The Commonwealth Shared Scholarship award is financed jointly by the University and the DFID and will cover:

Full tuition fees
Maintenance stipend
Airfare to and from the United Kingdom
Immigration Health Surcharge costs
A one-off arrival allowance payment
Thesis expenses
Study travel grant

Applicants must be citizens of a Commonwealth developing country and currently not residing or studying in a developed country. They should not have previously studied for a year or more in a developed country and must be unable to afford to study in the UK. Recipients must commit to returning to their home country for work or study once the award ends. Extensions to remain in the UK after the award will only be considered under strict conditions for those transitioning from a Master’s to a PhD program.

The University must certify that shortlisted candidates are proficient in English, sufficient to manage the course they've applied for. This usually requires meeting any English language requirements as part of their admission offer.

Further eligibility details can be found on the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s website, and candidates must have already secured a place at the University of Birmingham.

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