Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (Least Developed Countries and Vulnerable States)

Benefits & funding

• Approved return airfare between the scholar’s home country and the UK.
• Approved tuition fees in full, covered by agreement with the UK university.
• A living allowance of £1,712 per month, or £2,000 per month at universities in the London metropolitan area.
• A study travel grant toward study-related travel within the UK or overseas.
• A contribution toward the cost of fieldwork carried out overseas, including economy-class return airfare.
• One paid mid-term visit home (airfare).
• Spouse allowance of £313 per month for up to nine months where a scholar is accompanied by a spouse and no children, provided both live at the same UK address; other conditions apply, and the allowance is not paid if the spouse also holds a scholarship.
• Where a scholar is accompanied by spouse and children: spouse allowance of £313 per month, plus child allowance of £313 per month for the first child and £154 per month for the second and third child under 16, on the same living-together conditions.
• For a widowed, divorced, or single-parent scholar whose children live with them in the UK: £622 per month for the first child and £154 per month for the second and third child under 16.
• The award covers 36 months of full-time study; the Commission does not support four-year PhDs.

Eligibility

• Citizenship of, or refugee status granted by, an eligible Commonwealth country; British Protected Persons may also apply.
• Permanent residence in one of the eligible countries: Bangladesh, The Gambia, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, and Zambia.
• Availability to start study in the UK at the beginning of the UK academic year in September 2027.
• By September 2027, a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) honours standard, or a lower second-class degree plus a relevant postgraduate qualification, usually a Master’s degree.
• No registration for a PhD, or for an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university or in the home country before September or October 2026.
• Inability to afford UK study without this scholarship.
• All supporting documentation supplied in the required format.
• There is no age limit for Commission applications; applicants are advised to check any age-related leave rules their employer applies.

Application process

1. 1
   Identify UK universities and approach a prospective supervisor: the application needs a signed supporting statement from a proposed supervisor at one of the institutions named on the form.
2. 2
   Apply for admission to preferred universities in advance of the scholarship application. An offer letter is not required at the application stage, and the Commission advises seeking admission at the same time as, or as soon as possible after, submitting.
3. 3
   Apply to a nominator as well as to the Commission. National nominating agencies are the main route; selected non-governmental organisations and charitable bodies also nominate. Nominators may set their own, earlier, closing dates.
4. 4
   Complete the application in CSC Central, covering the doctoral research proposal and the development-impact case, and upload proof of citizenship or refugee status, full higher-education transcripts with certified translations where needed, at least two signed references in PDF, and the supervisor’s supporting statement in PDF.
5. 5
   Submit through CSC Central by 16.00 BST on 20 October 2026. Nothing sent outside CSC Central is accepted, and the Commission takes no direct, unnominated applications.

Program timeline

1. Applications open.

   8 September 2026

2. 20 October 2026 at 16.00 BST

   Commission application and supporting-document deadline; nominators may close earlier.

3. Nominators submit their nominations to the Commission.

   December 2026

4. Applicants can expect to hear the outcome.

   July 2027

5. Doctoral study begins in the UK.

   September or October 2027