Chevening application criteria

The top 1% of applicants awarded a Chevening Scholarship can provide examples of taking the lead and  influencing others.

They focus on examples with clear results.

This could include:

1. Driving change in your community or organisation
2. Improving outcomes for others
3. Solving a specific challenge
4. Successfully implementing a project or idea that had tangible impact

Effective leaders are good at building relationships. If you’re awarded a Chevening Scholarship, there will be plenty of opportunities to connect with other leaders in your field. 

We’re looking for examples of how you’ve built strong relationships and how collaboration led to real, measurable outcomes.

Tell us about how you brought people together, and how your efforts contributed to meaningful change, whether in your organisation, community, or beyond.

We’re looking for applicants who can present a clear, realistic, and achievable post-study career plan, that shows a genuine commitment to addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time.

Your career plan must have clear, measurable goals.

You’ll also be asked to demonstrate how your chosen course will equip you with the knowledge and skills to tackle challenges that matter to your home country and in areas aligned with UK global priorities, such as:

• Promoting growth and prosperity
• Building resilience in a climate-vulnerable world
• Strengthening security and stability in a volatile world
• Supporting development for more inclusive and effective societies

To be chosen for Chevening, you must clearly articulate, in your own words, how a Chevening Scholarship will support your goals for tackling local and global challenges.

To be invited to interview, you must:

1. Show that you’ve researched your three chosen courses and explain how each one connects to your background, career aspirations, and the impact you hope to make.
2. Describe how specific modules or areas of study will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to achieve your goals.
3. Demonstrate a genuine willingness to collaborate with the UK in tackling shared global and local challenges, such as advancing growth and prosperity, strengthening security, building climate resilience, or supporting sustainable development.