References: Four key points to help you apply

Hi, I’m Vicky and I work in the international team at the Chevening Secretariat. Last year, we held a number of themed Q&A sessions, including one on references. We noticed that there were a number of recurring questions and have summarised the answers below.

(1) References do not need to be submitted by 6 November 2018.

References are an important part of assessing an applicant’s suitability for a Chevening Scholarship or Fellowship. It is not necessary to upload your references in order to submit your application. Instead, if you are shortlisted for an award in January 2019, your referees will be contacted to supply a reference. The online applications system will send the request to the email address you supplied for your referees. The referee will then be able to upload a reference against your application. We recommend that you let your referees know in advance that they may be contacted for a reference letter. The referees must upload the reference by 4 March 2019.

(2) References must be:

• in English
• addressed to the British Embassy or High Commission in your country
• in letter format
• as current and up-to-date as possible
• uploaded in a Word or PDF format

(3) References do not have to be:

• on letterheaded paper
• officially stamped
• officially translated (but they must be in English)
• written by someone who is still working at the organisation where you first met your referee

(4) The content of a good reference should cover:

• how long the referee has known you
• how the referee knows you (professional, educational, voluntary, supervisory capacity)
• when the referee last had regular contact with you
• your suitability for the scholarship (covering leadership and networking skills, personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities, academic ability for master’s level study)

We hope you found Q&A useful. If you still have questions on references, here are a few things that you can do:

• Consult the references guidance on the Chevening website
• Visit our FAQ page for answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
• Ask the Chevening Secretariat directly by submitting an enquiry.

If you already have all the information you need, please apply before 6 November. Good luck!