PhD Commonwealth Scholarships 2026

Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (2026)

What you get

The award will cover full overseas PhD tuition fees, a stipend, return travel to UK, Research Training Support Grant + fieldwork costs

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

These scholarships are offered under six themes:

1. Science and technology for development

2. Strengthening health systems and capacity

3. Promoting global prosperity

4. Strengthening global peace, security and governance

5. Strengthening resilience and response to crises

6. Access, inclusion and opportunity

Eligibility

Please note that only applicants from the eligible countries listed below can apply for Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (for least developed countries and fragile states, as classified by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). India is not included in the PhD scheme and eligible countries are:

Bangladesh
Cameroon
Kenya
Kiribati
Lesotho
Malawi
Mozambique
Nigeria
Pakistan
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Sri Lanka
Tanzania
The Gambia
Togo
Tuvalu
Uganda
Zambia

Pakistan
Rwanda
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Tanzania
The Gambia
Tuvalu
Uganda
Vanuatu
Zambia

 To apply for these scholarships, you must also :

• Be a citizen or have refugee status in an eligible country and be a permanent resident in that country
• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2026
• By October 2026 hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard, or a second class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master's degree)
• NOT be registered for a PhD, or an MPhil leading to a PhD, at a UK university before September/October 2026
• Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship

Deadline

How to apply

You will need to be in contact with your Sussex supervisor so that they can support your application and provide a supervisor statement. The Sussex supervisor needs to provide a supporting statement, in PDF format, signed and either on institutional letterhead or an email clearly showing the sender’s Sussex details.

If our applications system is open for applications for autumn 2026, you are advised to apply online for a PhD place at Sussex well before the deadline for scholarship applications so that your supervisor and the academic School can consider your application and provide the supervisor statement of support. 

1. To apply for a place at Sussex please submit a formal application using our online application system at , The following documents must be submitted with your application

• CV
• degree transcripts and certificates
• statement of interest clearly stating the project title and name of the supervisor
• names of two academic referees
• valid IELTS certificate

2. There are TWO applications for the Commonwealth Scholarship funding.

a) You need to apply to the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission on their online system You must apply online on the Commonwealth Scholarships Application System  by a deadline of 4pm (16:00 GMT) on 14th October 2025. The application needs to include a Development Impact Statement demonstrating how your proposed research links to development issues at the global, national, and local level and as well as to the theme you have selected and how you will apply their new skills after the end of the Scholarship 

b) You must also apply to a " who will shortlist the applications and forward the highest ranked to the Commission for consideration. In most cases this agency will be the  nominating agency in your home country and it will have its own application procedures and deadlines. Some and also nominate applicants. The various nominating agencies will set their own deadlines which may not be the same as the CSC deadline.

Sponsors

Further information on the scheme is here:

https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/scholarships/commonwealth-phd-scholarships-for-least-developed-countries-and-vulnerable-states/

Contact us

For queries relating to an application to the ÑÇÖÞÇéÉ« please contact: pgr-scholarships@sussex.ac.uk

For queries relating to an application for a Commonwealth Scholarship please contact the nominating agency in your own country.

Timetable

There is no deadline for applying to Sussex, but as you will need to upload a statement from your Sussex supervisor with your online CSC Scholarship application, you should make contact with your supervisor and apply to Sussex as soon as possible.

All applications, with full transcripts detailing all your higher education qualifications (with certified translations if not in English) and a statement from your proposed Sussex supervisor must be submitted by 4pm on 14th October 2025.

The deadline for nominating bodies to submit nominations to the Commonwealth Scholarship Council is in  December 2025. Nominated candidates will be considered according to the following selection criteria:

• Academic merit of the candidate
• Quality of the plan of study
• Potential impact of the work on the development of the candidate’s home country