UK Department for International Development (DFID) offers Commonwealth Split-site (PhD) Scholarships for Low And Middle-Income Countries. These fellowships are open for PhD candidates from low and middle-income Commonwealth countries to spend up to 12 months at a UK university as part of their doctoral studies in their home country.

Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Commonwealth Split-site 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.

The Department for International Development is a United Kingdom government department responsible for administering overseas aid. The department’s goal is “to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty”.

Application Deadline: 2 March 2023.

Brief Description

• Course Level: Scholarships are available for pursuing Split-site (PhD) (where the CSC supports one year’s study at a UK university as part of a PhD being undertaken in the applicant’s home country) studies at UK universities.
• Award: Fully-funded
• Number of Scholarships: Not given
• Nationality: Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, St Helena, St Lucia, St Vincent, and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, The Gambia, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia
• Scholarships can be taken in the UK.

Eligibility

• Eligible Countries: Citizens of developing Commonwealth countries can apply.
• Study Subject: Scholarships are awarded in all subjects.
• Eligibility: Must meet the following:
  • 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 registered for a PhD at a university in an eligible Commonwealth country by the time your Scholarship starts (September 2023)
  • Ensure that an institutional or departmental link exists between your home university and your proposed UK university. This link must be greater than simply a collaboration between individuals – see section on ‘Tenure and placement’ for further details. Both supervisors must provide a supporting statement which provides further details of the link to ensure your application is eligible.
  • Be available to start your academic studies in the UK in September 2023
  • By September 2023, 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

Government Scholarships

Application Procedure

• How to Apply: To apply for the scholarship, the applicants must submit an online application.
• Only one application per applicant for these scholarships will be accepted.
• You are advised to complete and submit your application as soon as possible, as the online application system will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline.
• Supporting Document: Your application must include the following supporting documentation:
  • Proof of citizenship or refugee status: a copy of your valid passport (or national ID card) showing your photograph, date of birth, and country of citizenship or refugee status– uploaded to the online application system
  • Full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications (with certified translations if not in English) – uploaded to the online application system
  • Supporting statement from your supervisor at your home country university, highlighting current institutional links submitted directly by your supervisor to the online application system (supervisors will be sent an email request).
  • Supporting statement from your proposed supervisor at a UK university, highlighting current institutional links submitted directly by your supervisor to the online application system (supervisors will be sent an email request).
  • Reference from at least one other individual – submitted directly by the referee to the online application system (referees will be sent an email request)
• The CSC will not accept supporting documentation submitted outside the online application system.
• Admission Requirements: According to the university.
• English Language Requirements: Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements to be able to study there.

Benefits

• Each scholarship provides the following:
• Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award (the CSC will not reimburse the cost of fares for dependants, nor the cost of journeys made before your 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 the rate of £1,236 per month, or £1,516 per month for those at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at current levels)
• • • Warm clothing allowance, where applicable
    • Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas
    • If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent, child allowance of £529 per month for the first child, and £131 per month for the second and third child under the age of 16, if you are accompanied by your children and they are living with you at the same address in the UK