Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2025: Deadline, Acceptance Rate, Eligibility

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship is one of the top scholarships in UK. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) offers it in partnership with UK universities. These need-based financial assistance are offered to talented and motivated candidates with excellent academic calibre from least-developed and middle-income commonwealth countries (India included). The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship India is offered to students seeking full-time master’s study on selected courses in the UK. Moreover, these scholarships are fully funded including tuition fees, travel reimbursements, and living expenses in UK. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) generally funds the awards.

This Story also Contains

1. Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2025 Key Highlights
2. Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Universities
3. Eligible Countries for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2025
4. Eligibility Requirements for Commonwealth Shared Scholarship
5. How to Apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship?
6. Documents Checklist for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships
7. Selection Process for Commonwealth Scholarships
8. Commonwealth Scholarships: Awards and Grants

To be nominated for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2025, Indian students generally must be below 40 years of age, hold an admission letter from a university, and not be financially capable to afford studying in UK without a scholarship. One must also note that the Commonwealth shared scholarship acceptance rate is quite low indicating the selective nature of the concerned authorities. Hence, only a few high-quality postgraduate students who have the potential to enhance the development of India are selected each year. Read the article to learn the entire details about Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2025 from eligibility, deadlines, and application process to the grants offered!

Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2025 Key Highlights

Note that the applications for the academic year 2025-26 are closed.

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Universities

Commonwealth shared scholarships are offered under six disciplines that include the following:

• Science and technology for development

• Strengthening health systems and capacity

• Promoting global prosperity

• Strengthening global peace, security and governance

• Strengthening resilience and response to crises

• Access, inclusion and opportunity

The universities offering Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2025 are mentioned below:

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Eligible Universities

The following table states the eligible universities and the number of scholarships available in each university.

Eligible Countries for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2025

One must note that students from eligible countries are considered for the scholarship. All the applications received for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships that are not from any of the Commonwealth countries mentioned below are rejected straightly.

Eligible Commonwealth Countries

The table listed below mentions the eligible countries for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships 2025.

Eligibility Requirements for Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

Qualification is one of the important factors to be considered for the shared scholarships offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. These academic requirements must be met by international students from eligible Commonwealth countries to be considered for the award. Applicants are acceptable as per the mentioned Commonwealth Shared Scholarships eligibility parameters.

• Students must be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country (India).

• Students must be able to prove that they are permanent residents of India (Commonwealth Commonwealth-eligible country)

• They must be below 40 years of age.

• They must be available for academic studies in the UK at the start of the next UK academic year in September.

• They must at least have a bachelor 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).

• They must not have studied or worked for more than one (academic) year or more in a high-income country.

• They must demonstrate that they are not financially capable of affording higher studies in the UK without the scholarship.

• They must provide all the supporting documents in the required format.

How to Apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship?

Indian students are required to apply for a Commonwealth Shared Scholarship at the official application portal of the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission. All applications and documents that are not submitted via CSC’s online application system are rejected.

Application Process for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

• Visit the official online application portal of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s website

• Fill out the application form with correct information such as academic records, personal details, intended study details, etc.

• Attach all relevant documents with the application form as per the specified format and size.

• Submit the application form before the year's Commonwealth Scholarship application deadline.

Indian students can apply for more than one course and to more than one UK university, however, they may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship. Moreover, the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship 2024 result is already out in March. This also means that applications for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for the 2024/25 academic year are now closed.

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Documents Checklist for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

Some of the important documents that are required to be considered for the scholarships as per the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission are mentioned below:

• Citizenship Proof (Passport)

• Academic transcripts

• At least 2 LORs that clearly state the sender’s address

• UK university admission letter

• Standardised test results (GRE/GMAT)

• English test scores (IELTS/TOEFL/DET) (Important for UK universities admission)

Selection Process for Commonwealth Scholarships

There are some primary and secondary indicators such as academic performance and study plan clarity that are used by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission to select students. The criteria for selecting Indian candidates for the shared awards are mentioned below:

• Academic merit

• Quality of study plans

• Potential impact on the development of India

Academic Merit Criteria for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships:

Below mentioned are the academic criteria for the scholarship:

Quality of Study Plans for Commonwealth Shared Scholarships India:

Potential Impact on the Development of India for Commonwealth Scholarships 2025:

To understand the impact of the scholarship on India, refer to the table below.

Selection Process

Indian students must note the following selection process for Commonwealth Scholarship UK:

• Only a few candidates who are shortlisted are called for interviews that are undertaken by some notable subject experts.

• The selection for the Commonwealth Scholarships 2025 is then decided based on the above criteria.

• These nominations (around 20) are sent to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for final selection.

• Nomination of a candidate by the Government of India does not, in any way, guarantee final selection or placement.

• The final decision for the recipient of the Commonwealth Scholarship and fellowship plan is then made by the CSC from the overall nominees recommended by all the participating countries in the Programme.

Commonwealth Scholarships: Awards and Grants

Each Commonwealth Shared Scholarship provides some financial assistance to its recipients. Generally, these scholarships are fully funded and include the living expenses in UK as well. The benefits include the following:

Commonwealth Shared Scholarship UK Allowances:

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