*INTRODUCTION *
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 34,000 individuals have benefited – 26,000 of them have held awards funded by the UK government, managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United Kingdom (CSC). This document outlines the terms and conditions of Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships offered by the CSC for citizens of developing Commonwealth countries in 2017. These scholarships are funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID), with the aim of contributing to the UK’s international development aims and wider overseas interests, supporting excellence in UK higher education, and sustaining the principles of the Commonwealth. For information about the other scholarships and fellowships offered by the CSC, visit *www.dfid.gov.uk/cscuk <http://www.dfid.gov.uk/cscuk>*. For information about Commonwealth Scholarships offered by other Commonwealth countries, visit *www.acu.ac.uk/about-csfp <http://www.acu.ac.uk/about-csfp> * The CSC’s Secretariat is provided by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), which is responsible for all matters concerning selection, academic studies, and evaluation. The British Council is responsible for supporting award holders in their home countries before and after their awards. *COMMONWEALTH DISTANCE LEARNING SCHOLARSHIPS * Scholarships for individuals to study for a UK Master’s degree while living and working in their home country. *Purpose: *To contribute to development needs of Commonwealth countries by providing training for skilled and qualified professionals in key development areas. *Intended beneficiaries: *High-quality postgraduate students who wish to access training not available in their home countries, who wish or need to remain in their home country while they study, and who have the potential to enhance the development of their home countries with the knowledge and leadership skills they acquire. Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships support courses offered in partnership with local providers in developing countries, as well as courses delivered directly by UK universities. The courses feature a wide variety of delivery methods, for example: Largely internet-based courses; and/or Largely print-based courses; and/or Courses which bring students together for seminars in local regions; and/or Courses which bring students together for short spells in the UK; and/or Courses which focus on virtual interaction. For a full list of UK university courses previously supported by Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships, visit *http://bit.ly/cscuk-distance-learning-scholarships-courses <http://bit.ly/cscuk-distance-learning-scholarships-courses> * *HOW TO APPLY * The application cycle for Distance Learning Scholarships has three stages: 1. The CSC invites *expressions of interest *from UK universities for Distance Learning Scholarships (August-September). 2. The CSC invites formal *proposals *from shortlisted universities, deciding which courses to select and how many scholarships to allocate to each course (November-January). 3. The CSC selects *candidates *for Distance Learning Scholarships from a shortlist of candidates nominated by each university following its own recruitment process (February-July) Expressions of interest and proposals from universities and applications from candidates must be made using the CSC’s Electronic Application System (EAS). Information on how to use the EAS, including detailed guides, is available at *http://bit.ly/cscuk-distance-learning-scholarship <http://bit.ly/cscuk-distance-learning-scholarship>* *EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST * Expressions of interest must be supported by a letter from the university’s vice-chancellor. This letter should be should be sent to the CSC separately from the application, by email to *distance.learn...@cscuk.org.uk <distance.learn...@cscuk.org.uk> *and by post. Any expression of interest that is not accompanied by a letter of support sent within a week of the closing date will be considered ineligible. A university may submit an expression of interest for either a single course or a cluster of courses. If the university wishes to submit an expression of interest for a cluster of courses, it *must *list and provide details of *all *relevant courses to be considered within the cluster. If the university’s application is based on an existing partnership arrangement with an institution in a developing Commonwealth country, clear evidence of substantive collaborative work and of the current and future role of the partner institution in course delivery must be provided. Evidence of a genuine commitment to the overseas partner in terms of capacity development – for example, through enhancing the partner’s role in the areas of curriculum development, methods of delivery, or student support – must also be provided. The CSC’s selection committee considers all eligible expressions of interest at meetings held in October each year. If a university is successful at this stage, it will be invited to submit a formal proposal for support. *PROPOSALS * The selection committee considers formal proposals for support from shortlisted universities in January each year. The committee also decides on the number of scholarships to be allocated to each selected course. *SELECTION CRITERIA * Expressions of interest and proposals are considered according to the following selection criteria: The *quality of the course*, the quality assurance record, and the track record for delivery of the course through distance learning. Applications are strengthened by copies of any independent/external reports of the programme undertaken in recent years. The *learning opportunities *provided for developing country students, including whether the course takes into account appropriate use of technology, whether course providers can identify a target audience of potential applicants and recruit them successfully, and the factors likely to affect candidates’ successful completion of their studies. The *development impact *of the course of study, including how the course content can be applied to the Sustainable Development Goals, and the subsequent career patterns of course alumni. If the university is working with a partner, the partner must be based in a developing Commonwealth country (see page 5). *VALUE * All expressions of interest must meet the CSC’s overall funding cap of £18,000 per scholarship. This figure must cover all elements of the award, including tuition fees, grants to recipients, applicable partnership development costs, and any UK residential programmes. If the actual costs of delivering the course are higher than £18,000, the university must clearly identify the source of top-up funding in its expression of interest, and any subsequent proposal. Funding is available for five years from the start of an approved programme. *FORMAL AGREEMENTS * Selected universities will be required to enter into a formal agreement with the CSC. The agreement will detail the various obligations placed on the university, including responsibility for: Publicising and advertising the awards; and Recruiting and nominating candidates; and Maintaining and developing the relationship with the partner institution; and Accreditation of existing course modules and any developments made to the curriculum; and Delivery of the course; and Associated quality assurance. The agreement will also detail the financial arrangements between the university and the CSC. *MONITORING AND EVALUATION * By entering into a formal agreement with the CSC, the university also agrees to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the course provision, the development impact of each student, and the capacity building potential of the course. The university and the Scholar(s) must provide full annual reports. The university must also provide brief interim reports on examination results and any significant developments or constraints. Information required to facilitate evaluation includes demographic details (for example, gender, age, employment details, country of origin), future career plans, academic progress, curriculum development, and a breakdown of financial expenditure. Scholars are sent a questionnaire at the start of their scholarship, to evaluate the impact that they hope their studies will have on a personal and developmental level. They are then sent a questionnaire at the end of their scholarship, to assess how their expectations have been met. *CANDIDATES * Selected universities are required to conduct their own recruitment process to nominate a specified number of candidates for Distance Learning Scholarships to the CSC. The selection committee selects Scholars from these shortlists of nominated candidates in July. *ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA * The university is responsible for ensuring its candidates meet the CSC’s eligibility criteria. To apply for these scholarships, candidates must: Be a citizen of a developing Commonwealth country (see page 5), refugee, or British protected person; and Be permanently resident in a developing Commonwealth country (see page 5); and Hold a first degree of at least upper second class (2:1) standard. A lower qualification and sufficient relevant experience may be considered in certain cases. Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships may not be held concurrently for more than one course. If selected for a scholarship, candidates *must *be resident in a developing Commonwealth country and *must not *undertake study towards any other qualification for the duration of their award. v1 – 15/06/2015
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