| The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan | | | | country students to study Master's degree courses |
| (CSFP) is an international programme under which | | | | Traditionally, most of the awards were offered for the |
| Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and | | | | masters program as well as the doctorates and |
| fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth | | | | taught courses. Nevertheless, there are some |
| countries. The plan was originally proposed by | | | | exceptions in few countries, markedly in the UK, |
| Canadian statesman Sidney Earle Smith in a speech in | | | | offering Fellowships intended to provide established |
| Montreal on September 1, 1958 and was established in | | | | university staff in developing countries with an |
| 1959, at the first Conference of Commonwealth | | | | opportunity to modernize their skills. The selection of |
| Education Ministers (CCEM) held in Oxford, UK. Since | | | | the applicants is a partnership between the home and |
| then, over 25,000 individuals have held awards, hosted | | | | host country. When a country decides to offer |
| by over twenty countries. The CSFP is one of the | | | | awards, this is notified to those countries whose |
| primary mechanisms of pan-Commonwealth | | | | citizens will be eligible. It is then for those countries to |
| exchange. | | | | advertise the awards, and to make the required |
| There is no central body which manages the CSFP. | | | | number of nominations. It will then be sent to the host |
| Instead, participation is based on a series of bi-lateral | | | | country, who will select the final recipients from |
| arrangements between home and host countries. The | | | | nominations received. Often this will involve competition |
| participation of each country is organised by a national | | | | between the nominations of different countries. |
| nominating agency, which is responsible for advertising | | | | The participation of each country is organised by a |
| awards applicable to their own country and making | | | | national nominating agency. Agencies are responsible |
| nominations to host countries. | | | | for advertising awards applicable to their own country |
| In the United Kingdom, which is the biggest contributor | | | | and making nominations to host countries. Applicants |
| to the Plan, this process is managed by the | | | | should apply to the nominating agency in their own |
| Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the United | | | | country in the first instance. In most cases, the agency |
| Kingdom, a Non-Departmental Public Body, and funded | | | | is part of - or appointed by - government agencies. In |
| by the Department for International Development and | | | | the case of some award categories, however, the |
| the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The UK | | | | functions are filled by other bodies, such as individual |
| offers: | | | | universities or their representative bodies. As a result |
| * Scholarships for postgraduate study | | | | of decisions taken at the 14th Conference of |
| * Academic Fellowships for staff in developing country | | | | Commonwealth Education Ministers in November 2000 |
| universities | | | | it is likely that some countries will accept nominations |
| * Split-site Scholarships for PhD students to spend up | | | | from a wider range of sources in future years, whilst |
| to one year in the UK | | | | retaining existing agencies as the main channel. Further |
| * Professional Fellowships for mid-career professionals | | | | details will appear on individual country pages as |
| in developing countries | | | | announced. |
| * Distance Learning Scholarships for developing | | | | |