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Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program

Scholarship

Scholarship Types

Scholarships are for student exchanges and research at the graduate level.

Scholarship Value and Duration

Scholarship of $7,500 CAD available per student for an exchange of 4 months.
Scholarship of $10,000 CAD available per student for an exchange of 5 to 6 months.

Scholarship is not taxable for either the institution or the student. For more information: www.cra.gc.ca

The Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program (CCSP) is celebrating 50 years! Since the plan’s inception in 1959, the Government of Canada has provided scholarships of excellence to all member countries of the Commonwealth. The CCSP goal is to promote Canadian values and identity around the world and to help meet the human capital needs of developing countries.

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

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Canadian Institutions

Eligibility

The Canadian institution must apply on behalf of the student.
CBIE does not accept applications submitted directly by students or exchange partner institutions (foreign institutions).
An existing exchange agreement between the Canadian institution and the student's home university is desirable. However, if there is no existing graduate exchange, graduate research applications which involve a new or established collaboration between professors from a Canadian and foreign university will be considered.
More than one exchange program at a given university may apply.
Students must be citizens of one of the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program eligible countries.
Students must be enrolled full-time at a foreign institution in a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program eligible country and paying tuition fees at their home institution for the full duration of the exchange.
Anyone who has obtained Canadian citizenship or who has applied or is planning to apply for permanent residency in Canada is not eligible for this scholarship.
Students already participating in an exchange program in Canada are not eligible.
Students already enrolled to a degree program at a Canadian university are not eligible.
Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously participated in a DFAIT student exchange program.

Eligible Countries

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

Eligible Themes/Fields

Open to all disciplines including interdisciplinary programs. Projects with a scientific research component will be prioritized.

Conditions

Awards are conditional on receipt of the appropriate visa for the student's stay in Canada,
Students must arrive in Canada and begin research no later than March 15, 2011,
A scholar cannot normally hold any other major scholarship or scholarship,
The scholarship will be paid by cheque made out and mailed to the Canadian university and not to the student,
Payment will be made in two installments: 90% of the scholarship will be paid following the receipt of the students' visa (by fax or email). The remainder 10% will be paid upon receipt of the students' proof of medical coverage in Canada.

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Application Process

How to Apply

Canadian institutions must complete the CBIE online application form by submitting it electronically. Paper applications will not be accepted.

Enter your data in the fields provided, following the instructions for each item,
Upon completion, verify your data prior to submitting,
To obtain a hard copy for your records, prior to submitting, you may print the form using the print function of your browser. Note that CBIE does not require a hard copy.

Canadian institutions must submit the following required documents to CBIE, prior to the deadline.

Curriculum vitae of supervisor of the student during the research exchange visit (Maximum 5 pages),
Proof of citizenship of Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program candidate (passport copy),
Current proof of full-time enrollment in exchange partner (home) institution of the candidate (a short letter from the department or university, on letterhead, dated in the last 6 months stating that the student is currently enrolled in a full time degree program). Copy of student card and letter of admission are not acceptable,
Declaration signed by both the Director of the Exchange program and the supervisor of the student at the Canadian institution (Available at the end of the online application).

Professors who are submitting applications should notify the International Liaison Officer (ILO) at their respective institution. By doing so, this will assist with central coordination by the institution in the event that multiple applications need to be prioritized.

Mandatory and eligible expenses

Mandatory expenses include:

Visa and immigration expenses,
Economy, round-trip airfare,
Health insurance,
Monthly living allowance of at least $1,200 (prorated for partial months),
Required books, supplies and equipment – not computers,

Eligible expenses include:

Ground transportation to the airport in the home country and from the airport to the host institution in Canada,
Optional administration fee (Maximum $300) for the Canadian university or college to cover expenses associated with the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program,
Telecommunications (long distance) for research purposes,
Conference participation within Canada (conference fees; if applicable, travel and accommodation in a city outside the host institution),
Student services fees such as library card -, and access to on-campus medical facilities.

Tuition is NOT an allowable expense; it is expected that exchange students continue to pay tuition to their home institution.

Financial reporting is not required from the institution or the student.

Deadline

Be sure to identify the name of the scholarship program for which you are applying on all documentation sent by post to CBIE.

Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE)
Attn: Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program
220 Laurier Ave. W., Suite 1550
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Z9

If supporting documents are sent by e-mail, please indicate in the Subject Line: 2010 Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program and direct to: scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca. Please note that, for email attachments, only the following formats will be accepted: Word, Adobe PDF or JPG.

Results

Results will be announced by the end of July 2010 by e-mail to the supervisor and/or the person responsible for the exchange program listed in the online application.