Director of Postgraduate Taught Education, Sarah Henderson tells us why the Commonwealth scholarships have the potential to uplift entire communities.
I’m delighted the College has been awarded over £900,000 by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission. This generous funding will fully sponsor students from low and middle-income nations to participate in our online distance learning master’s programmes.
The scholarships are designed to empower aspiring leaders from diverse backgrounds. Through these scholarships, students can gain the crucial knowledge, skills, and networks to become impactful leaders and agents of change in various sectors, including academia, development, business, and government. Such initiatives are vital for not only enhancing individual lives, but also for uplifting entire communities.
They do so by broadening educational access, fostering an engaging and inclusive learning atmosphere, and by developing globally-minded leaders ready to tackle complex global challenges.
In alignment with the University of Edinburgh’s Strategy 2030, we are committed to nurturing talent and cultivating future leaders dedicated to positive change and the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Supporting students worldwide to connect, reflect, and learn collectively is a step towards building a global network of graduates, ready to make a meaningful impact in their communities and beyond.
To date, the Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships have supported over 250 students to achieve their educational goals and contribute towards keys aspects of their country’s sustainable development aims. This year’s funding is set to continue this legacy of support and achievement.
What our students said
“Sometimes because of your job, because of your family, you may not leave where you are, but you want to gain that knowledge, and the online Masters […] has helped many scholars actually achieve that dreams of getting a degree without leaving their home countries. Sharing ideas with people from all over the globe has been really awesome .” – Elizabeth, Nigeria.
“The thing is collaboration. I have come into touch with so many people having similar issues, working in similar areas. It has definitely opened up a lot of avenues.”- Sanath, India.
“This has enabled me to actually gain skills in various areas that are applicable in my day-today work.” – Justine, Kenya.
>> About the Commonwealth scholarships
