Applications for 2020/2021 Chevening Scholarships are closed. They will reopen in August 2020 for opportunities to study in the UK in 2021/2022.

Chevening is the UK Government’s global scholarship programme that offers future leaders the unique opportunity to study in the UK. These scholarships are awarded to outstanding professionals from all over the world to pursue a one-year master’s degree in any subject at any UK university.

Chevening provides fully-funded scholarships, leaving you free to focus on achieving your academic goals and enjoying the experience of a lifetime. You will live and study in the UK for a year, during which time you will develop professionally and academically, grow your network, experience UK culture, and build lasting positive relationships with the UK.

If you have ambition, leadership potential, and a strong academic background, we encourage you to apply during the application window.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Chevening Scholarship you must:

• Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory.
• Return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after your award has ended.
• Have completed all components of an undergraduate degree that will enable you to gain entry onto a postgraduate programme at a UK university by the time you submit your application. This is typically equivalent to an upper second-class 2:1 honours degree in the UK.
• Have at least two years of work experience.
• Apply to three different eligible UK university courses and have received an unconditional offer from one of these choices by 16 July 2020.
• Meet the Chevening English language requirement by 16 July 2020.

You are not eligible for a Chevening Scholarship 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).
• Hold refugee status in a non-Chevening eligible country. Applicants who are citizens of a Chevening-eligible country and who hold refugee status in a Chevening-eligible country are eligible for a scholarship.
• Are an employee, a former employee, or relative* of an employee (since July 2017) 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), or a staff member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
• Employees, former employees, or relatives* of an employee (since July 2017) of Chevening Partner organisations are eligible to apply, but cannot receive a Chevening Partner Award from the organisation from which they work, previously worked, or are affiliated with through relatives.
• Have previously studied in the UK with funding from a UK Government-funded scholarship.

English language Requirements

In order to receive a Chevening Scholarship, all applicants must demonstrate that they have fulfilled Chevening’s English language requirement by 16 July 2020.

Chevening accepts English language tests from five providers:

• Academic IELTS (paper or computer-based)-Overall score of 6.5 with a minimum score in each component of 5.5
• Pearson PTE Academic-Overall score of 58 with a minimum score in each component of 42
• TOEFL iBT-Overall score of 79 with a minimum score in each component of(Listening-17,Reading-18,Speaking-20,Writing-17)
• C1 Advanced (formerly Cambridge English: Advanced [CAE])-Overall score of 176 with a minimum score in each component of 162
• Trinity ISE II (B2)-Overall pass and minimum pass in each skill across both modules:(Listening-2,Reading-15,Speaking-8,Writing-14)

English language exemptions

Applicants who are nationals of one of the following countries are exempt from submitting an English language test for a Chevening Scholarship:

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Australia
• The Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• British Overseas Territories
• Canada
• Dominica
• Grenada
• Guyana
• Ireland
• Jamaica
• New Zealand
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Trinidad and Tobago
• The United States

Work experience

You must ensure that you meet the minimum work-experience requirement for the scholarship before submitting your Chevening application. Chevening Scholarships require that applicants have at least two years of work experience.

Eligible types of work experience

The types of work experience that are eligible for Chevening can include:

• Full-time employment
• Part-time employment
• Voluntary work
• Paid or unpaid internships

How to calculate your work experience

Your entries will be calculated automatically by multiplying the number of weeks worked by the number of hours worked per week. For this calculation, a working week comprises 35-60 hours and a working year comprises 40-50 weeks. Anything that exceeds the upper limit for full-time employment will be deemed ineligible.

The minimum number of hours an applicant must have before applying for a Chevening Scholarship is as follows:

• Chevening Scholarships – two years’ work experience = 2,800 hours

Courses

You will need to select three different master's courses. These can be three different courses at the same institution or three similar courses at up to three different universities.

Choose your three courses carefully. You will not be able to change your course choices after submitting your application unless you are granted permission to do so at the interview stage. You will need to apply separately to your selected courses directly via the university. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure you get a place. To be awarded a scholarship, you must get an unconditional offer for one of your course choices by 16 July 2020.

It is recommended you select three similar courses at three different universities to increase the likelihood that you will gain entry into one of them.

Please note that the course titles do not have to match exactly, but all three courses should be similar in content. You should select courses that reflect your current or future career goals.

Eligible courses

In order to be eligible, the courses you choose must be full-time, and:

• 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

Courses cannot be:

• Part-time
• Distance learning
• Less than nine months in duration
• More than 12 months in duration
• PhD or DPhil
• Taught with more than one month of study outside the UK

Online application system

All Chevening applications must be submitted through our online application system (OAS). This system will be used throughout the application and selection process, and you may be asked to log back in at various points during the process to receive updates on your application status, or to submit documents.

References

References are an integral part of Chevening’s selection process. You must supply the names of two referees when you submit your application.If your application is progressed to the next stage of the process, you will be required to upload two reference letters to the online application system by 12:00 GMT (noon) on 25 February 2020.

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 Scholarship. Referees should be known to you, either in an academic or professional capacity. They should not be a relative or close personal friend.

Instructions for referees

Since references will be reviewed by the British embassy/high commission during the latter stages of the selection process, it is important to provide as much relevant detail as possible to support the applicant.

References must be written in English. If your reference is not written in English, the applicant will not be considered for a Chevening Scholarship.

Your reference should cover the following:

1. How long have you known the applicant?
2. In what capacity do you know the applicant? (e.g. professional, educational, supervisory, voluntary, religious, etc…)
3. When did you last have regular contact with the applicant?
4. A brief overall endorsement of the applicant, including their:

• Skills in leadership and networking.
• Personal, intellectual, and interpersonal qualities.
• Ability to complete a demanding academic programme in the UK.

The Chevening interview

If you are shortlisted to interview for a Chevening Scholarship, you will be invited to attend an interview in the city/town where the British embassy or high commission has a representation.

The interview will be a competency-based panel assessment conducted in English.

The interview panel will include representatives from the British embassy or high commission, who will use the global Chevening criteria to assess your answers.

The global interview period for 2020/2021 Chevening Scholarships will run from 2 March to 1 May 2020, so do ensure you’ll be available for an interview during that period.

All applicants will be informed of the outcome of their interview after the global interview period, around early to mid-June 2020.

Study in the UK

Are you interested or have you applied for the Chevening Scholarship? Do you want to learn more about universities and the application process? arrange a free consultation with SI-UK in Nairobi or Mombasa today.