Your Ultimate Guide to Commonwealth Scholarships

Who is the governing body?

An annual provision available for all commonwealth nations, CSFP is majorly governed by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission. However, when it comes to India, it comes under the joint management of –

· The British Council,

· Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India,

· Association of Commonwealth Universities, and

· Commonwealth Scholarships Commission

Which are the countries involved?

Though, the commonwealth consists of a number of countries, only a few nations offer the award of Commonwealth scholarships and fellowships to the students. These countries include –

· Australia

· Botswana

· Brunei Darussalam

· Cameroon

· Canada

· Ghana

· India

· Jamaica

· Malaysia

· Malta

· Mauritius

· New Zealand

· Nigeria

· South Africa

· Trinidad and Tobago

· United Kingdom

Multifarious opportunities available

Having benefitted almost 35,000 individuals since its inception, the Commonwealth scholarships and fellowships offer numerous study opportunities for students. These are broadly covered under 7 key opportunities that include –

· Scholarships for Master’s and PhD study

· Split-site scholarships for PhD candidates

· Shared Scholarships for Master’s study

· Distance Learning Scholarships for Master’s study

· Academic Fellowships for mid-career academic staff

· Professional Fellowships for mid-career professionals

· Medical Fellowships for mid-career dental and medical staff

Commonwealth scholarships you can apply for

While in India, if you are willing to study abroad and explore global opportunities, you can look up for the following international scholarships –

New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarships

In order to promote and recognize the highest level of intellectual achievement, the MHRD in collaboration with New Zealand Foreign Affairs and Trade offer commonwealth scholarships for you to study master’s and PhD level courses in New Zealand. The scholarship covers medical and travel insurance, full tuition cost, living allowance etc.

Commonwealth Scholarship in the United Kingdom

To make Indian students qualified and skilled professionals, the UK Department for International Development (DFID) offers commonwealth scholarship for Indian students pursuing master’s and PhD degree program. The scholarship covers airfare, tuition fees, thesis grant, stipend etc.

Commonwealth Scholarship in Singapore

Offered by the Nanyang Technological University, this commonwealth scholarship is available for students who are willing to pursue a PhD program. A highly motivated individual can win scholarship of SGD 2000 under this scheme, based on his/her academic excellence.

Steps to follow

The applications to commonwealth scholarships can be made through their respective EAS (Electronic Application System) with following steps –

· Applicants need to apply for a study course in the University that offers commonwealth scholarship.

· Consult your nearest nominating agency for recommendation (For India, the nominating agency can be the Ministry of Education or the UGC).

· You can contact the advisers available at the nominating agencies for better advice related to application.

· Provide suitable references in support of your application.

To know more details about these scholarships and their providers, visit Buddy4Study, a reputed online scholarship information platform that acts as an intermediary between scholarship seekers and providers.