Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships

There are 5 scholarships to cover tuition fees for students from certain developing Commonwealth countries. This is for students applying to study an online master’s degree from their home country in MSc Gerontology (Distance Learning) or MSc Global Ageing and Policy (Distance Learning). 

Deadline: 31 March 2026, 4pm (UK time)

These scholarships are offered by the , and funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship you must:  

  • have an offer to study at the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ
  • be a , a citizen of, or a refugee in one of the eligible countries
  • be living in one of these countries during your studies
  • have a minimum of an upper second class (2:1) bachelor's honours or equivalent degree in the Economic, Social and Political Sciences or a field relevant to Gerontology
  • meet the English language requirements for your chosen programme
  • be unable to afford to study the programme without this scholarship 
  • Bangladesh
  • Belize
  • Botswana
  • Cameroon
  • Dominica
  • Eswatini
  • Fiji
  • Gabon
  • 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
  • The Gambia
  • Togo
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu
  • Uganda
  • Vanuatu
  • Zambia 

How to apply

To apply for this distance learning scholarship:

  1. apply to the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission using the by 31 March 2026, 4pm (UK time)
  2. apply to study either MSc Gerontology (Distance Learning) or MSc Global Ageing and Policy (Distance Learning) with the ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ

Help and advice

Have a question about this scholarship? Our friendly scholarships team can support and guide you.
international-scholarships@soton.ac.uk
We’re open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, UK time

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