Commonwealth Shared Scholarships

The Commonwealth Shared Scholarships Scheme is a joint initiative between the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and UK universities, including Southampton Solent University, to jointly support scholarships for students from developing Commonwealth countries who would not otherwise be able to study in the United Kingdom.

Study Level

Students must apply for a full-time course in MSc Applied AI and Data Science or MSc Sustainable Building Design for September 2025 entry.

Value of award

The award is financed jointly by the University and the DFID. The award will cover:

• Full tuition fees

• Maintenance stipend

• Air fare to and from the United Kingdom

• Immigration Health Surcharge costs

• A one-off arrival allowance payment

• Thesis expenses

• Study travel grant

• Optical and dental allowance

Nationality

Candidates must be nationals of the following countries:

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

Eligibility

• Candidates should be commencing a course in September 2025.

• Candidates must also certify that they:

  • are nationals of a Commonwealth developing country, and not at present living or studying in a developed country,

  • have not undertaken studies lasting one year or more in a developed country,

  • are themselves, or through their families, unable to pay to study in the United Kingdom,

  • agree to return to their own country to work or study as soon as the award ends. The commission will only consider requests to extend leave to remain in the UK post-award for those wishing to move from Masters to PhD study. Strict conditions will apply.

• The DFID requires that the University certifies when submitting its shortlist of candidates that they are sufficiently proficient in the English language to cope with the course for which they have applied. This will normally mean that you will have to have satisfied any requirements concerning competence in the English language which are a condition of your offer of admission. You can read more about the eligibility criteria by visiting the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s website.

• Candidates must also have been offered a place at the Southampton Solent University on one of the following postgraduate programmes:

• MSc Applied AI and Data Science

  MSc Sustainable Building Design