Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships provide an opportunity for mid-career professionals from developing Commonwealth countries. Fellowships support mid-career professionals to spend a period of time with a UK host organization working in their field for a program of professional development.

Fellowship purpose is to provide professionals with the opportunity to enhance knowledge and skills in their given sector, and to have catalytic effects on their workplaces.

These fellowships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), with the aim of contributing to the UK’s international development aims and wider overseas interests, supporting excellence in UK higher education, and sustaining the principles of the Commonwealth.

Applicants must have normally at least five years’ relevant work experience in a profession related to the subject of the application, by the proposed start of the fellowship.

Course Level: Fellowships support mid-career professionals to spend a period of time with a UK host organization working in their field for a program of professional development.

Study Subject(s): The CSC is keen to encourage creative and flexible applications from a wide range of sectors – professional, charitable, public, and private. Priority will be given to applications with practical relevance in the following broadly defined areas: Agriculture / fisheries / forestry, Economic growth,  Education, Engineering / science / technology, Environment and Governance

Scholarship Award: Each fellowship provides:
-Approved return airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK
-Stipend (living allowance) payable monthly (or pro rata) for the duration of the award at the rate of £1,580 per month, or £1,959 per month for those at organisations in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2015- 2016 levels). Exceptionally, depending on the programme arranged, a peripatetic living allowance may be payable. Further details if applicable will be given at the time of offer
-Arrival allowance of up to £887.83 at current rates, including an element for warm clothing and reimbursement of the visa application fee
-Fixed grant for excess baggage for return travel only, dependent on the airport destination. The Fellow will be advised of the amount close to the date of departure
-Flat rate contribution of £800 to the costs of the host/nominating organisation relating to the administration and support of the Fellow, setting up of appropriate meetings, any materials required, and incidental travel for the Fellow during the award
-Reasonable fees up to a maximum of £3,000 will be agreed in the context of the length of the programme, but full justification must be given for the amount being claimed. Such claims can cover:
-Fees for any conferences or short courses attended during the fellowship, provided that these are approved as part of the original application ? Cost of travel for visits to other organisations in the UK, where these form an integral part of the programme
-Other fees, for which the CSC will consider requests on a case-by-case basis

Scholarship can be taken at: UK

Eligibility: To be eligible for these fellowships, applicants must:
-Be a citizen of a developing Commonwealth country, refugee, or British protected person
-Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
-Have normally at least five years’ relevant work experience in a profession related to the subject of the application, by the proposed start of the fellowship
-Be available to start their fellowship within prescribed dates as stated on the CSC website
-Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship in the last five years
-Not be seeking to undertake an academic programme of research or study in the UK. Academics are eligible to apply for the scheme, but only to undertake programmes of academic management, not research or courses relevant to their research subject
-The CSC promotes equal opportunity, gender equity, and cultural exchange. Applications are encouraged from a diverse range of candidates.

Nationality: Fellows must be from eligible Commonwealth countries:

List of Countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Rwanda, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Virgin Islands (British), Zambia and Zimbabwe

College Admission Requirement

Entrance Requirement: Applicants must have normally at least five years’ relevant work experience in a profession related to the subject of the application, by the proposed start of the fellowship.

Test Requirement: No

English Language Requirements: Applicants from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English language/other language requirements in order to be able to study there.

Government Scholarships

Supporting Material: If applicant’s application does not include two references – one from their current employer – it will be considered ineligible. Applicants must check with their referees that they have submitted their references via the EAS – further information for referees on how to submit a reference.

How to Apply: If applicants are nominated by a UK organisation for a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship, applicants will be asked to complete an application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS).

Electronic Application System

Application Deadline: The deadline for applications for 2016 (Round 1) Commonwealth Professional Fellowships is 23:59 (BST) on 17 May 2016. Applicants must liaise with their host/nominating organisation well in advance of this date to agree a deadline to complete the EAS, so that the organisation can submit the full application by the official deadline

Scholarship Link