HOW TO APPLY

You must apply to one of the following nominating bodies in the first instance – the CSC does not accept direct applications for these scholarships.

• National nominating agencies – this is the main route of applications:

Head of Human Resource Development Department

Human Resource Development Department

eSwatini Government

Ministry of Public Service

P.O. Box 170

Mbabane

Eswatini

Tel: +268 404 8745/3521

Fax: +268 240 44161/25379

Email: manyovuns@gmail.com

www.gov.sz

• Selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies below:

Canon Collins Educational and Legal Assistance Trust: For Master’s candidates from: Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, and Zambia only.

Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum: For disabled candidates only. Candidates must also be able to demonstrate how their studies will lead to improvement in the position of disabled people in their country.

Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE): For female Master’s candidates from: Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia only.

HALI Access Network: For candidates affiliated with a HALI Access Network member organisation only (including The Knowledge Institute). A full list of members is available on the HALI website. Please check with the member organisation you are affiliated with for further details on selection criteria.

Each nominating body is responsible for its own selection process and may have additional eligibility criteria. You must check with your nominating body for their specific advice and rules for applying, their own eligibility criteria, and their own closing date for applications.

You must make your application using the CSC’s online application system, in addition to any other application that you are required to complete by your nominating body. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the online application system.

Applications for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships for the academic year 2022/23 are now open, and will close on 1 November 2021.

Applications must be submitted by 16:00 (GMT) on 1 November 2021. References must be submitted by 16:00 (GMT) on 22 November 2021. The nomination deadline is 22 December 2021.

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.

Choosing a university/course

You may find the following resources useful when researching your choices of institution and course of study in the UK:

• Study UK – British Council website, with guidance for international students and a course and institution search

• Steps to Postgraduate Study – a guide to asking the right questions about taught postgraduate study in the UK

• Postgrad.com – information for postgraduate students, with a course search

• Prospects – information on postgraduate study in the UK

• Research Excellent Framework 2014 results – results of a system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions

• UCAS Postgraduate – guidance on how to find and apply for a postgraduate course

• Unistats – the official website for comparing UK higher education course data

• UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) – advice for international students on choosing a course of study

Scholar eligibility

To apply for these scholarships, you must:

• Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country

• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2022

• By September 2022, 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). The CSC would not normally fund a second UK Master’s degree. If you are applying for a second UK Master’s degree, you will need to provide justification as to why you wish to undertake this study

• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship

• Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format

Completing application form

Applications must be made using the CSC’s online application system.

In the application form, prospective candidates will be asked to:

• List all undergraduate and postgraduate university qualifications obtained (if applicable)

• List up to 10 publications and prizes (if applicable)

• Provide details of your employment history and explain how each job is relevant to the programme you wish to undertake in the UK (up to 100 words per employment)

• Provide a statement on the relevance of your previous work experience to the proposed Scholarship (up to 300 words)

• List names and positions of three referees who are qualified to comment on both your capacity to benefit from your proposed Scholarship in the UK and your ability to deliver development impact afterwards. One of your referees must be your current employer.

• Provide a Development Impact statement in 4 parts