Australia Awards vs Chevening vs Commonwealth: Which Should African Students Apply To?

If you're a working African graduate eyeing a fully-funded Master's abroad in 2026, three scholarships should be on your shortlist before any others: Australia Awards, Chevening and the Commonwealth Scholarship. Each one covers tuition, living costs and flights — but they reward very different profiles. Get the matching wrong and you'll spend months writing essays for an award you were never likely to win.

At a glance

The three awards in depth

How to actually choose

• If you have 5+ years of work experience and a clear leadership story: Chevening is the highest-prestige option. Apply.
• If you want a longer Master's (1.5–2 years), are from East/Southern Africa, and your career is in development sectors: Australia Awards typically beats Chevening on total package value and time-to-graduate.
• If you're aiming at a PhD, or you want the UK without London: Commonwealth is the right call. PhD funding for African researchers in the UK is otherwise extremely scarce.
• If you qualify for two or all three: apply to all of them. The deadlines are spread across the year and the application overhead drops sharply once your first essay is written.

A note on the essays

The biggest mistake African applicants make is writing the same essay for all three. The three funders prize different things:

• Chevening rewards leadership stories and influence — concrete examples of you changing minds, mobilising teams, getting decisions made.
• Australia Awards rewards development impact and bilateral fit — show how your degree closes a capacity gap that matters to your government and to Australia's aid priorities.
• Commonwealth rewards research depth and applicability — your application is judged on the strength of your study/research plan more than your CV.

Our scholarship essay framework covers the structure that wins all three — adapted per scholarship.

Your next step

Browse our destination guides for UK scholarships, Australia scholarships and other fully-funded scholarships for African students. Apply early — Chevening notoriously rejects strong applicants who submit in the final 48 hours due to portal congestion.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply to Australia Awards, Chevening and Commonwealth in the same year?

Yes. They are administered by three different governments (Australia, the UK FCDO, and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission) with separate selection committees. Many strong applicants apply to all three to maximise their odds.

Do I need work experience for these scholarships?

Chevening requires 2,800 hours of professional experience (about 2 years full-time). Australia Awards strongly favours mid-career professionals from priority sectors. Commonwealth Master's awards require relevant experience for most subjects but PhD awards often don't.

Which is the most generous?

All three are fully funded — tuition, living stipend, return flights and insurance. Australia Awards typically lasts longer (Master's of 1.5–2 years vs Chevening's strict 1 year), so total package value is higher. Commonwealth PhD awards run 3 years and are the most generous in absolute terms.

Are these scholarships open to all African countries?

Australia Awards covers ~22 African partner countries. Chevening covers nearly all African nationalities (160+ countries globally). Commonwealth Scholarships are restricted to Commonwealth member states — including Botswana, Cameroon, Eswatini, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia.

What's the post-study work rule for each?

Chevening requires you to return to your home country for at least 2 years after finishing. Australia Awards has the same 2-year return rule. Commonwealth Scholarships also expect you to return home and contribute to development. None permits you to stay and work in the host country immediately after graduating.