DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: 7th November, 2017
Chevening is the UK Government’s international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders. Funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and partner organisations, Chevening offers two types of award – Chevening Scholarships and Chevening Fellowships – the recipients of which are personally selected by British embassies and high commissions throughout the world.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
To be eligible for a Chevening Award you must:
- Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country
- Return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after your award has ended
- Have an undergraduate degree that will enable you to gain entry onto a postgraduate programme at a UK university. This is typically equivalent to an upper second-class 2:1 honours degree in the UK.
- Have at least two years’ work experience (this may be up to five years for fellowship programmes, so please refer to your country page for further details)
- Apply to three different eligible UK university courses and have received an unconditional offer from one of these choices by 12 July 2018
- Meet the Chevening English language requirement by 12 July 2018
You are not eligible for a Chevening Award if you:
- Hold British or dual British citizenship (unless you are a citizen of a British Overseas Territory or hold BN(O) and are applying from Hong Kong)
- Are an employee, a former employee, or relative of an employee (since July 2015) of Her Majesty’s Government (including British Embassies/High Commissions, the Department for International Development, the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, Department for International Trade, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office), the British Council, or a staff member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities. Employees, former employees, or relatives of an employee (since July 2015) of Chevening Partner organisations are eligible to apply, but cannot receive a Chevening/Partner Award from the organisation for which they work, previously worked, or are affiliated with through relatives.
- (Note: Immediate relatives are defined as parents or step-parents, siblings or step-siblings, children or step-children, spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner (where the couple have been in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years)
- Have previously studied in the UK with funding from a UK Government-funded scholarship. However, if you have previously studied under a UK Government-funded scholarship (including Chevening), you may be eligible to apply for a Chevening Fellowship five years after completion of your initial UK Government-funded scholarship.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
In order to receive a Chevening Award, all applicants must demonstrate that they have fulfilled the Chevening English language requirement by 12 July 2018. We advise all applicants to ensure they have fulfilled the English language requirement as early as possible by either:
- Taking an English language test
- Claiming an exemption based on the UKVI exempt categories
If you fail to demonstrate that you have met the required English language level by 12 July 2018 or fail to prove that you qualify for an exemption, your application will not be successful.
English language tests
You are free to take tests more than once in order to meet the Chevening English language requirement. Please note that Chevening does not pay for costs associated with English language testing. You are responsible for booking and paying for costs associated with these tests.
Chevening accepts English language tests from five providers:
- Academic IELTS
- Pearson PTE Academic
- TOEFL iBT
- Cambridge English: Advanced (CEA)
- Trinity ISE II (B2)
The English language test must be taken from one of these providers on or after 1 October 2015. If you do not already have an existing eligible test certificate, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have booked a test date so that you can obtain the required results.
COURSES
Choose your three courses carefully as you won’t be able to change them after submitting your application. To be awarded a scholarship, you must get an unconditional offer for one of your course choices by 12 July 2018.
Applicants will need to select three different master’s courses, these can be three different courses at the same institution or the same titled course but at three different universities. You should choose your field of study carefully and select courses which reflect your current or future career goals.
In order to be eligible, the courses you choose must be:
- Full-time
- Start in the autumn term (usually September/October)
- Taught master’s (i.e. not research-focused MRes programmes)
- Lead to a master’s degree qualification
- Based in the UK
Course cannot be:
- Distance learning
- Part-time
- Less than nine months in duration
- More than 12 months in duration
- PhD or DPhil are not permitted
REFERENCES
References are an integral part of the selection process. References are required for both the fellowship and scholarship programmes. The reference letters must be written by your chosen referees and sent to you to upload to your online application.
We will not accept references that are sent directly to the Secretariat or to your local British Embassy/High Commission.
Who can be a referee?
Please select your referees carefully; they should be people who can comment on your general suitability to receive a Chevening Award. Referees should be known to you, either in an academic or professional capacity. They should not be a relative or close personal friend.
References must be:
- Written in English. Your application will not be considered for an award if your references are not written in English.
- Provided in a letter format, preferably typed, and addressed to the British Embassy or High Commission (the mailing address of the diplomatic mission is not required)
- Uploaded to your application form in PDF format. The file must be no larger than 5MB.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Applicants must ensure they meet the minimum work experience requirement of two years’ work experience for the award that they are applying to before submitting their Chevening application. If you do not already have the required level of work experience, you will be unable to submit your application.
Eligible types of work experience
Applicants must meet the minimum work experience requirement before they submit their application for a Chevening Award. The types of work experience that are eligible for Chevening can include:
- Full-time employment
- Part-time employment
- Voluntary work
- Paid or unpaid internships
- Work experience can be completed before, during, or after graduating from your undergraduate studies.
Employment undertaken as part of your undergraduate or postgraduate course are not eligible.
You do not need to meet the work experience requirement in one period of employment nor do you have been working in your current role for the minimum requirement in order to be eligible to apply. Applicants can submit up to ten different employment periods in order to meet the requirement. If you have held more than ten positions then please enter the periods which make up the greatest number of hours worked.
If you are in current employment, it is not a requirement of Chevening that you resign from your position. You are advised to discuss your application with your employer and it is your responsibility to ensure that they will release you if you are selected for a Chevening Award. The British Embassy/High Commission or the Chevening Secretariat cannot intervene in this.
ONLINE APPLICATION SYSTEM
Below are some tips and advice for applicants when using the online application system:
1) Use the Google Chrome web browser as this is recommended for the best experience.
2) When completing your application form, work in a full-size window. This will make the application form easier to read in its original format.
3) Don’t use your browser’s ‘back’ and ‘forward’ buttons. This will take you out of the system and you will lose all unsaved work. Navigate through the pages of the application form by using the menu links in the form.
4) Remember your username and password. This saves time when you want to log back in to the online application system.
5) Enter information accurately, especially your contact details. Please ensure that you enter a valid email address. If it changes after you have submitted, please ensure you update it in your application otherwise you may miss important updates from the Chevening Secretariat. If you provide a second email address, please ensure that it is valid and different from your first.
INTERVIEWS
If you are shortlisted to interview for a Chevening Award, you will be invited to attend an interview in the city where the British Embassy or High Commission has a representation.
The global interview period for 2018/2019 Chevening Scholarships will run from 5 March to 2 May 2018. Interviews for fellowships may take place at a different time. Please refer to your country page for further details.
In order to submit your Chevening Scholarship application, it is essential that you have the following ready:
- Valid passport/national ID card
- University transcripts and degree certificates (undergraduate, postgraduate)
- Three different UK master’s course choices
You may also wish to submit the following optional documents if you already meet the requirements. You can submit your initial application without these documents, but you will have to upload them to your application by 12 July 2018:
- English language test results
- UK master’s university offer
Only documents in PDF format can be uploaded to the online application system, and documents cannot be over 5MB in size.
For full information on how to apply, please visit the Chevening Scholarships website.