Applications for 2023/2024 Fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships are now open!
About UK Fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships
Chevening is the United Kingdom’s international scholarship program. We offer awards to study in the UK for one year on a fully funded master’s degree course, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and partner organizations.
There are numerous advantages to being chosen, including fully funded tuition fees, access to some of the world’s best quality education, exclusive networking opportunities, and the opportunity to explore the UK’s diverse culture.
You will join our diverse community of over 50,000 global alumni at the end of your scholarship. You’ll return home with the knowledge and networks you need to bring your ideas to life and succeed in your career.
It makes no difference where you come from. What matters is where you’re going. Culture is diverse.
Chevening candidates come from a variety of countries and backgrounds, but they all demonstrate the passion, vision, and skills required to shape a better world.
There are numerous advantages to being chosen, including fully funded tuition fees, access to some of the world’s best quality education, exclusive networking opportunities, and the opportunity to explore the UK’s diverse culture.
Documents required
All Chevening applicants must provide proof of their education, references, and one unconditional UK university offer. The Chevening application timeline includes the deadlines for these required documents. To upload them, click the ‘update my application’ button above.
If you are conditionally selected for a Chevening Scholarship, you must submit these documents in order to continue the application process.
Timelines and selection updates
At each stage of the selection process, you will receive email updates on the status of your application. You can also check your application status through the online application system. Log in with your registration information. For a better understanding of the upcoming stages of the selection process, consult the Chevening application timeline and our FAQs.
Application Feedback
We are unable to provide individual application status updates or feedback to unsuccessful applicants due to the large number of applications received each year. Please do not contact your British embassy or high commission with questions about the application process.
Application Assistance
You may want to go over our our instructions again to help you with the next steps.
What exactly is included in the UK fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships?
Your award includes the following because Chevening Scholarships are fully funded:
- Tuition at a university
- a monthly stipend for travel to and from the UK
- a stipend for travel
- a stipend for returning home
- a travel grant to attend Chevening events in the UK the cost of one visa application
Breakdown How To Win Fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships
The Chevening Award is a fully funded UK Masters degree scholarship to study your preferred course in a UK University.
This means you must have completed an undergraduate degree or its equivalent.
You should also have a minimum of two years work experience – the equivalent of 2800 hours, cumulatively.
Paid and unpaid jobs or internships qualify for this.
Application Phases of Fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships
The application process has two phases: The first phase is the stage where you complete the online application and submit. And, the second phase is the stage where you are (longlisted) invited for the interview.
Not everyone makes the long list and the list is further reduced for the final award.
To be invited for the interview, it means that you’re considered eligible and that your essays were great.
In 2019/2020, the Chevening application portal received about 52,000 applications globally and only around 3% of those were awarded the Scholarship.
Writing Essays For Fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships
The Chevening scholarship is one of the best scholarships for studying in the UK. Not only will it cover your Accommodation, Tuition Fee, Airfare Ticket, Books, Stipend, Visa Costs, but it will also give you the opportunity to study in a developed country at a standard university.
The STARL Approach to Writing Essay
- S = Situation: Think of a situational problem/challenge in your life and describe it.
- T = Task: Explain the task which was needed to be tackled
- A = Action: Describe that action that you took to overcome the challenge.
- R = Result: Quantify the result of the action taken and the impact which was made
- L = Lesson: Give a summary of the important lessons learned if applicable.
SMART Approach to writing essay
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely
IMPORTANT TIPS TO NOTE WHILE WRITING YOUR CHEVENING ESSAY
- Don’t play the sympathy card
- Take your time to read all the information on the Chevening website for a successful application
- Don’t rush it. Take your time to structure your application very well.
- Be clear, concise and specific
- Grammatical checks (Use paid Grammarly to check your grammar)
- Don’t lie in your essays
- Make a connection in your application
- Use “I” rather than “We” while writing your essay.
The essays are the most important part of the application in the first phase.
Thankfully, there are only four essays which though different, are quite intertwined. Each has a word count limit, with 100 being the minimum and 500 Maximum.
They include essays on:
- Leadership and Influence
- Networking
- Study in UK
- Career Plan
Essay 1: Leadership and Influence Fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships:
Question
“Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.”
This is your opportunity to shine. Let them know what leadership steps you have taken, even in the past, and the impacts there from.
Note that leadership here does not necessarily mean that you have occupied any official positions.
Give examples to demonstrate your leadership and influence. It is recommended anywhere between two to four examples.
If you are not that great at writing with structure, I recommend using the STAR approach:
- Situation – describe briefly the situation in which you used your competencies so that the reader understands the context of the example.
- Task – To put your response into context, outline what your objective or purpose was during that situation.
- Action – describe what you did and how you approached the situation.
- Result – state the outcome, such as: Were the goals met? What did you learn/gain from that experience?
Sample of Chevening Leadership and Influence Essay
It is increasingly becoming a well-known fact that ‘influence is the new currency for success.’ This is especially true in this new social media era where several careers have taken off on the strength of social media influence alone, and a number of political careers have been elevated through the power and ubiquity of social media. Former American President Barack Obama, who used the Internet to orchestrate an unprecedented political campaign mainly using social media, is a prime example. As such, I am well aware that influence and leadership are intertwined, where one cannot exist without the other. Amassing influence is therefore, in my opinion, the surest way of achieving one’s leadership goals because, essentially, people can only be motivated to follow a person who possesses some degree of influence. It is with this knowledge in mind that I have therefore endeavored to build my influence over the years in order to develop into a leader within my profession and my community. This has seen me take on various leadership responsibility in school, at work and in the community. In high school, I held two main leadership responsibilities— I was both the Head Girl and Netball Captain at Kereri Girls High School. Being a Head Girl is the highest leadership position one can attain as a secondary school student, and as you can well imagine with it came a lot of weighty responsibilities. I was the overall leader of all prefects in the school and had to carefully use my influence to guide them towards exercising thoughtful and balanced leadership over the rest of the students. As the Netball Captain, I had to motivate my teammates towards achieving success in the various national and provincial competitions we would take part in. Even at the university, I found myself in a leadership role where I was tasked with heading the Fourth Year University Project Group. Professionally, I have consistently exercised my leadership skills throughout my career. As the Branch Operations Supervisor at NIC Bank, I oversaw teller operations, back office and customer service operations, and guided staff accordingly. In fact, in recognition of my leadership capabilities, I was rewarded with the ‘NIC Bank Branch Forex Champion’ award. These leadership roles have continued as I progress in my career at NIC and currently, I chair the NIC Securities Limited Welfare Committee. Within the community, however, is where I have most enjoyed exerting my influence as a leader because it has helped me to contribute towards the betterment of society in my own little way. I am a Mentor at Nyabururu Girls High School, and the Equity Bank Wings to Fly Program. As a mentor, I have been able to guide young people in terms of professional and academic mentoring, as well as financial support especially with respect to sanitary towels and other school items. In addition, I currently work with the Uthiru Area Chief to support disadvantaged families by donating clothes, food, and some financial support.
(Source: academia.edu)
Essay 2: Networking, Relationship-building and shared learning:
Question
“Chevening is looking for individuals with strong professional relationship-building skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. How good are you with building and sustaining relationships? Please explain how you build and maintain relationships in a professional capacity, using clear examples of how you currently do this, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future.”
Use this opportunity to explain how your relationship – building and networking skills has helped you to advance personally and/or professionally.
Sample of Chevening Networking Essay
I believe that building a strong network is crucial for professional success, regardless of the career that one is in. From my own personal experience, I have come to discover that a strong and expansive network is invaluable as it provides you with insight into different trends in the professional world, in addition to giving you access to insider information on job vacancies. Moreover, there is so much one can learn just by interacting with people in different fields. I, for one, have learnt so much from medical professionals that I have networked with, knowledge that has allowed to me to better take care of my health by way of new nutritional choices I have made as well as preventative measures I have adopted against potential lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. After all, knowledge is power and one of the best ways of gaining knowledge is simply by interacting with people who are more knowledgeable than you. Social media networking has personally proven to be one of the most effective ways of building and maintaining relationships. I read somewhere that ‘Social networks represent the digital reflection of what humans do: we connect and share.’ This is undeniable, since social media has become the new way of forging relationships and sharing information. Personally, I love social media because I feel like it’s the first step towards discovering professionals in the fastest, most convenient, and affordable way. LinkedIn, in particular, has been such an indispensable platform that has allowed me to connect with professionals from my field and other professions as well. Understanding how the LinkedIn algorithm works and how to use SEO in LinkedIn has been priceless in helping me to build incredibly valuable connections with professionals within and outside of my field from all over the world. I am very proactive on LinkedIn, making sure to comment on posts or responding to comments on my own posts, ensuring that I add value as much as I can. When I finally get to meet these connections in person, it is so much easier for me to pick up from our online conversations and make reference to my previous communications with them. Even Facebook has been a great networking platform for me. Despite its reputation as being strictly for social engagements, I have discovered that there are a number of Facebook groups that are very professional and they have provided me with the opportunity to meet new professionals and learn new things. I have also had the pleasure of adding value and gaining from others as well. Other than social media, I do also enjoy face-to-face networking events. The NIC Bank End Year Party, for example, has been a great avenue where I have been fortunate enough to create and nurture lasting relationships. During this party, I have made concerted efforts to meet colleagues that I rarely get to engage with during the year and even learn of various happenings in the company that I otherwise would not have been privy to.
( Source : academia.edu)
Essay 3: Studying in the UK
Question
“Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, and explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future. Please do not duplicate the information you have entered on the work experience and education section of this form.”
You get to choose 3 courses at 3 universities, ranking them from first to third.
Why is studying in the UK important to you?
Why is studying at those institutions or taking those courses important to you?
Note that the assessor might not be knowledgeable in your field. So, be careful with how much jargons you throw into the essay.
Sample of Chevening Study in the UK essay
For my master’s degree course, I have a keen interest in specializing in Financial Economics and seek to pursue it in the UK at the University of Manchester, the University of Kent, or the University of Glasgow. My decision to zero in on Financial Economics as opposed to any other course has been underpinned by my long-term career goal, which is to rise through the professional ranks to eventually become the Chief Financial Economist in the National Treasury (Kenya). I am acutely aware that such a senior and important position will require expert-level knowledge and advanced understanding of financial analysis, planning and strategy, international and bilateral trade, investment policy, micro and macro-economic trends, global, regional, and sectoral developments, international business development, negotiating international agreements, trade litigation, and the production and distribution of goods and services. It additionally requires the ability to collect and process economic and statistical data, in addition to carrying out trade and economic research and high-level analysis using different sampling and econometric methods, hence my desire to become an expert in Financial Economics. Evidently, a rigorous course that equips me with the above knowledge and practical skills, and more, will therefore be critical. From my extensive research, all the three universities I have chosen offer very high quality training in Financial Economics and I am confident that any of the three universities are well equipped to help me advance my knowledge in this area. The University of Manchester, in particular, stands out to me because it has been ranked at sixth place in the UK in the 2019 Academic Ranking of World Universities. It also offers a wide array of facilities and resources, plus numerous societies at the university, which will provide me with excellent opportunities for networking and exchanging great ideas. Moreover, the Financial Economics course ties in perfectly with my current educational background and professional experience. I possess a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi, and CISI Level 1 and Level 2 professional qualifications. Given my existing grasp of finance and economics, I will be able to cope with the challenges of the course with relative ease. As far as my work experience is concerned, I presently work as an Equities and Fixed Income Trader at NIC Securities Ltd. Before this position, I had worked as the Operations Supervisor at NIC Bank Kenya, the Relationship Officer (Operations) at Equity Bank Limited, the Acting Supervisor (Operations) at Equity Bank Limited, and the Relationship Officer at Equity Bank Limited, respectively. These professional experiences perfectly lend themselves to the field of Financial Economics, and I have no doubt that I will be able to draw on my considerable hands-on experience in both Finance and Economics to handle the course’s requirements. My work and education are essentially going to serve as a natural progression into a Financial Economics career path.
(Source: academia.edu)
Essay 4: Career Plan
Question
“Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer-term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country.”
Sample of Chevening career plan Essay
I intend to put the new skills and knowledge I will have acquired from my education in the UK into good use in Kenya. Therefore, my immediate short-term career goal as soon as I return to the country will be to use my new qualifications to search for a job that is commensurate with my master’s degree course. The position I already have in mind is that of a Personal Financial Advisor as it is a financial/economics advisory role, a role that I am very interested in. I will also seek a job as Financial Analyst, Budget Analyst, Management Analyst, and any other related job. I anticipate that getting my first job after returning home will not be too difficult given my existing professional experience and the masters degree I will have obtained. Moreover, since I have already built excellent relationships at NIC Bank, it will be the first place that I seek employment from. In whatever new job I will have secured, I will be able to put into practice everything I will have learnt in the UK. My medium-term career goal is to establish a consultancy company where I will be providing expert advice on all things business, finance, accounting, and economics. This will present an admittedly daunting yet rewarding challenge to me as it will be the first time I will be stepping out of formal employment into running my own business. This I plan to venture into after about 5 years of employment. By this time, I expect to have gained enough knowledge and skills, and should have saved enough capital to sustain my business for at least 1 year. This one year grace year period will allow me to roll up my sleeves and build the necessary foundation for the business from the ground up before it becomes profitable and sustainable on its own. I quite look forward to this challenge. I will give myself about 10 years in this capacity so as to develop my skills, expertise, and also a strong network of professionals in the corporate world and government before eventually applying for a senior position such as Chief Financial Economist in the National Treasury. This is my ultimate long-term career goal. By this point, I will be in a much better position to use all the information I will have accrued from my education and work experience to provide the requisite expert advice that the government and government bodies need. All of these plans coalesce with everything that the UK currently engages in in Kenya. The UK has quite a healthy economic relationship with Kenya, even in the face of Brexit. It continues to export goods from Kenya and make significant investments into the country. For instance, in May 2019, the UK government committed to funding various high impact projects across the nation, investments that are worth KSh14.5 billion (approximately £113,655,360). This came after a proposal for the establishment of a UK-Kenya Economic Development Forum, which shall be meeting biannually.(Source: academia.edu)
Finally, to ace your Chevening essays take these into consideration:
Firstly, BE PRAGMATIC.
Avoid making illusions (statements) like you would immediately become a governor of your state after your studies.
Make sure to include both your short and long term plans.
The scholarship does not require you to swallow the dictionary or use all the exotic vocabularies there are.
Importantly, avoid grammatical errors; after all, you are expected to be proficient in English to win the Scholarship.
Importantly, be clear and concise and stay within the word limit.
The assessor should be able to read your essay once and understand your plans.
Most importantly, be intentional about the entire application.
Why should they choose you over the other applicant?
If you need to, it’s advisable you give your essays to someone else to read and give you feedback.
Do not stop editing. No rush, but make sure you submit before the deadline.
Remember there is a two years rule. You must return to your home country and live and work there for a minimum of two years post study.
How to apply for Fully Funded Chevening Award Scholarships
We recommend that you review the following pages to help you prepare your application:
For information about the application and selection process, visit the application timeline and frequently asked questions.
