What is the Commonwealth Scholarship?
The Commonwealth Scholarship is a prestigious award aimed at students from across the Commonwealth who cannot afford to study in the UK. This scholarship supports future innovators and leaders by funding postgraduate studies in various disciplines.
The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC) is inviting nominations from the University of Port Harcourt for Commonwealth PhD Scholarships tenable from September 2025.
Why Apply?
Global Impact: Join a network of over 31,000 Commonwealth Alumni, including Prime Ministers, Nobel Prize winners, and leaders in various fields.
Comprehensive Support: Receive financial support for tuition fees, living expenses, and travel costs.
Diverse Opportunities: Choose from a wide range of study formats and disciplines aligned with the six CSC development themes.
Who Can Apply?
To be eligible, 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 available to start academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2024.
- By September 2024, hold a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours standard, or a lower second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)*.
- Not be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in their home country before September/October 2024.
- Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
- Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.
Full candidate eligibility requirements
Scholarship Details for 2025:
Type of Awards: Commonwealth PhD Scholarships for least developed countries and fragile states.
Themes: Science and Technology, Strengthening Health Systems, Promoting Global Prosperity, Strengthening Global Peace, Resilience and Crisis Response, Access, Inclusion, and Opportunity.
Support for Disabilities: Additional investment and support are available for candidates with disabilities.
Selection Criteria
The CSC will make the final selection of candidates. We seek candidates of the highest academic quality who demonstrate a real capacity to make a difference to their home country on completion of their award. The CSC’s selection committee will grade applications on the following criteria:
- Academic merit of the candidate
- Quality of the Study Plan
- Potential impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country
How to Apply:
Eligibility Check: Ensure you meet the eligibility criteria.
Application Submission: Complete the CSC application form
Supporting Documents: Provide a personal statement, study plan, and proof of lack of funding.
University Notification of your application: To complete your application, submit physical copies of your completed CSC application forms along with all supporting documents to the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Development, University of Port Harcourt, immediately after submitting your application online.
All candidates must demonstrate in their application the direct and applied relevance of their study to development in their home country. Candidates should make any such links explicit in their applications.
- Commonwealth Scholarships are aimed at individuals who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK. Every candidate will be required to sign a declaration that they do not have access to sufficient funds to study in the UK and no candidate with the independent means to study in the UK should be nominated to the CSC.
- Candidates will be asked to supply a personal statement within their application which will provide the selection panel with more information about their background and give an additional context to their application. It will be taken into account by the selection panel but will not be graded.
Application Deadline: Nomination submissions to the CSC by Tuesday, 10 December 2024.
The CSC is committed to supporting outreach activities and providing additional investment for scholarships for people with disabilities and in subject areas related to the rights of people with disabilities. For further information on the support available to candidates with a disability, please see the CSC disability support statement
Contact Us:
For any questions or further information, please contact our Nomination Team at cscnominations@cscuk.org.uk or the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Development, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria: iyeopu.siminialayi@uniport.edu.ng
Join the ranks of Commonwealth Scholars and take your place among the future leaders and change-makers of the world. Apply now and let the Commonwealth Scholarship pave your way to success!
For more details, visit the Commonwealth Scholarships page.
Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Development, University of Port Harcourt, Abuja Campus, Senate Building, Nigeria