Commonwealth Scholarships for UK universities

 Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC) in partnership with UK universities offers Commonwealth Shared Scholarships for students from developing Commonwealth countries. Shared Scholarships are usually tenable for one-year Master’s courses only.

The purpose of the scholarship is to contribute to development needs of Commonwealth countries by providing training for skilled and qualified professionals and academics who would not otherwise have been able to study in the UK.

The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is one of the largest and most prestigious scholarship schemes for international study in the world. Since it was established in 1959, around 30,000 individuals have benefited – 25,000 of them have held awards funded by the UK government, managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC).

If applicants require a Tier 4 visa to come to the UK to study, they may be required to take an approved English language test and/or be screened for tuberculosis for your visa application. These regulations are subject to change at any time.
Course Level: 

Scholarships are available for pursuing master’s degree program at UK Institutions.
Study Subject: 

Scholarships are awarded to study subjects related to the development of their home country at participating UK universities only.
Scholarship Award: 

Shared Scholarships are jointly funded by the CSC and participating UK universities. Each Scholarship provides:
Approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of your award (arranged by the university; funded by the CSC)

Approved tuition and examination fees (funded by the CSC)

Stipend (living allowance) at the rate of £1,043 per month, or £1,279 per month for those studying at universities in the London metropolitan area (rates quoted at 2016-2017 levels) (paid and funded by the university)

Warm clothing allowance (paid and funded by the university)

Study travel grant towards the costs of study-related travel within the UK or overseas (claimed from and paid by the university; funded by the CSC)

Excess baggage allowance, up to an annual approved limit, when returning home (claimed from and paid by the university; funded by the CSC)
Scholarship can be taken in the UK
Eligibility: 

To apply for these scholarships, applicants must:

• Be a Commonwealth citizen, refugee, or British protected person
• Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country
• Be available to start your academic studies in the UK by the start of the UK academic year in September/October 2017
• By August 2017, hold a first degree of either first or upper second class (2:1) classification, or lower second class (2:2) classification plus a relevant postgraduate qualification (usually a Master’s degree)
• Not have studied or worked for one (academic) year or more in a developed country
• Be unable, either yourself or through your family, to pay to study in the UK

The CSC promotes equal opportunity, gender equity, and cultural exchange. Applications are encouraged from a diverse range of candidates.
Nationality: 

Students of developing Commonwealth countries can apply for these Commonwealth Shared Scholarships.
List of Countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Virgin Islands (British), Cameroon, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guyana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Rwanda, St Helena, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, Seychelles, Samoa, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe
College Admission Requirement
Entrance Requirements: In order to be eligible applicants must hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) honours standard.
English language Requirements: If applicants require a Tier 4 visa to come to the UK to study, they may be required to take an approved English language test and/or be screened for tuberculosis for your visa application. These regulations are subject to change at any time.
How to Apply: Applicants should apply to study an eligible Master’s course at a UK university that is participating in the Shared Scholarship scheme. Click here for a list of participating universities and eligible courses
Applicants must make their application using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS). Click here for full information on how to use the EAS, including detailed guides. The EAS will open for Shared Scholarship applications on 17 November 2016.
Before applying, applicants must check with your UK university for their specific advice, admission requirements, and rules for applying. Some universities may require you to complete their own admissions application form as well, which may have a separate closing date. They must take the necessary steps to secure admission to your chosen course(s) at your preferred university/universities at the same time as applying for a Shared Scholarship.
Applicants can apply for more than one course and/or to more than one university, but you may only accept one offer of a Shared Scholarship. The CSC will not accept any applications that are not submitted via the EAS to your UK university or applications directly from individuals.
Online Application
List of participating universities and eligible courses
Application Deadline: 

All applications must be submitted by 23.59 (BST) on March 29, 2017 at the latest. Each university has its own closing date for applications, and most are before 29 March 2017.
Scholarship Link

Best Passport for Unrestricted Travel

If you could obtain a passport from any country in the world, which one would you pick? Keep in mind that what passport you hold says a lot more than you may realize about your access to the world.Can’t decide? Here’s some advice: You’d be wise to go with a member of the European Union, which is home to nine out of the top 10 countries whose citizens have the most freedom of (visa-free) travel, according to the 2013 index from Henley & Partners, an international residence and citizenship planning consulting firm.

“Visas are a standard requirement for most countries as certain non-nationals wish to enter their territory,” Henley & Partners said in the report. “At the same time, visa requirements or the lack thereof, are also an indication of the relationship between individual nations and the status of a country within the international community of nations.”

Henley & Partners monitors global visa regulations and analyzes the changes from year to year. The firm believes that in a globalized world “visa restrictions are an important tool for governments to control the movement of foreign nationals across borders.”

In the report, produced in collaboration with the International Air Transport Association, Henley & Partners ranked citizens’ visa-free access to other countries as of July 2013 on a 219-point scale. The United States’ total score of 172, for example, means that U.S. passport holders may enter 172 countries and territories without a visa, a marked increase from 2012.

Citizens of Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg can also enter 172 countries and territories, though it’s citizens of Finland, Sweden and the United Kingdom who, with a score of 173, edge out all others to have the best passports for global travel. Rounding out the top tier are Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands at 171, followed by Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal and Spain at 170.

On the flipside, passport holders of Kosovo (38), Lebanon (38), Sri Lanka (38), Sudan (38), Nepal (37), Eritrea (36), Palestinian Territory (36), Pakistan (32), Somalia (32) and Iraq (31) have the least visa-free travel options among all countries and territories surveyed, save those whose passports were issued in Kabul, Afghanistan. Afghani passport holders can only visit 13 percent of the world, or just 28 countries, free of formalities.

In general, passport holders in North America and Europe have the most freedom of travel, while passport holders in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia have the least.

“This global ranking reflects the international freedom of travel for the passport holders of various nations, [but also] the international relations and status of individual countries relative to others,” Henley & Partners said. Thus, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and India have skyrocketed up the list in recent years as their international relations evolve. Venezuela, Zimbabwe, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda also climbed several spots in the 2013 ranking after striking agreements with other countries.

Chinese tourists, however, still encounter major red tape when planning trips abroad. Though they’re one of the most sought-after groups for tourism boards around the world just 44 countries offer visa-free entry, placing China directly below Vietnam and tied with Cameroon, Congo, Jordan and Rwanda in terms of freedom of travel.

Scroll down below for a complete look at the best and worst passports for global travel.

Top 10 Best Passports For Visa-Free Travel

1 Finland, Sweden, UK

2 Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, U.S.

3 Belgium, Italy, Netherlands

4 Canada, France, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, Spain

5 Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland

6 Australia, Greece, Singapore

7 South Korea

8 Iceland

9 Malaysia, Malta

10 Liechtenstein

25 Antigua and Barbuda

28 Sychelles

30 Mauritius

Most of our African countries are in the middle of the list surprisingly. It seems Zimbabwe is not doing too bad on the list. I was expecting Zimbabwe to be towards the end of the list. Seychelles and Maruitius make an appearance before the rest of their African neighbours.

42 South Africa, St Lucia

52 Jamaica

58 Botswana

60 Gambia, Namibia, Lesotho, Kenya, Thailand

61 Malawi

63 Tanzania

67 Zimbabwe

77 Mozambique

78 Nigeria

82 Rwanda

Bottom 10 Passports For Visa-Free Travel

84 Equatorial Guinea

85 Bangladesh, Burundi, Ethiopia, North Korea

86 Angola, Djibouti, Iran, Myanmar

87 Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, South Sudan, Syria

88 Kosovo, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Sudan

89 Nepal

90 Eritrea, Palestinian Territory

91 Pakistan, Somalia

92 Iraq

93 Afghanistan