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Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships

Association of Commonwealth Universities · A low or middle-income Commonwealth country, not the UK

Posted By lanbuk.com

Level
Two-year master’s
Where
A low or middle-income Commonwealth country, not the UK
Money
Full tuition, a stipend, and flights
Fields
Law, Medicine, Engineering

In short

A two-year master’s at an ACU member university in a low or middle-income Commonwealth country, paid in full. It is not a UK award. Sierra Leone can apply because it is a Commonwealth country. The 2027–28 cycle 1 is not open yet.

Law, medicine and engineering can all appear, but only on the courses the ACU lists for that cycle. A course at a famous university is useless here if it is not on the list. You study outside the UK, often in Africa, Asia or the Caribbean.

Who can apply

  • You hold, or you are about to hold, a first degree of at least upper second-class (2:1) standard.
  • You are a student from a Commonwealth country. Sierra Leone qualifies.
  • You apply for a course on the published host list. The scholarship does not fund a course you chose for yourself.

Papers they ask for

  • The QECS application, through the ACU’s own system once the round opens.
  • A separate admission application to the host university for that listed course.
  • The degree transcript that shows the 2:1, and whatever else that university asks for.

What it pays

  • Full tuition fees
  • A living allowance for the length of the award
  • Return economy flights
  • A one-off arrival allowance
  • A research support grant, only if you ask and it is approved

How to apply

  1. Read the ACU page and the guidance before 18 November 2026. Do not start a file on a copycat site.
  2. On 18 November 2026, open the host list. Choose one country and one listed course.
  3. Apply to the university and submit the QECS application before 13 January 2027.
  4. If that country does not suit you, cycle 2 is a second chance: 3 March to 27 April 2027. You may apply more than once if you want a different country.

Read this before you file

  • The ACU has warned about a body calling itself the Commonwealth Exchange Scholarship Council. It is not the ACU and it is not the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. Use acu.ac.uk only.
  • The ACU does not ask you to attend an in-person screening. Do not pay anyone to “process” this form.
  • The stipend figure is published with the cycle, not as one permanent number. Read it on the page when the list goes up.

Checked against the provider’s page on 11 October 2026. If this note and that page disagree, the provider is right. Lanbuk does not award this scholarship.