Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships 2027: Eligibility, Benefits and How to Apply

Studying for a Master’s degree in the UK can be expensive, especially when you add tuition, accommodation, flights and everyday living costs. The Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship removes much of that financial pressure for eligible students.

Funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the scholarship supports students from eligible low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries who would otherwise struggle to afford postgraduate study in the UK.

For the 2027/28 academic year, the application portal opened on 8 September 2026, with studies beginning in September / October 2027.

Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships 2027

Scholarship Information	Details
Country:	United Kingdom
University:	UK universities
Scholarship name:	Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship
Program:	Eligible one-year taught Master’s programmes
Degree:	Master’s degree
Tuition Amount:	Full approved tuition fees
Currency:	GBP (£)
Scholarship Availability:	Students from eligible low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries
Language Requirements:	CSC itself does not require IELTS; applicants must meet the admission requirements of their chosen university
Duration:	Normally 1 year
Intake:	September/October 2027
Study Mode:	Full-time, in the UK
Post Study Work Visa:	Not permitted under the scholarship conditions – Scholars commit to returning home after the award
Application Deadline:	20 October 2026 at 16:00 BST; nominators may have earlier deadlines
Scholarship Status:	Open
Award Amount:	Full tuition + £1,712/month living allowance, or £2,000/month in the London metropolitan area + airfare and other eligible allowances
Application Link:	Official Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship Page
Study Level:	Postgraduate / Master’s

The CSC funds one-year taught Master’s programmes only under this scheme and does not fund MBA programmes.

About Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

The Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship is part of the UK government’s Commonwealth Scholarship programme.

Its purpose is not simply to bring international students to Britain. The programme is designed to identify talented people who can gain advanced knowledge in the UK and use that knowledge to contribute to development in their home countries.

The scholarship is available for full-time taught Master’s study at approved UK universities.

This makes it particularly attractive if you have good academic results and clear career ambitions but cannot realistically finance international tuition and living expenses yourself.

Eligible countries currently include Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India, Pakistan, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Jamaica, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and several other Commonwealth countries.

Aim and Benefits of Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

The scholarship aims to help talented students acquire knowledge and skills that can contribute to sustainable development.

This development focus matters when preparing your application. You should be able to explain not only why you want a Master’s degree, but also what you intend to do with the education afterwards.

What does the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship cover?

Successful applicants receive a comprehensive funding package that includes:

• Fully approved tuition fees,
• Tuition waiver.
• Return airfare from the Scholar’s home country to the UK
• £1,712 monthly living allowance
• £2,000 monthly allowance for Scholars studying at universities within the London metropolitan area
• Study travel grant for approved study-related travel
• Additional disability-related support where applicable
• Certain child allowances for qualifying Scholars who are widowed, divorced or single parents

The stipend figures are the current rates published by the CSC and may change.

This is why the Commonwealth Master’s award can properly be described as a fully funded scholarship.

CSC Participating UK Universities

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) currently lists 86 UK universities/institutions that have signed an MOU with the CSC. Commonwealth Master’s Scholars are only placed at universities with an MOU.

1. Aberystwyth University
2. Anglia Ruskin University
3. Aston University
4. Bangor University
5. Bath Spa University
6. Bournemouth University
7. Brunel University London
8. Cardiff Metropolitan University
9. City St George’s, University of London
10. Cranfield University
11. Durham University
12. Edge Hill University
13. Glasgow Caledonian University
14. Goldsmiths, University of London
15. Harper Adams University
16. Imperial College London
17. Keele University
18. King’s College London
19. Kingston University
20. Lancaster University
21. Leeds Beckett University
22. Liverpool Hope University
23. Liverpool John Moores University
24. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
25. London School of Economics and Political Science
26. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
27. Loughborough University
28. Manchester Metropolitan University
29. Newcastle University
30. Northumbria University
31. Queen Margaret University
32. Queen Mary, University of London
33. Queen’s University Belfast
34. Robert Gordon University
35. Royal Holloway, University of London
36. Royal Veterinary College
37. Sheffield Hallam University
38. SOAS, University of London
39. Staffordshire University
40. Swansea University
41. Teesside University
42. The Glasgow School of Art
43. Ulster University
44. University College London
45. University of Aberdeen
46. University of Bath
47. University of Birmingham
48. University of Bradford
49. University of Brighton
50. University of Bristol
51. University of Cambridge
52. University of Chester
53. University of East Anglia
54. University of Edinburgh
55. University of Essex
56. University of Exeter
57. University of Glasgow
58. University of Greenwich
59. University of Hertfordshire
60. University of Huddersfield
61. University of Hull
62. University of Kent
63. University of Leeds
64. University of Leicester
65. University of Liverpool
66. University of Manchester
67. University of Northampton
68. University of Nottingham
69. University of Oxford
70. University of Plymouth
71. University of Portsmouth
72. University of Reading
73. University of Salford
74. University of Sheffield
75. University of Southampton
76. University of St Andrews
77. University of Stirling
78. University of Strathclyde
79. University of Sussex
80. University of the West of England
81. University of the West of Scotland
82. University of Warwick
83. University of Westminster
84. University of Worcester
85. University of York
86. York St John University

Requirements for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

Before spending hours preparing an application, check the basic eligibility requirements carefully.

For the 2027/2028 scholarship, applicants generally need to:

• Be a citizen of, have refugee status granted by, an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person.
• Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country.
• Be available to begin studying in the UK in September 2027.
• Hold, by September 2027, at least an upper second-class (2:1) first degree.
• Alternatively, hold a lower second-class degree plus a relevant postgraduate qualification, usually a Master’s degree.
• Demonstrate that they could not afford to study in the UK without the scholarship.
• Submit all required supporting documentation correctly and on time.

There is no general age limit for CSC applications.

Documents you should prepare

Your application will need supporting evidence. This includes proof of citizenship or qualifying refugee status, complete higher-education transcripts and references.

At least two references must be uploaded with the application in the required PDF format. Missing required documents can make an otherwise strong application ineligible.

Do you need IELTS?

The CSC states that it does not require candidates to take IELTS.

However, don’t interpret this as meaning English-language requirements never apply. Your chosen UK university may have its own English-language admission conditions, which you still need to satisfy.

Interview Date, Process and Venue for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

There isn’t one universal interview date or venue that applies to every Commonwealth Master’s applicant.

This is because applicants must apply through an approved nominating body, normally their country’s national nominating agency or an eligible NGO/charitable organisation. Each nominator runs its own selection process and may introduce additional requirements or deadlines.

Your country’s nominating agency may therefore communicate interview or screening arrangements directly to shortlisted candidates.

After nomination, the CSC considers candidates using factors including:

Academic merit – the strength of your academic background.

Quality of your proposed study – whether your chosen Master’s programme makes sense for your objectives.

Development impact – how your education could contribute to development in your home country.

A nomination does not guarantee that you will receive the scholarship.

For the 2027/2028 cycle, nominators are expected to submit their nominations to the CSC by December 2026, while applicants can expect to receive the final outcome by July 2027.

Application Deadline

The official CSC application deadline for the 2027/28 Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships is 20 October 2026 at 16:00 BST.

Applications opened on 8 September 2026.

The scholarship is for programmes beginning in September/October 2027.

There is one deadline issue you should take seriously: your nominating agency may set an earlier deadline.

So don’t wait until October before investigating how applications work in your country.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships 2027: Eligibility, Benefits and How to Apply is October 20, 2026.

Applicants should submit all required materials before this date and verify any last-minute changes through the official scholarship source.

How to Apply for Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships

There are effectively two important parts to the application process.

Step 1: Check your eligibility

Confirm that your country appears on the official eligible-country list and that you meet the academic and residency requirements.

Step 2: Choose your Master’s programmes

Research suitable one-year taught Master’s programmes at approved UK universities.

The CSC advises applicants to list three universities and courses in order of preference. Providing second and third choices is strongly recommended because placement at your first-choice institution cannot always be guaranteed.

Step 3: Apply for university admission

Don’t assume the scholarship application automatically becomes a university application.

The CSC advises candidates to take the necessary steps to apply to their preferred universities. University admission deadlines can also be different from the scholarship deadline.

Step 4: Apply through CSC Central

Applications to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission are submitted electronically through CSC Central.

Late applications or documents submitted outside the official system are not accepted.

Step 5: Apply through an approved nominator

This step is easy to overlook.

You must also apply through an eligible nominating agency. The main application route is usually the national nominating agency in your home country, although selected NGOs and charitable organisations may also participate.

The CSC does not accept direct applications without nomination for this scholarship.

Step 6: Make your development-impact case strong

This can be one of the most important parts of your application.

The application asks candidates to explain development challenges connected with their proposed study, how they will use their new skills after completing the scholarship, the outcomes they hope to achieve, who will benefit and how their impact could be measured.

Avoid writing vague statements such as:

“I want this scholarship because studying in the UK will help me achieve my dreams.”

Instead, connect the dots:

Problem in your country → Master’s programme → skills you will gain → what you will do after graduation → people or communities that could benefit.

That gives the selection committee a much clearer reason to invest in you.

Can You Stay in the UK After the Commonwealth Scholarship?

This point deserves special attention.

Although the UK has a Graduate visa route for many international graduates, Commonwealth Scholars under this programme commit to returning to their home countries after completing their scholarships.

The CSC explicitly states that switching to a Graduate or another visa to remain in the UK is not permitted under the scholarship conditions.

So if your main objective is permanent migration to the UK immediately after graduation, this particular scholarship may not match your plans.

Final Advice

The Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship is a fantastic opportunity, but a strong academic record alone won’t carry the entire application.

Think about the bigger question:

Why should the Commonwealth invest in your education?

Your application should show a believable connection between your past experience, your chosen Master’s programme and what you intend to contribute when you return home.

Start researching universities now. Prepare your transcripts. Speak to potential referees early. Most importantly, work on your development-impact statement before applications open.

With applications scheduled to open on 8 September 2026 and close on 20 October 2026, early preparation can make the process considerably less stressful.