Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program

Awards available to students from other Commonwealth countries for graduate study in Canada

The Government of Canada offers scholarships as part of the Commonwealth Scholarship Plan (CSP). These scholarships are tenable at recognized public Canadian institutions and affiliated research institutes only.

The Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program (CCSP) is designed to provide opportunities for students of other Commonwealth countries to pursue research and studies in Canada.

The Scholarships are intended for men and women of high intellectual promise who may be expected to make a significant contribution to their own countries on their return from study in Canada.

The Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program is funded by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) which also determines the number of scholarships available each year. The agency responsible for financial and administrative matters is the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE).

Awards available under this program include:

• Graduate Students' Exchange Program (GSEP) Awards available to citizens enrolled full-time in selected countries for research in Canada (including the Canada-Caribbean Community Leadership Scholarships)

Eligible countries: Asia-Pacific region: Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Kiribati, Malaysia, Maldives, Nauru, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu Latin America and the Caribbean region: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Sub-Saharan Africa region: Botswana, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe Note: The Canadian institution must apply on behalf of the student

• College and Undergraduate Students' Exchange Program (CUSEP) Available to citizens enrolled full-time in selected countries for study in Canada (including the Canada-Caribbean Community Leadership Scholarships)

Eligible countries: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitt’s, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos IMPORTANT: The Canadian institution must apply on behalf of the student

• Post-Doctoral Research Fellowships (PDRF) Awards available to Post-Doctoral Level students to pursue research in Canada

Eligible countries: United Kingdom and New Zealand

The Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Plan is undergoing changes. The new program is designed to support the Government's strategy in various regions with an approach more targeted to the thematic priorities for Canadian policy and to increase aid effectiveness. The objective is to increase development impact in human capacity building through sustainable bilateral and institutional relationships within various fields by 1) contributing towards increase of exchanges between Canadian post-secondary institutions and regional counterparts and 2) providing foreign graduate students with the opportunity to have access to academic mentors and academic research networks in Canada. These new programs replace former Master’s and Doctoral awards.