Opportunities from Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office-funded scheme supports research with a developmental impact. Applicants submit through CSC Central and must also apply through an eligible nominator; national or NGO nominators may set an earlier internal deadline. The scholarship is for one full-time PhD and does not support four-year doctoral programmes.

Applicants must be citizens of, or hold eligible refugee/British Protected Person status connected to, an eligible Commonwealth country and be permanently resident in an eligible country. Lesotho is explicitly listed as eligible. By September 2027 applicants normally need at least a UK 2:1-equivalent first degree, or a 2:2 plus a relevant postgraduate qualification; they must be available to start in September 2027, not already be registered for a PhD/MPhil-to-PhD before September/October 2026, be unable to afford UK study without the award, and provide all required supporting documents including references and a supporting statement from a proposed UK supervisor.