Commonwealth Shared Scholarship

Eligibility criteria

To apply for this scholarship, you must:

• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person
• Be a permanent resident in an eligible Commonwealth country 
• Have submitted an application to study on one of the two eligible courses at Imperial as soon as the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship competition opens (competition is open from 12th November 2024). Important: Please note that in order to be eligible for this award, applicants must also hold an offer of admission by the time selection takes place. Selection will take place early February 2025.
• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September 2025
• By September 2025, hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard, or a second-class degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
• Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a high-income country
• Be unable to afford to study at a UK university without this scholarship
• Commit to return to your home country within one month of the end date of your scholarship
• Have provided all supporting documentation in the required format

Other requirements:

Applicants who are nominated for this scholarship will be required to have met College English entry requirements (Pre-sessional English courses are not supported by this programme) by 30th June 2025. If you have not met the English entry requirements yet, please make the necessary arrangements as soon as possible.

For information on the Commonwealth Shared Scholarships programme, please refer to the Commonwealth Scholarships website.

Course specific information

Please note that these are the only two eligible courses for 2025 entry.

• MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering (Department of Materials)
• MSc Advanced Chemical Engineering (Department of Chemical Engineering)

Application process

In order to apply for this scholarship, you must follow two steps:

• Step 1: Apply for one of the eligible courses at Imperial College London. Applicants must submit a complete application through the standard application process as soon as the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship competition opens.  

Application fee:

If you’re applying for a postgraduate course at Imperial, you may need to pay an application fee. For information on application fees and to check if you're eligible for an application fee waiver, please go here

• Step 2: Apply for the scholarship: You should apply directly through the Commonwealth Scholarships website

Deadlines:

The deadline to apply for the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship is 16:00 (GMT) on Thursday 12th December 2024.

The deadline to apply for the two eligible MSc courses through our college admissions process is 23:59 (GMT) on Thursday 16th January 2025. Please note that in order to be eligible for this award, applicants must also hold an offer of admission by the time selection takes place. Selection will take place early February 2025.

Additional information

Outcome of awards:

The Student Financial Support team at Imperial College London will notify nominated candidates (award holders and reserve candidates) by 1st April 2025 at the latest. The CSC will then confirm that these candidates meet the eligibility criteria for this programme. Universities will inform candidates of their results by July 2025.  If you have not heard from us by 1st April, you should assume your scholarship application has been unsuccessful. 

Number of awards:

Imperial College London has been offered 2 awards for the 2025/26 academic year.

How much is it worth?

This scholarship is jointly funded by the CSC and Imperial College London.  

Each scholarship provides:

• Approved economy airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award
• Approved tuition fees
• A stipend (living allowance)
• Warm clothing allowance
• Thesis grant towards the cost of preparing a thesis or dissertation, where applicable 
• Study travel grant towards the cost of study-related travel within the UK or overseas 
• Excess baggage allowance, up to an annual approved limit, when returning home
• Reimbursement of the cost of a mandatory tuberculosis (TB) test at a pre-determined amount set by the CSC where required for a visa application (receipts must be supplied)
• Disability Support Allowance for personal living costs (if eligible)
• If you are widowed, divorced, or a single parent: a child allowance

Contact

If you have any additional questions, please contact us at student.funding@imperial.ac.uk.