Commonwealth Fellowships – information for candidates - Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UK

Eligibility requirements

• PhD/doctoral degree
• Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person.
• To be eligible for these Fellowships, prospective Fellows must:; Be a citizen of or have been granted refugee status by an eligible Commonwealth country, or be a British Protected Person.; Be permanently resident in an eligible Commonwealth country. Prospective Fellows should not have indefinite leave to remain in the UK.; Professional Fellows: have at least five years’ full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience, in a profession related to the subject of the Fellowships programme, by the proposed start of the fellowship – voluntary work experience will not be counted towards this minimum.; Academic Fellows: hold a PhD and be employed by a university in a Commonwealth country other than the UK.; Be in employment at the time of application at an organisation that they will return to upon completion of the fellowship.; Provide at least two references, one of which must be from their current employer. Any applications for which references are not received will be considered ineligible.; Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Fellowship within the last five years (at the time of taking up the award).; Be available to undertake their fellowship from the prescribed start date.; In addition to the above, prospective Fellows must ensure they meet any eligibility criteria set out by each individual host organisation.; The CSC aims to identify talented individuals who have the potential to make change. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and non-discrimination and encourage applications from a diverse range of candidates. For further information on the support available to Fellows with a disability, see the CSC disability support statement.; Please note that personal information will be used to conduct necessary due diligence checks by the CSC. These checks will be carried out before proceeding with any type of formal agreement or contractual relationship. In most cases, the due diligence checks will be straightforward, but further information may be requested, so we ask for full cooperation from candidates to speed up the process.; If candidates do not agree to their personal data being used for the purpose of conducting due diligence, the CSC will not be able to proceed further with the selection process. Selection criteria: Applicants can find general information about applying for a Commonwealth Scholarship on our advice for applicants page.; Selection criteria; Applications will be assessed on the extent to which the proposed fellowship will ensure the transfer of skills relevant to the six CSC development themes. Prospective hosts should consider how their work and the experience Fellows will receive will enhance various areas of work in this area, for example through advocacy, health, public policy, or laws.; Applications are also considered according to the following selection criteria:; Quality and relevance of the programme; Development impact; Candidate potential; For full details see the selection criteria for assessment of applications.