The 2013 Oxford
Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme is now open for applications. The
scholarship is a joint initiative between the UK Department for International
Development (DFID) and the University of Oxford to support students from
developing Commonwealth countries who would not otherwise be able to study in
the United Kingdom.
You can find
out more about the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship available in
other UK universities here
General
Eligibility Criteria
Candidates
should:
- hold a first degree at either first or upper second class level
- be applying to start a new graduate course at Oxford
- have not previously studied for one year or more in a developed country
- not be employed by a government department (at national level) or a parastatal organisation (employees of universities are normally acceptable, however)
- be able to confirm in writing that neither they or their families would otherwise be able to pay for the proposed course of study
- be willing to confirm that they will return to their home country as soon as their period of study is complete
Awards are only
available for one-year Master’s in specific subject areas. Details
of subject areas will be available on their webpage but African Studies
is definitely eligible.
Eligible
Countries
Awards are open
to students from Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize,
Bermuda, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Cameroon, Dominica, Falkland
Islands, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati,
Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique,
Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn, Rwanda, St
Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad
and Tobago, Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu,
Western Samoa Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Worth of Awards
100% of
university and college fees, and a grant for living costs (rate to be
confirmed).
Awards are made
for the full duration of a student’s fee liability for the agreed course.
If your scholarship is offered for a course lasting more than one year,
the continuation of your scholarship each year is subject to an annual renewal
process based on satisfactory academic progress.
How to Apply
Apply at the
same time as you apply to Oxford by selecting Commonwealth Shared Scholarship
Scheme in the Funding Section of the University’s Graduate Application
Form. In order to be considered for this scholarship, you must
submit your application for graduate study by the relevant January deadline and
you must have secured a place on your chosen programme of study by the expected
final decision date (14 March 2014). Applications with an outstanding
admissions decision after this date, or applications which are re-evaluated against
the later March deadline field are not eligible for scholarship consideration.
Deadline: (January 10, 2014 for Medical Sciences
and Philosophy; January 24, 2014 for all other courses including African
Studies). If you do not apply in full by the deadline, you will not be
considered for the scholarship, even if you have selected Commonwealth Shared
Scholarship Scheme on the Graduate Application Form. Successful
candidates will be notified by email by May 2014.
For more
information about the scholarship, click here.
To begin your
Oxford application, click here