Application Instructions for The Commonwealth Scholarship

MAKING AN APPLICATION

When the CSFP(COMMONWEALTH SCHOLARSHIPS & FELLOWSHIPS PLAN) was established, one of its key principles was that each Commonwealth country would decide on its own level of participation. This allows awards to reflect national priorities, and ensures that selection is a genuine partnership between home and host countries. It also means, however, that knowing where and when to apply can be difficult, since the number of countries offering awards is regularly changing.

The process of making an application can be simplified, however, by using this site in the following way:

* First, check whether any CSFP awards are currently available in the country in which you wish to study. This can be done by checking whether it appears on the list of current sponsors under the section on Countries offering Awards.

* If the country is not listed, then no awards are being offered at present. You could, however, contact the agency in that country to ask whether they have any plans to offer awards in future, or click onto another country.

* If the country is listed, you should check whether you are eligible. Please note that terms and conditions of awards vary over time, as do application deadlines. Whilst the organisers of this web site try to keep up to date with these developments, this is not always possible, and it is advisable to check the current situation with the national agency concerned.

* If you seem to be eligible for an award, check whether it is available to nationals of your home country, by seeing if your country is listed in the drop down box in the Applications section. In some cases, this will not only provide further details, but give access to the appropriate application form. Please remember, however, that many host nations only offer awards to a limited number of other countries. This might be decided not the basis of geographical reasons, the needs of recipient countries, or whether the country concerned offers awards themselves.

* If awards are offered to citizens from your country, do as much research as possible on the likely course or university where your award may be held. Some country sections offer detailed links to the sites of specific universities or national advisory agencies. In other cases, investigations can be made via the link to the ACU's free Coursefinder service.

* When writing your application, make sure you present yourself to the best effect. Whilst the requirements of individual countries vary, a leaflet giving general advice to candidates applying to the United Kingdom might be of wider interest. For a copy of the leaflet, click here.