The Commonwealth Undergraduate Scholarships are for candidates from St Helena, for full-time undergraduate study at a UK university. St Helena has no undergraduate degree provision.
Funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), Commonwealth Undergraduate 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. These scholarships are offered under six themes:
Science and technology for development
Strengthening health systems and capacity
Promoting global prosperity
Strengthening global peace, security and governance
Strengthening resilience and response to crises
Access, inclusion and opportunity
For information on other scholarships offered by the CSC, visit our Apply page.
Eligibility
Terms and Conditions
Selection process
How to apply
Choosing a university/course
Enquiries
Eligibility
To apply for these scholarships, you must:
Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by St Helena
Be permanently resident in St Helena
Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2019
Be unable to afford to study in the UK without this scholarship
The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination, and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates.
For further information on the support available to candidates with a disability, see the CSC disability support statement.
The CSC is committed to administering and managing its scholarships and fellowships in a fair and transparent manner. For further information, see the CSC anti-fraud policy and the DFID guidance on reporting fraud.
Terms and conditions
For full terms and conditions – including further details of the scholarship themes, tenure and placement, value of the scholarship, and general conditions – see the Commonwealth Undergraduate Scholarships 2019 terms and conditions
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You should apply to study at a UK university which has a part funding agreement with the CSC. View a full list of UK universities with part funding agreements
Selection process
Each year, the CSC invites selected nominating bodies to submit a specific number of nominations. The deadline for nominating bodies to submit nominations to the CSC is 25 January 2019.
The CSC invites around three times more nominations than scholarships available – therefore, nominated candidates are not guaranteed to be awarded a scholarship.
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There are no quotas for scholarships for any individual country. Candidates nominated by national nominating agencies are in competition with those nominated by other nominating bodies, and the same standards will be applied to applications made through either channel.
Applications 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
For further details, see the Commonwealth Undergraduate Scholarships 2018 selection criteria
You may also find the Feedback for unsuccessful candidates useful.
How to apply
You must apply to your national nominating agency in the first instance – the CSC does not accept direct applications for these scholarships. View a full list of national nominating agencies
All applications must be made through your national nominating agency. Each nominating agency is responsible for its own selection process. You must check with your nominating agency for their specific advice and rules for applying, their own eligibility criteria, and their own closing date for applications.
You must make an application using the CSC’s online application system, in addition to any other application that you are required to complete by your national nominating agency.
Undergraduate applicants should complete the Commonwealth Master’s Scholarship application form, there is not a separate Undergraduate Scholarship application form.
All applications must be submitted by 16:00 (GMT) on 19 December 2018 at the latest. You are advised to complete and submit your application as soon as possible, as the EAS will be very busy in the days leading up to the application deadline.
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Your application must include the following supporting documentation by 16:00 (GMT) on 4 January 2019 in order for your application to be eligible for consideration:
Proof of citizenship or refugee status – uploaded to the online application system
Full transcripts detailing all your upper secondary school qualifications (with certified translations if not in English)
– uploaded to the online application system
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References from at least two individuals – submitted directly by the referees to the online application system (referees will be sent an email request)
The CSC will not accept supporting documentation submitted by nominating agencies or outside the online application system.
Supporting documentation uploaded to the online application system must be uploaded as files which are no more than 5 MB in size and must be in one of the following formats: PDF, .doc, .docx, .odt, .jpg, .jpeg. Files submitted in any other format (including Zip files and PDF Portfolios) will NOT be accepted.
Please note that the CSC does not charge candidates to apply for any of its scholarships or fellowships through its online application system, and it does not charge organisations to nominate candidates.
Choosing a university/course
You may find the following resources useful when researching your choices of institution and course of study in the UK:
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UCAS – the official website of the centralised application system for undergraduate degrees in the UK, with advice on choosing what and where to study
Study UK (British Council) – British Council website, with guidance for international students and a course and institution search
Research Excellent Framework 2014 results – results of a system for assessing the quality of research in UK higher education institutions
Unistats – the official website for comparing UK higher education course data
UKCISA (UK Council for International Student Affairs) – advice for international students on choosing a course of study
The CSC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Enquiries
All enquiries about these scholarships should be directed to your nominating body.
If you have a technical query regarding the online application system please contact: [email protected]
General enquiries about applying for Commonwealth Scholarships or Fellowships sent to this email address will not be answered; please use the Contact us form instead.
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