Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

Award details

Applications for Commonwealth Master’s scholarships for the 2026/27 academic year are open until 16:00 on 14 October 2025.

The scholarships are for study in the UK beginning in September/October 2026.

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.

These scholarships are offered under the six CSC development themes.

As part of a partnership agreement between the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) and King's College London, scholars who are funded on this scholarship receive support towards their tuition fees from King's.

Award value

Each scholarship provides:

• Approved airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK and return at the end of the award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before the award is confirmed).
• Approved tuition fees: full fees are covered by agreement between the CSC and the UK university, and Scholars are not liable to pay for any part of the tuition fee.
• Stipend (living allowance) at a rate set by the CSC.
• Warm clothing allowance, where applicable.
• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
• If a Scholar has children and is widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of child allowance of £622 per month for the first child, and £154 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if their children are living with them at the same address in the UK.

If a Scholar shares that they have a disability, a full assessment of their needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC.

The CSC’s family allowances are intended to be only a contribution towards the cost of maintaining a Scholar’s family in the UK. The true costs are likely to be considerably higher, and Scholars must be able to supplement these allowances to support any family members who accompany them to the UK.

For more information, please visit the Commonwealth Master's Scholarship website.

Eligibility criteria

To be considered for these scholarships, applicants 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 2026.
• By September 2026, 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)*.
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship.
• Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format.

*The CSC recognises that disabled people have often faced and overcome challenges or barriers in their education journey which have prevented them achieving the academic requirement for a Commonwealth Scholarship. Disabled applicants who can demonstrate their potential to contribute to international development but who do not hold a 2:1 Undergraduate degree may be considered for a contextualised nomination through the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum nominator.

The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants.

There is no age limit for CSC applications. Applicants are advised to confirm with their employers any age restrictions on leave entitlement they may have in place.

The CSC has a preference for applicants who have already completed their undergraduate degrees and would not normally fund a second Master’s degree. If applying for a second Master’s degree, applicants must provide justification as to why they wish to undertake this study. Applicants who have already studied at Master’s level in the UK will not be considered eligible.

All Commonwealth Scholars commit to returning home following the end of their scholarships to contribute to the development of their home countries. Switching to a graduate or other visa to remain in the UK is not permitted. 

For full details, please visit the Commonwealth Master's Scholarship website.

Application process

Applications are now open and will close at 16:00 on 14 October 2025.

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

As well as applying to the CSC, applicants must:

• apply to a nominator (as described by the CSC).
• be able to secure a place on their chosen Master's programme at King's College London. For guidance on how to apply for a Master's degree at King's, please visit our How to apply: Postgraduate taught courses.

For full details and to apply, please visit the Commonwealth Scholarships website.

Selection process

Applications will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

• Candidate merit (including academic experience)
• Quality of research proposal
• Potential impact on the development of the candidate’s home country

 

Student Testimonial

Tracy Kyomuhendo, MRes Clinical Research

"I found out about KCL after a general search for the top universities in the UK when considering postgraduate studies. I was pleased to find out KCL offers the MRes Clinical Research programme that I had always wanted to do.

I worked in an under-resourced rural facility in my home country, Uganda. As a Medical Officer, I appreciated first-hand the diversity of cases, some of which warranted research, but I also identified a lack of research capacity generally. I concluded that clinicians like myself were best placed to conduct clinical research since we dealt with patients directly. To conduct research that would benefit my home country and the scientific community, I realised getting the appropriate training in world-leading standards was essential. Hence, I chose to study for the MRes Clinical Research postgraduate degree.

My study will equip me with the skills to undertake clinical research necessary to impact patient management in my home country, hopefully, the world at large and potentially lead to a successful PhD programme.

The Commonwealth Shared scholarship is well advertised on social media, especially by former awardees. I learned about it on Twitter. This funding has removed the initial headache of finding money to pay for tuition, accommodation and upkeep because it covers everything. This funding has afforded me the much-needed peace of mind to concentrate fully on my studies to make the most of my time at King's.

My advice to prospective students would be: Have a clear career path regarding why you want to study a course and need funding. Be yourself when applying for funding. Tell your story as it is."