Young people will have access to new scholarships to study abroad at a wide range of universities across the Commonwealth, thanks to a scheme announced today by HRH Prince Harry in his first speech as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.

Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships will provide life-changing experiences for young leaders with the energy and talent to make a difference in their home countries and beyond. The scheme will offer study opportunities not previously available and widen collaboration across the Commonwealth.

By 2025, an additional 150 Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholars from across the Commonwealth will have studied at leading universities in low and middle income countries.

Watch HRH Prince Harry's full speech above, or skip to the scholarship announcement at 6:00

The scholarships are being named after HM The Queen as a fitting tribute to her immense contribution as Head of the Commonwealth, and her longstanding dedication to education and youth. The first Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholars will begin their studies in 2019, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the Commonwealth and the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP).

Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships will be supported by an expansion of the CSFP endowment fund, which was established by Commonwealth governments including Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Kenya, Malaysia, the Maldives, Mauritius, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, and the UK. The CSFP endowment fund, which is managed by the Association of Commonwealth Universities, will be able to support even more scholarships from 2019 thanks to an additional £5 million contribution from the UK government.

Dr Joanna Newman, Chief Executive and Secretary General of the ACU, said ‘Scholarships have a transformational impact on the lives of individuals and also, more importantly, on their wider communities and societies, thanks to the skills and knowledge gained. I am delighted that the ACU will play a vital role in securing these educational opportunities for young people across all member countries.

‘The Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships scheme is a valuable, inclusive programme which will have a far-reaching impact for generations to come.’

More information

• The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which member governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. Over 35,000 individuals have been funded since the CSFP was established at the first Commonwealth education conference in 1959.

• The CSFP endowment fund will support Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Scholarships for Master’s study hosted by universities in low and middle income Commonwealth countries. The UK government, through the Department for Education, has made a £5 million contribution to the CSFP endowment fund.

• The announcement was made by HRH Prince Harry at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Youth Forum. This is part of the proceedings of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), taking place in London and Windsor, UK, from 16-20 April 2018. Read his speech in full here

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