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Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships

Applications for this scholarship for the 2023 to 2024 academic year are now closed. The information below is for reference only. We aim to announce the scholarship details for the 2024 to 2025 by the end of January 2024.

These scholarships are offered by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, and funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). 

They are for students from certain developing Commonwealth countries who want to study for a master’s degree online from their home country in: 

There are 8 scholarships available for students starting their studies in 2023. The scholarships will cover your full tuition fees.   

Eligibility 

To be eligible for this scholarship you must:  

  • have an offer to study at the University of Southampton
  • be a British Protected Person, a citizen of, or a refugee in an eligible Commonwealth country 
  • be living in the Commonwealth country during your studies 
  • have a minimum of an upper second class (2:1) bachelor's honours or equivalent degree in the Economic, Social and Political Sciences or a field relevant to Gerontology 
  • have, or plan to take, an IELTS test (minimum 6.5 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each component) 
  • be unable to afford to study the programme without this scholarship 

 

Eligible Commonwealth countries 

  • Bangladesh 
  • Belize 
  • Botswana 
  • Cameroon 
  • Eswatini 
  • Fiji 
  • Gabon 
  • The Gambia 
  • Ghana 
  • Grenada 
  • Guyana 
  • India 
  • Jamaica 
  • Kenya 
  • Kiribati 
  • Lesotho 
  • Malawi 
  • Malaysia 
  • Maldives 
  • Mauritius 
  • Montserrat 
  • Mozambique 
  • Namibia 
  • Nauru 
  • Nigeria 
  • Pakistan 
  • Papua New Guinea 
  • Rwanda 
  • Saint Helena 
  • Saint Lucia 
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 
  • Samoa 
  • Sierra Leone 
  • Solomon Islands 
  • Sri Lanka 
  • Tanzania 
  • Togo 
  • Tonga 
  • Tuvalu 
  • Uganda 
  • Vanuatu 
  • Zambia 

 

Deadline to apply 

28 March 2023 16:00 UK time. 

 

How to apply 

You must make 2 applications.  

1. Apply to the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission.

2. Apply to study at the University of Southampton - either MSc Gerontology (Distance Learning) or MSc Global Ageing and Policy (Distance Learning). 

 

Contact us 

For more information on the MSc Gerontology (DL) or the MSc Global Ageing & Policy (DL) programmes, email the Admissions Tutor, Professor Athina Vlachantoni at a.vlachantoni@soton.ac.uk 

For more information about the scholarships and the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission, go to the Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships website