DFID COMMONWEALTH SHARED 2009 UK GOVERNMENT SCHOLARSHIPS – HIGHER EDUCATION
DFID COMMONWEALTH SHARED SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME 2009
Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, set up by DFID in 1986, represent a unique partnership between the United Kingdom government and UK Universities. Shared Scholarships have enabled thousands of students, who would not otherwise have been enabled to do so, to benefit from UK higher education.
For 2009, the range of opportunities listed in the following pages is wide. We are delighted that over 30 UK universities have offered to support our
scholarships by contributing the stipend for the students from their own resources, or those which the university has been able to generate from
elsewhere. Indeed it is the mark of UK Universities’ commitment that the scheme receives many more bids each year than it has the resources to fulfil.
This reflects the confidence of the Department for International Development, which provides the government funding for the scheme, that higher education
and scholarships in particular have a critical role to play in influencing the development of some of the world’s poorest countries. We are pleased to see
that this approach has been increasingly taken by other international agencies. Although the scheme is now managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship
Commission, its success depends critically on the support of participating universities, the Department for International Development and the students
themselves. To all of these, we extend our grateful thanks and express the hope that the 2009 intake will be one of the most successful ever.
SHARED SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME
1. GENERAL
Awards made under this scheme are jointly funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), as part of the United Kingdom International
Development programme to developing countries, and participating institutions in the UK. The scheme is administered by the Commonwealth Scholarship
Commission (CSC), whose secretariat is provided by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Woburn House, 20-24 Tavistock Square, London
WC1H 9HF.
2. AIMS
The aim of the scheme is to assist students, from developing Commonwealth
countries, of excellent academic calibre who, for financial reasons, are unable
to study in Britain and are outside the scope of other British Government Support Schemes, but would benefit from higher education in the United
Kingdom, enabling them to contribute toward the development of their home countries.
3. LEVEL OF STUDY
Awards are for taught masters courses only. No awards will be made for undergraduate or doctoral study.
4. SUBJECTS
Subjects must be related to the economic, social and technological development of the student’s home country; see page 8 for a full list of eligible courses.
5. DURATION OF AWARDS
Awards are normally tenable for one-year taught postgraduate courses only.
6. ELIGIBILITY
6.1 Candidates are normally expected to hold a first degree at either first class or upper second-class level. Sponsoring institutions are asked to
give priority to candidates under the age of 30 but may give reasons for wishing to make exceptions for older candidates. They must also
confirm that candidates are sufficiently fluent in written and oral English to pursue their proposed studies immediately, as no pre-course English
Language Teaching is available under these awards. Candidates who have already studied for one year or more in a developed country or who
possess sufficient resources to self-fund, are not eligible for an award.
6.2 Candidates must certify in writing that they
i) are nationals of a Commonwealth developing country, and not at present living or studying in a developed country;
ii) have not undertaken studies lasting one year or more in a developed country;
iii) are not at present employed by a national Government department or parastatal organisation;
iv) are themselves, or through their families, unable to pay to study in the United Kingdom;
v) will return to their home country as soon as their awards ends.
6.3 Candidates are advised that false declarations will cause at least DFID’s share of the award to be terminated, even if the course of study has
started. In such circumstances, the candidate will be required to refund any payments made by DFID in connection with the award.
7. COSTS
7.1 DFID and participating United Kingdom institutions will jointly meet the full costs of an award holder’s study in the United Kingdom
including air fares to and from the United Kingdom. Maintenance allowance is paid by the scholar’s host institution, at the level set by the
UK Government: £935 per month for scholars based in London and £767 per month for the rest of the UK. (July 2008 figures)
7.2 A grant of up to £225 to cover thesis (Master’s) costs is available; also
available is £100 for study travel. The cost of up to 10 Kilograms of excess baggage (books only) is available for scholars returning home at
the end of their awards.
7.3 No additional allowances are paid for spouses or other dependants.
8. APPLICATION AND SELECTION
8.1 Although institutions will normally recruit direct, the availability of these awards will be advertised through British High Commissions if the
institutions have indicated their wish to avail themselves of this service.
8.2 Applications should be made directly to the institutions at which candidates wish to study. The sponsoring institutions will be the judges
of academic calibre and will forward their nominations to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission for its agreement. Institutions
will normally advise candidates of the result not later than July.
8.3 Candidates should note that although they may apply to more than one institution, only one offer of award may be accepted.
In common with other Governments around the world, the British Government is working hard to stop the spread of knowledge and skills that could be used in
the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery. The ATAS is designed to ensure that people who are applying to study
certain sensitive subjects in the UK do not have links to WMD programmes. Since 1 November 2007 non-EU/EEA (including Switzerland) nationals
planning to undertake postgraduate study in the UK in certain science, engineering or technology disciplines are required to have an ATAS certificate
before they can apply for a Visa or Entry Clearance (EC). Application is free and can be made online; the application should take
approximately 30 minutes to complete. Applicants should hear about the result of their application within 10 working days from the date the application is
received by the issuing department.
For further information on the ATAS please go to www.fco.gov.uk/atas
For further Information on the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme please contact the:
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC)
c/o The Association of Commonwealth Universities
Woburn House
20 -24 Tavistock Square
London
WC1H 9HF
Tel: +44 (0) 20 73 80 67 00
Fax: +44 (0) 20 73 87 26 55
E-Mail: info(AT)acu.ac.uk
Website: http://www.cscuk.org.uk/apply/sharedschol.asp
masters degree in any agricultural education related field