Chevening Scholarships

A full Chevening Scholarship pays tuition fees, a monthly living allowance (stipend) set at different rates for London and the rest of the UK, economy travel to and from the UK for the scholar, the cost of the visa application, and arrival and departure allowances. It also pays a travel top-up allowance for excess baggage on the way home, and up to 75 pounds towards a tuberculosis test where one is needed.

Scholars also join Chevening's programme of events, which brings them together with each other, with alumni, with the FCDO and with speakers and partner organisations. Chevening has said it runs more than 60 events for scholars each year. In its 2023 applicant Q&A, it said its contribution to MBA fees was capped at 22,000 pounds, with the scholar paying any difference, so check the current terms if you are considering an MBA.

You must be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory, and apply through that country's page. You need an undergraduate degree that qualifies you for a UK master's, completed at least two years before the application deadline, and at least two years of work experience after it, equal to 2,800 hours. Full-time and part-time jobs, voluntary work and paid or unpaid internships all count, and you can enter up to 15 separate periods of work.

You must apply to three different eligible UK master's courses and hold an unconditional offer from at least one of them by the July offer deadline. There is no upper age limit, and gender, age, religion, marital or parental status, caste and class do not affect eligibility.

Some people cannot apply: British and dual British citizens (with limited exceptions), current UK residents, anyone who has already had a UK government-funded scholarship, and employees, recent former employees (within two years) and immediate relatives of employees of UK government departments, the British Council and Chevening partner organisations, as set out in the eligibility guidance.

After the deadline, every application is checked against the eligibility rules. Independent reading committees then score the eligible applications between mid-October and January. British embassies and high commissions draw up the shortlist in February and interview candidates between March and April, using criteria that are the same across the world.

Chevening looks for people with a clear, realistic plan to make an impact in their own country, and it frames that impact around four UK priorities: growth and prosperity, climate resilience, global security and stability, and inclusive and effective societies.

Every scholar commits to returning to their home country, the country of award, for at least two years once the scholarship ends. This follows from what Chevening selects for: a realistic plan to make an impact at home, and a willingness to work with the UK on shared challenges.

The one-year format is fixed. Chevening funds taught master's degrees that last one year; it does not fund PhDs or undergraduate study.

Graduates join a global alumni community of more than 57,000, connected through the Chevening Alumni Alliance since 2014. By Chevening's count in 2023, 20 alumni had served as heads of state.

Chevening also shares moments with the UK's other government-funded scholarships: in 2023 it held a joint farewell event for departing scholars with the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and the Marshall Scholarships.