🔥 Study Overseas Updates 003: Chevening Scholarship Application Guide (2025/26)

⭐ Newsletter Highlights

Chevening Scholarships offer fully-funded opportunities to international students pursue a one-year master’s degree at any UK university. These scholarships cover tuition, travel, and living expenses.

Applicants from around the world must demonstrate leadership potential, a strong academic background, and at least two years of work experience. The aim is to foster individuals who are committed to driving positive change in their home countries after completing their studies in the UK.

If you are thinking about applying for the Chevening Scholarship, here's a quick guide to help you get started:

What it is: Chevening offers fully-funded scholarships for a one-year master’s degree in the UK. As Chevening Scholarships are fully-funded, your award includes the following:

💰 University tuition fees
💷 Monthly stipend
🧳 Travel costs to and from the UK
💸 An arrival allowance
💳 A homeward departure allowance
🛂 The cost of one visa application
💰 A travel grant to attend Chevening events in the UK

Who can apply: It is open to international students from all over the world. If you are a leader (in any capacity) or an emerging leader in your field, this is for you.

Key Requirements:

• A strong academic background and a bachelor's degree (equivalent to a UK 2:1)
• At least two years of work experience (2,800 hours minimum)
• Leadership qualities and a desire to make a difference in your home country
• You will need to return to your country for at least two years after the scholarship period.

Regarding work experience, you will input the number of weeks and hours you worked for each job you are listing in your application, with up to 15 entries allowed. The system will calculate if you meet Chevening’s requirement of 2,800 hours by multiplying weeks worked by hours per week. You can view the total once entered.

How to apply: The application involves writing strong essays that showcase your leadership and networking abilities. You will also need two references and a list of your preferred UK universities.

To be sure that you are eligible to apply, we will advise you to take this quiz: https://www.chevening.org/resource-hub/guidance/are-you-ready/

You will be shown a short form to complete after clicking "Apply". This section helps you find available Chevening awards by country or territory. You should select your country of citizenship from a dropdown menu, and then refine your search to apply for a "scholarship". It is a straightforward tool to identify the specific opportunities available based on your nationality.

After selecting your country, a registration form will appear. The registration form for a Chevening account requires a personal email address (not a work email) for login, a mobile number with country code, and a recovery email in case access is lost.

You must agree to the Chevening Scholarship Terms and Conditions, Privacy Notice, and give consent for the British Council to process your personal data. After filling in the required information and checking the consent box, you can proceed by clicking "Continue" to create your account.

After registration, you will be sent a confirmation link to the email you have used to register an account. You must click this link to continue your application!

After completing the form, you will be shown an alert on the website that you have successfully passed the eligibility test.

The message includes further instructions to continue your application. You need to check your email for this message which includes a link to continue your application.

After passing the initial eligibility check for the Chevening Scholarship and you have clicked the forwarded link in your email, you are given an access code that is crucial for your application. You must securely save this code, as it will be needed each time you log in.

The code will not be shown again, and you won’t receive it via email. If you lose it, you may have to restart the application.

You should copy the code somewhere to save it!

The application process consists of multiple sections, including:

• Personal details
• Citizenship and travel documents
• Higher education history
• Work history
• Programme of study (details about the courses you wish to pursue)
• Referees (people who will provide references for your application)
• Supporting statements (likely to include essays on leadership, networking, and career plans)
• Equal opportunities

You must complete all the relevant sections.

In this section for "Programme of Study", you are asked to propose three different master's courses you would like to pursue in the UK. The options can be:

• Three different courses at the same university with similar titles,
• Similar courses at three different universities,
• Or completely different courses at different universities.

You are encouraged to select courses carefully as they cannot amend these choices once the application is submitted.

If you are applying to study an MBA , Chevening provides a tuition fee cap of £22,000. If the chosen MBA course exceeds this amount, you will have to cover the remainder of the cost.

You can search for eligible courses via the Postgrad website or check if their course is listed on Chevening's eligible course page. If not, a request can be submitted to have the course added.

The "Referee Details" section of the Chevening Scholarship application requires you to provide the names, contact information, and professional details of two referees.

Referees must be able to comment on your suitability for the scholarship and should not be close friends or relatives. References must be written in English or include a notarised translation.

If invited for an interview, you must upload the references by 19 February 2025. Referees may be contacted later for verification, and you cannot make any changes once details are submitted.

The "Supporting Statements" section of the Chevening Scholarship application asks candidates to provide four written responses. Each response must be between 100 and 500 words, covering the following:

1. Leadership and Influence: Describe how you have demonstrated leadership or influence in your home country, using clear examples of your leadership and influencing skills.
2. Relationship Building and Shared Learning: Explain how you build and maintain professional relationships, showcasing your collaboration and engagement skills. Provide examples of how you’ve applied these in your career and how you plan to use them in the future.
3. Studying in the UK: Justify why you have chosen your three preferred university courses, relating them to your academic or professional background and future plans.
4. Career Plan: Outline your career goals after completing the Chevening Scholarship, including short-term and long-term plans, and how they align with the UK's initiatives in your country.

Each answer should provide detailed, specific examples, avoiding repetition across the responses.

As you can see, applying for the Chevening Scholarship takes preparation and focus, but it is absolutely worth it if you're passionate about making an impact.

Take your time to carefully plan each part of your application, from your personal statements to your course choices, and keep in close contact with your referees.

The key is to be clear about your goals and how this opportunity will help you achieve them. Believe in your potential, and take this chance to further your studies, grow as a leader, and make a difference in your community. You've got this!