The Consortium for Research on Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE) will nominate one suitable candidate for the Commonwealth Scholarship scheme and candidates are invited to submit an application to CREATE. Candidates may apply for one of three awards in the field of educational access:

• doctoral degree, of up to three years duration;
• one year research on a split-site basis, towards a PhD registered at the candidate's home institution, if appropriate; or
• one year taught masters course or equivalent.

The following eligibility criteria apply:

• Candidates should hold, or expect to hold by October 2007, a first degree of at least upper second class honours level or a degree of second class and a relevant postgraduate degree.
• Candidates should be able to take up their awards in September 2007.
• The Commission will not offer awards to scholars already close to completing a doctorate in their own country, though awards might be tenable to complete doctoral studies already underway in a candidate's home country. Candidates must declare if they are already registered for a higher degree.
• Applicants must be Commonwealth citizens, refugees or British protected persons, and must be permanently resident in a Commonwealth country other than the United Kingdom (UK). Only candidates from and/or working in India, Bangladesh, Ghana and South Africa are eligible for this award. Applications from women are encouraged.

The UK Commonwealth Commission will be seeking candidates of the highest academic quality, who demonstrate a real capacity to make a difference to their home country on completion of the award. The selection committee will particularly favour applications that demonstrably link to the development priorities of the home country. Candidates should be encouraged to make any such links explicit in their application.

In addition the Committee will have regard for any priority areas that have already been agreed between UK Department of International Development (DFID) and authorities in the candidate's home country. Priorities will also be given to candidates whose area of work addresses the general priorities of DFID. These include:

1. to alleviate poverty;
2. to support economic reform;
3. to enhance productive capacity;
4. to help achieve good governance;
5. to promote human development, including better education and health;
6. to promote the status of women; and
7. to address problems of the environment.

Applicants, if successful, would study in the United Kingdom at the Centre for International Education, University of Sussex.



Click here for more information and to download the application form in PDF format.

Deadline for applications November 30 2006.