Established in the year 1983, Chevening is the UK’s premier scholarship and fellowship program. It aims to help future global leaders to study in the country, thus enabling them to join a professional community that will help change the world.

Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, it offers 2 awards, namely the Chevening Scholarship and the Chevening Fellowship. Recipients of both are chosen by British embassies and commissions all across the globe. In this article, we will be looking at the Chevening scholarships for international students.

Chevening Scholarship Amount

The Chevening Scholarship is open to qualified students who wish to take a 1-year Master’s degree in the UK. As a fully-funded award, it covers tuition/course fees of up to £18,000, arrival & departure allowance, cost entry clearance/visa, TB testing, travel top-up allowance, monthly personal allowance for accommodation & living expenses, and flight tickets (economy).

The Chevening Fellowship, on the other hand, is a program for mid-career professionals who wish to increase their knowledge/skills through research, short courses, or placements in UK institutions.

Likewise, it covers tuition fees, flight tickets, visa costs, and accommodations. It also includes an arrival allowance and a monthly stipend.

Check Also: Programs in the United Kingdom for International Students

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the Chevening Scholarship, you must:

  • Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory
  • Have completed an undergraduate degree equivalent to an upper second class 2:1 honors program
  • Have at least 2 years (2,800 hours) of work experience
  • Receive an unconditional offer from 3 eligible courses

Scholars must also return to their home countries for 2 years after receiving the scholarship award.

Aspiring Chevening fellows, likewise, should be citizens of eligible countries or territories. However, they should demonstrate leadership potential – as well as the personal, intellectual, and interpersonal features that reflect this potential.

Compared to the undergraduate requirement of the scholarship, fellows should possess a post-graduate level qualification. Expectedly, they should meet the program’s entry requirements and return to their home countries for 2 years after finishing their fellowship.

As for limitations, the Chevening Scholarship and Fellowship are not open to British citizens (including dual) or refugees from non-Chevening eligible countries. An employee or kin of an employee of Her Majesty’s government or Chevening partner organizations – as well as those who have received a UK-funded scholarship previously – will not be eligible as well.

How to Apply for the Chevening Scholarship

Chevening Scholarship

The Chevening Scholarship application process starts with the choice of course. Students have the freedom to choose from 3 Chevening-eligible taught master’s programs. These should span 9-12 months in duration (full-term), with the term commencing early autumn.

After choosing an eligible program, the student may start building his/her profile in the Chevening online application system (OAS). This usually asks demographic or educational inquiries, plus certain questions that require a minimum 100-word answer.

After finishing the form for the Chevening scholarship, the student must upload 2 reference letters. The embassy will contact these academic or professional referees in the later part of the selection process.

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to attend an interview in their areas’ British embassies or commissions. But before doing so, the applicant must upload the following documents to the OAS:

  • Education documents, i.e. transcripts and/or certificates
  • 2 reference letters
  • Short biography

The student must bring his/her passport to the interview as well.

Successful applicants will be informed of their status by early/mid-June.

Chevening Fellowship

Like the scholarship application process, aspiring fellows should start by choosing an eligible program. The available options usually depend on the field and citizenship.

Africans, for one, may apply for the:

  • Chevening Africa Media Freedom Fellowship for mid-senior level applicants who work in the fields of media policy and regulation
  • Chevening Ethiopia Leadership Fellowship for Ethiopian public servants who excel in the fields of policy, leadership, and innovation

Indians qualify for the:

  • Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership & Excellence for young, high-flying leaders of various backgrounds
  • India Cyber Security Fellowship, which highlights national security, crime prevention, commercial opportunity, and right to privacy

Indians, as well as other South Asian citizens (Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans, and Maldivians), may also join the South Asia Journalism Program. This is an intensive 8 week-program comprising of lectures & discussions.

The Western Balkans Cyber Security Fellowship, as the name suggests, is open to citizens of Western Balkan states.

Programs open for all nationalities include:

  • Chevening British Library Fellowship, which is a year-long placement at the British Library
  • Chevening Clore Fellowship, which a leadership program that has helped shape global experts for the last 15 years
  • Chevening Energy Market Reform for senior professionals working in the energy sector
  • Healthcare, Healthy Policy, and Health Research Fellowship for senior professionals who wish to undertake a research project at Oxford
  • LSE Fellowship, a 9-month program for a defined research project
  • Oxford Center for Islamic Studies Fellowship for professionals who wish to specialize in the study of Islam culture & civilization
  • Research Science & Innovation Fellowship, which covers science, innovation & management processes, and the interactions between economy, innovation, and research

After selecting a program, the student may apply through any of these fellowships’ application pages (the deadline is usually early November). The info stated will then be evaluated by the committee to make sure sure that the applicants hit the eligibility criteria.

Shortlisted applicants for Chevening Fellowship will be asked to attend an interview at a British embassy or commission at his/her location. The same requirements required from scholars will apply.

Depending on the circumstance, the aspiring fellow may need to attend a second interview.

New fellows will be announced by end of June to prepare them for their studies/research in September or October.

Conclusion

The Chevening Scholarship and Fellowship programs are competitive awards that have gone a long way since their start in 1983. From 100 applicants from 41 countries, there are now about 1,750 awardees from 160 nations.

Taking this into consideration, the list of global Chevening scholars and fellows is now at a whopping 50,000. Like them, you can become a Chevener – and make a profound impact on your community, country, and beyond.

 

I hope that this article on Chevening scholarships for international students was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Programs in the United Kingdom!