Applications are now open for the Commonwealth Fellowship Programme 2026/2027, a fully funded international fellowship that gives experienced professionals and university academics from Commonwealth countries the opportunity to undertake advanced professional development, academic collaboration, and knowledge exchange in the United Kingdom. The programme is funded by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC) and is designed to strengthen skills, build long-term international partnerships, and enable participants to return home with expertise that contributes to national and regional development.

Beginning with the 2026/2027 cycle, the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission has introduced a new structure featuring two fellowship pathways. The Commonwealth Professional Fellowship is intended for experienced mid-career professionals who wish to undertake a tailored programme of professional development at a UK-based organisation operating within their field. The newly introduced Commonwealth Academic Fellowship is designed for university academics who already hold a PhD and are employed at a higher education institution in an eligible Commonwealth country. This fellowship focuses on strengthening academic skills, promoting research collaboration, expanding professional networks, and encouraging future partnerships between institutions in the UK and participating Commonwealth countries.

The programme supports fellows whose work aligns with one or more of the Commonwealth’s priority development themes, including science and technology for development, improving health systems and population health, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship, strengthening peace, security and governance, building resilience and crisis response capacity, and advancing access, inclusion and equal opportunities.

The Commonwealth Scholarships Commission plans to award approximately 40 fellowships during the 2026/2027 cycle. Around 30 awards will be available to applicants from Commonwealth countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA), while approximately 10 fellowships will be reserved for applicants from Commonwealth countries that are not eligible for ODA.

To be considered, applicants must be citizens of, have refugee status in, or be British Protected Persons from an eligible Commonwealth country and must be permanently resident in that country. They should not hold indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom. Professional Fellowship applicants must have at least five years of relevant full-time or equivalent part-time professional experience by the time the fellowship begins. Volunteer experience does not count toward this requirement. Academic Fellowship applicants must hold a PhD and currently be employed by a university in an eligible Commonwealth country outside the UK. All applicants must be employed at the time of application and demonstrate that they will return to their employer after completing the fellowship. Two references are required, including one from the applicant’s current employer. Applicants who have received a Commonwealth Fellowship within the previous five years are not eligible.

Professional Fellowships will run for between six weeks and three months and are expected to begin between mid-February and mid-March 2027. Academic Fellowships will last three months and are scheduled to commence in January or February 2027.

Successful applicants will receive a comprehensive funding package covering approved return economy airfare between their home country and the United Kingdom, reimbursement of the standard UK visa application fee, and a monthly living allowance of £2,218, increasing to £2,753 for fellows based in organisations within the London metropolitan area. Participants will also receive an arrival allowance of up to £1,247.09, which includes support for essential items such as warm clothing. Fellows with disabilities may receive additional financial support following an individual assessment by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission. Where relevant to the approved fellowship programme, additional funding of up to £1,000 for programmes lasting between six weeks and two months, or up to £2,000 for programmes lasting between two and three months, may be provided to support attendance at conferences, short courses, or visits to other UK organisations that form part of the fellowship.

Eligible applicants may come from Bangladesh, Belize, Botswana, Cameroon, Dominica, 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, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, and Zambia.

Professionals and academics seeking to enhance their expertise, establish international collaborations, and contribute to sustainable development in their home countries are encouraged to submit their applications before the official deadline announced by the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission.

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