Chevening Scholarships

About the Chevening Scholarships

The Chevening Scholarships is offered by UK Government (FCDO). The UK government's flagship fully-funded award for one-year Master's degrees, for emerging leaders from Chevening-eligible countries who will return home afterwards. Scholarships like this are competitive and rule-bound: meeting every published eligibility criterion is what gets your application read, and missing even one usually means an automatic rejection regardless of how strong the rest of your profile is.

Use the eligibility checker on this page for a quick, personalised read of whether you qualify before you invest hours in the application — then confirm the fine print on the official source, since awarding bodies revise criteria and amounts between cycles.

What the scholarship covers

This award typically covers: Full tuition fees for a one-year UK Master's; Monthly living stipend; Return economy airfare to the UK; Arrival and departure allowances; visa and some travel costs. Read the value carefully — "full" funding can still leave gaps (visa fees, travel, or a partner/family), while a partial award may need topping up from savings or part-time work to satisfy a visa's proof-of-funds rule.

Who is eligible

The main requirements are strict gates rather than guidelines: Chevening is open only to citizens of eligible countries — check the list on the official site; You need an undergraduate degree to enter a UK postgraduate course; Chevening normally requires roughly 2 years of work experience; Chevening requires you to return home for a minimum of two years after your studies. Check each against your own situation honestly before applying — the checker on this page does exactly this and flags where you may fall short.

Deadlines and how to apply well

Key dates: Annual (apply ~Aug–Nov) — 2026-11-05. Always confirm the exact deadline on the official source, as cycles shift year to year and some awards close early once funds are committed.

Strong applications are specific and evidenced: tie your goals to what the scholarship is actually for, supply every requested document in the right format, and give referees plenty of notice. A late or incomplete submission is the most avoidable reason good candidates miss out.