Since the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program’s inception in 1959, the Government of Canada has provided scholarships of excellence

to all member countries of the Commonwealth. The goal of the CCSP is to promote Canadian values and identity around the world and to help meet the human capital needs of developing countries.

The Government of Canada has also played a leadership role in the establishment of the international Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan and is the largest contributor to this program following the United Kingdom.

Description

The CCSP provides short-term exchange opportunities for candidates from Commonwealth countries for study or research in Canada at the master’s or doctoral level. The program is open to all disciplines including interdisciplinary programs. Studies or research in science and technology will be prioritized.

Scholarship Value and Duration

The scholarship value varies depending on the duration and level of study. The scholarship value is:

• $7,500 CAN for graduate students for a period of four months of study or research; or
• $10,000 CAN for graduate students for a period of five or six months of study or research.

Eligibility

Candidates must be citizens of one of the following eligible countries:

• Asia-Pacific: Bangladesh, India, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Nauru, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu; or
• Africa: Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.

Candidates:

• who have obtained Canadian citizenship or who have applied for permanent residency in Canada are not eligible;
• already participating in an exchange program in Canada are not eligible;
• already enrolled in a degree or diploma program at a Canadian university or college are not eligible;
• must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country and paying tuition fees at their home institution for the full duration of the exchange; and
• must be proficient in either English or French.

Desired Qualifications

Priority will be given to candidates:

• undertaking study or research in science and technology; and
• who have not previously studied in Canada under a Canadian government scholarship.

Terms and Conditions

Canadian postsecondary institutions must submit an application on behalf of each candidate. An application submitted which does not meet the following terms and conditions may not be considered for a scholarship.

• The Canadian postsecondary institution must be accredited by its provincial or territorial government.
• An inter-institutional agreement is desirable but not mandatory. If there is no existing exchange agreement, graduate applications which involve a new or established collaboration between professors from a Canadian and a student’s home institution university will be accepted.
• Tuition or academic fees will be waived at the Canadian institution for scholarship recipients, as recipients are registered full-time and paying tuition to their home institution.
• A Canadian university may submit more than one application and may be asked to rank their applications based on their strategic priorities at the time of the selection process.
• Applications submitted directly by a candidate or their home institution will not be accepted.
• A scholarship recipient may not normally hold any other major scholarship granted by the Government of Canada.
• Scholarship recipients taking courses must be in Canada by September for the fall semester or by January for the winter semester.
• Graduate students conducting research must arrive in Canada between August 2012 and March 15, 2013. Failure to arrive during this time will result in the cancellation of the scholarship.
• Scholarships are not renewable.
• Scholarships are not taxable for either the institution or the scholarship recipient.
• Financial reporting is not required from the institution or the scholarship recipient.

Application Process

Instructions

Applicants are encouraged to read the instructions below carefully before beginning the online application.

Canadian institutions:

• must complete the online application form on behalf of each candidate. Canadian faculty who are submitting applications must notify the international office of their respective institution as institutions may be requested to rank their applications;
• must verify the data prior to submission and check the declaration and permission boxes;
• must enter the information directly into the field or copy and paste it from another source. Applicants should refrain from using the tab keys when entering the information directly. Certain web-based special characters such as HTML tags may cause unpredictable results in the text, or prevent successful submission of an application. The information will appear as plain text;
• must enter data in the fields provided, following instructions for each item (the official name of the student’s home institution must be provided in their national language);
• can obtain a hard copy for record keeping by printing the form using the print function in the browser, prior to submitting; and
• must click SUBMIT for the online application. A confirmation page and reference number will appear after submission.

Further Scholarship Information and Application