ACU ROUTLEDGE/ROUND TABLE COMMONWEALTH PHD STUDENTSHIPS 2026/2027

Important note: this is for PhD students who are already enrolled, not a scholarship to start a new degree. The Routledge/Round Table Commonwealth Studentship is a mid-PhD research funding award — genuinely rare, since most PhD funding comes only at the point of admission.

Funded jointly by The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, its publisher Routledge, and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), this programme supports doctoral researchers whose work touches on Commonwealth-related themes in the humanities and social sciences. Importantly, your research doesn’t need to already focus on the Commonwealth — the studentship is specifically designed to help you add a Commonwealth dimension to work you’re already doing. If your PhD addresses governance, education, public health, agriculture, law, or development in any Commonwealth country, you can likely reframe part of it to qualify.

Only two studentships are awarded globally each year, making this highly competitive — but the value goes beyond the money: recipients also get a guaranteed publication opportunity in an academic journal and a structured mentorship relationship with a researcher in another Commonwealth country.

What It Covers

• Up to £5,500 GBP total research funding
• £4,000 paid immediately upon announcement of the award
• £1,500 paid after completion of post-studentship requirements
• A dedicated international mentor (who receives a £500 honorarium for their involvement)

Post-Award Requirements

• A scholarly article (4,000–6,000 words) based on your research, for consideration in The Round Table journal
• A podcast discussing your research findings, published on the journal’s website
• Both must be completed within 12 months of receiving the award

Who Can Apply

• One studentship: for PhD students registered at universities in the United Kingdom
• One studentship: for PhD students registered at ACU member universities in Commonwealth countries other than the UK, OR Chevening/Commonwealth Scholarship alumni enrolled in PhD study at any Commonwealth university outside the UK
• Must identify and arrange a mentor at a university in a different Commonwealth country from your own institution
• Research must relate to the Commonwealth as a whole, have a comparative Commonwealth aspect, or be relevant to more than one Commonwealth country
• Open to humanities and social sciences disciplines (politics, international relations, economics, law, development studies, geography, history, area studies); pure sciences and medicine are not eligible, though science/health policy research may qualify

Study Levels: PhD (current/enrolled students only)
Host Country: Any ACU member Commonwealth university
Number Available: 2 studentships per year
Deadline: July 31, 2026 (results announced September 2026)

How to Apply

Download the application form from acu.ac.uk or commonwealthroundtable.co.uk. Submit the completed form along with a current CV (maximum 5 pages) to secretary@commonwealthroundtable.co.uk. No application fee, no IELTS requirement, no separate online portal.