Scholarship details
The Chevening Scholarship is an international scholarship, funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, that lets foreign students with leadership qualities study at universities in the United Kingdom.
The Chevening Scholarships Program commenced in 1983 as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Awards Scheme (FCOAS) and is funded by the British government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its partner organizations. The stated objective of the scheme is to build a network of friends of the UK, who will be future leaders in their countries. In 1994, the name was changed to Chevening, after Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent – currently the joint official residence of the British Foreign Secretary and the British Deputy Prime Minister.
A companion Chevening Fellowships was launched by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2004. The Fellowships program provides places for mid-career professionals already in positions of leadership and influence to undertake 3-month courses in fields related to the FCDO’s policy goals.
In October 2018, the Chevening Scholarships Program celebrated its 35th anniversary by awarding a total number of 1,800 scholarships from 160 countries for the 2018/19 school year. Earlier that year, the number of Chevening alumni also hit the 50,000 mark.
As of 2017/18, there are an estimated 50,000 Chevening Scholarship alumni, with an emphasis being placed on improved links with and between previous scholars as a consequence of reviews in 2005 and 2006. Many Chevening Scholars have since gone on to reach positions of influence in a range of sectors.
Chevening Awards are an important element in Britain’s public diplomacy effort and bring professionals, who have already displayed outstanding leadership talents, to study in the UK. Chevening supports British foreign policy priorities and achieves FCDO objectives by creating lasting positive relationships with future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has a worldwide network of embassies and consulates, employing over 14,000 people in nearly 270 diplomatic offices. It works with international organizations to promote British interests and global security, including the EU, NATO, the United Nations, the UN Security Council, and the Commonwealth.
Eligibility
- United States students are not eligible to apply.
- The Chevening Scholarship is not available to non-indigenous Australian candidates..
- Applicants must be able to show ambition, leadership potential, a strong academic background, and an excellent record of rising to prominent positions in their countries across a range of fields.
- Applicants must be looking for a postgraduate experience that will give them the very best preparation for success.
- Students applying from developing countries will have their applications pushed to the first round of review since this scholarship is aimed at picking the best and brightest students from developing countries.
- Both male and female students are welcome to apply
- Their is no age-limit on this scholarship however, it is suggested that students working towards their bachelor’s is the perfect candidate.
Requirements
The number of available scholarships varies from country to country.
More than thirty scholarships are currently awarded to candidates from Nepal, India, Russia and China. Twenty or more are awarded to candidates from Egypt, South Korea, Indonesia, Bhutan, Pakistan, Mexico, Thailand and Brazil, with less than five core scholarships now available to candidates from Australia and Canada.
Applicants will need to start their student visa process if they intend to study at London’s top university (which is requested to use the full benefits of this award, however, it is not mandatory).
All applying students will need to show any volunteer work they have conducted in the past year, as well as, all official school transcripts and any prior undergraduate work that has been completed.
Since science-based fields are highly respected with this scholarship, it is ensured that science students who intended to extend and progressively utilize their higher learning awards towards science and technology can receive added benefits.
How to Apply
The selection criteria for Chevening Scholarship are aimed to identify “high-caliber graduates with the personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities necessary for leadership.” Specific selection criteria for Chevening Scholarships vary from country to country, and from year to year. In 2017/18, of 65,000 applicants, 1650 scholarships were awarded.
Applications are made online via a web portal, between early August and early November of each year, except for some sponsored scholarships for which applicants apply via the co-sponsoring organization. Applications for 2018/19 opened on 6 August 2018 and closed on 6 November 2018 at 5pm BST. Scholarship applicants must also apply directly to their preferred universities in the UK, usually for taught master’s degree courses. Most scholarships include a living stipend, airfares and the full or partial cost of tuition fees.
Reward – Extra Benefits
This is a fully-funded scholarship, students will receive full wavered tuition or program fees, living expenses, and return flights to the UK. They will also gain access to exclusive networking events, workshops, talks, internships, and volunteering opportunities, giving them the best possible diverse introduction to life within a global role.
Students will need to take a course that is available for 12 months. However, it can be extended after 1 year under the special case that will be approved by FCO, this means the full coverage can be extended to a possible two years.
Since this is a government funded reward, this means the students who are chosen to become recipients must follow through on an entire 1 year course or however long the duration of their course is. If a student drops out, then there is a very real possibility the student may need to refund the money that has been used. And there would be no refunds.
Deadline
The deadline date for 2022-2023 has already past, meaning the next time will be in 2023-2024. Successful applicants will be announced in June 2022. The scholars among them will begin their U.K. studies in September/October 2022.
This means the next open window submission date is from October 2022 to January 2023. Making the deadline date January 2023.
Open Submission Window Time Frame
The open submission window time frame is from October 2022 – January 2023. The 2022-2023 selection time has closed meaning someone is being selected as the recipient right now. A matter of fact, multiple people are chosen to receive this all around incredible scholarship.
Annual
This is a once a year annual scholarship that is awarded to several students from developing countries.
