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The Association of Commonwealth Universities | ACU
King's Commonwealth Fellowship Programme PhDs application guidance

The application form consists of the following sections: 

  1. Eligibility 

  1. Personal and Contact Details 

  1. Academic & Employment Record 

  1. SIDS home university details 

  1. PhD project details and anticipated impact  

Plagiarism is not allowed. Applications shown to be plagiarised will not be considered. 

1. Eligibility 

Applicant must have all of the following to be eligible for the King’s Fellowship:  

  • Applicants with a Masters degree or equivalent experience.   

  • Due to commence or already enrolled in a PhD research degree programme at a ACU SIDS member university in the 2025/26 academic year with an aim to complete the PhD degree.

  • PhD subject area falls within one of the 4 KCFP research areas (Climate change/environment, Education, Engineering and Health). 

  • Citizenship or refugee status in one or more of the Commonwealth SIDS. Following countries are eligible:  

Africa 
 Mauritius, Seychelles  

Asia  
 The Maldives  

Caribbean and Americas 
 Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, The Cayman Islands, Trinidad and Tobago  

Pacific 
Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu   

ACU member universities in Commonwealth SIDS are:

  • Fiji National University
  • The University of Fiji
  • The University of the South Pacific
  • Divine Word University
  • Papua New Guinea University of Technology
  • University of Papua New Guinea
  • National University of Samoa
  • American University of Barbados School of Medicine
  • Galen University
  • University of Belize
  • University College of the Cayman Islands
  • Texila American University
  • University of Guyana
  • Caribbean Maritime University
  • The University of the West Indies
  • Saint James School of Medicine
  • University of Medicine and Health Sciences (UMHS)
  • Avid College
  • Maldives National University
  • Villa College
  • Open University of Mauritius
  • University of Mauritius
  • University of Technology Mauritius
  • University of Seychelles 

Those belonging to indigenous communities  are especially encouraged to apply. However, this is not an eligibility criteria, meaning, those who do not belong to indigenous communities will also be eligible.  

 2.  Personal and contact details 

This section will ask for personal information such as your name, address, email, etc. You will also be asked to upload a picture or scanned copy of your passport/national ID. Either document is acceptable. 

3. Academic & employment record  

This section will ask for information on your last 3 academic degrees (Masters, Undergraduate, etc.) and last 3 employment experiences. If you have fewer than 3 academic degrees or experiences, you can mention as many as you have. You will also be asked to upload your degree certificates, transcripts (which should contain a list of all of the courses that you undertook for that degree) and CV/resume.  

If you did not complete a postgraduate degree, please upload your undergraduate certificate and transcript only. Please indicate in your CV what equivalent experience you have to replace the postgraduate degree. 

4. SIDS home university details 

This section will ask for information on the SIDS university and degree you are enrolled in. It will also ask for contact details of the supervisor. It will also ask for a letter from the SIDS university confirming that you have enrolled in a PhD programme and that they are supportive of your participation in the King’s Commonwealth Fellowship Programme. This letter should be signed by the Head of Department/Faculty which will be hosting the PhD candidate. Please ensure this letter is formatted on the university’s letterhead paper and that the person signing it includes their email address in the letter –  this is to ensure that the letter is valid, and your application may be rejected if these steps are not followed.

5. PhD project details and anticipated impact 

This section will ask for information on your PhD research project. You will be asked to provide the title of your research and select the appropriate theme it falls under (Climate Change/Environment, Education, Engineering and Health).  

You will be then asked to list 3 of your preferred partner universities. Once you select your research theme, it will show you the list of universities that have offered to host for that theme. Please select 3 options and rank them by preference.  

This section will also ask for the following:  

1. Summary of PhD research proposal  (300-600 words) 

Briefly outline your PhD research proposal using the following headings:  

  • Research hypothesis: Set out the research idea or hypothesis, explain why the project is novel and timely. 

  • Research aims and objectives: describe the overall aim of the project and measurable objectives. 

  • Significance: Why is the research important and how will it contribute to the wider field of research. 

2. Describe your motivation for taking part in the programme and impact it will have on your own professional development  (300-500 words) 

Your statement should consider the following questions: 

  • Explain what inspired or motivated you to take part in the programme 

  • Explain how the research that you intend to undertake on your proposed course will contribute to your career future career plans and career development. 

  • What skills do you expect to gain from this fellowship? 

  • How will you apply/share the knowledge and skills gained on award with your local community?  

3. Describe how the anticipated outputs of the fellowship will benefit your home island state (300-500 words) 

Your statement should answer the following questions: 

  • What is the anticipated impact of your research and the knowledge generated by your research on society, culture, environment and/or the economy? 

  • How will the research contribute to climate resilience of your home island state? 

  • How will you use your learnings to generate high-quality research for your home island state going forward? 

Please ensure all information is correct before submitting your application – you can navigate back to previous pages to check this if you wish – once you submit your application no further amendments can be made.