Attend short-term international academic programmes in the Commonwealth with the ACU Global Grants 2026: Apply Now!

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Closing Date: 25 August 2026

Attend short-term international academic programmes in the Commonwealth with the ACU Global Grants 2026: Apply Now!

Supporting undergraduate students to attend short-term international academic programmes in the Commonwealth

The ACU Global Grants provide undergraduate students at ACU member universities with funding to attend short-term academic programmes (‘summer’ or ‘winter’ schools), hosted by an ACU member institution in a different Commonwealth country.

The ACU Global Grants aim to support academic development, international experience, and knowledge exchange for students across the Commonwealth. A number of these grants are funded by the kind legacy of the HW Paxton Trust.

What does the grant include?

10 awards of up to GBP 5,000 are available.

Five awards are allocated for citizens of the United Kingdom, under the funding of the HW Paxton Trust.
Five awards are allocated for citizens of (or those holding refugee status in) Commonwealth countries (excluding the United Kingdom)

What are the eligibility requirements?

Applicants must:

be registered as an undergraduate student at an ACU member institution.
be a citizen of (or hold refugee status in) a Commonwealth country.
identify a programme that is related to their studies, which must:
- be a short-term academic programme (‘summer’ or ‘winter’ school)
- be in a Commonwealth country at an ACU member institution.
- have an official start date between 1 December 2026 and 31 August 2027.
provide a letter of institutional support from either a departmental head or academic/course supervisor at their university and a letter of support from the proposed programme host.

How to apply

Review the FAQs and Application Guidance.
Submit an application through the online application form.
- If you already have a MyACU account, you can access the grant application form by logging into the platform and accessing the form here.
- If you do not already have a MyACU account, please ensure that you first register for an account, then follow the instructions in the registration email to log into the system before accessing the application form.

Application guidance

Information on completing your grant application.

The application form consists of the following sections:

Eligibility
Cost breakdown
Statements

Applicants will be required to provide the following information in the application form:

Statement 1: Explain why you wish to participate in your chosen programme, and how your studies and/or interests fit with its theme (150-250 words)

Statement 2: Explain what you feel you will bring to and gain from the programme, making reference to your personal development and your future study and career plans (150-250 words)

Statement 3: Briefly describe how you plan to share and communicate the knowledge gained during the programme (100-150 words)

Supporting documents:

Applicants are required to provide the following documents in support of their application.

1. Letter from the current (home) institution confirming their support for the applicant to attend the proposed programme.

This should come from either a departmental head or academic/course supervisor.
The letter must be signed and provided on official institutional headed paper.
The letter should act as a reference for the applicant’s work and must:
- Express strong support for the application
- Confirm that the applicant is an undergraduate student at the university indicated in the form.

2. Letter from the proposed programme host confirming that they would be happy to accept the applicant for the course, should they receive funding.

This can also be an official offer/acceptance letter.
If applications are not yet open for the programme, please share correspondence from the host confirming that they would be willing to consider you for the programme, should it run as planned and subject to its normal admissions process.