Commonwealth Professional Fellowships

Commonwealth Professional Fellowships are for mid-career professionals from low and middle income Commonwealth countries to spend between six weeks and three months at a UK host organisation working in their sector on a programme of professional development.

To be eligible for these fellowships, you 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
• Have at least five years’ full-time, or equivalent part-time, relevant work experience, in a profession related to the subject of the fellowship programme, by the proposed start of the fellowship – voluntary work experience will not be counted towards this minimum
• 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 by the reference closing date will be considered ineligible.
• Not have undertaken a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship within the last five years (at the time of taking up the award)
• Not be seeking to undertake an academic programme of research or study. Academics are eligible to apply for the scheme, but only to undertake programmes of academic management, not research or courses relevant to their research subject
• Be available to undertake their fellowship from the prescribed start date

Each fellowship provides:

• Approved return airfare from the Fellow’s home country to the UK. 
• Reimbursement of the standard visa application fee. 
• Stipend (living allowance) payable monthly (or pro rata) for the duration of the award at the rate of £2,104 per month, or £2,612 per month for those at organisations in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2024/25 levels). 
• If a Fellow declares a disability, a full assessment of needs and eligibility for additional financial support will be offered by the CSC. See the CSC disability support statement for more information. 
• Arrival allowance of up to £1,830.20 (rates quoted at 2024/25 levels), including an element for warm clothing. 
• A maximum of £2,000 per Fellow can be agreed by host organisations for short courses/conferences as well as travel to visit other UK organisations where this forms an integral part of the programme. Host organisations should bear in mind the restrictions set out in our guidance on claimable costs.