Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028: Fully Funded UK Master’s Scholarship for International Students

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Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028: Fully Funded UK Master’s Scholarship for International Students

Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028: Fully Funded UK Master’s Scholarship for International Students

Applications for the Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028 are currently open for eligible international students who want to pursue a one-year Master’s degree in the United Kingdom.

Chevening is the UK Government’s international scholarship programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations.

For the 2027–2028 cycle, applications opened on 4 August 2026 and will close on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC.

Applicants should check their eligibility carefully before starting because Chevening has specific requirements related to undergraduate education, post-graduation work experience, course selection and future career plans.

Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028 at a Glance

Requirement	Current Information
Scholarship	Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028
Country	United Kingdom
Study Level	Master’s
Course Length	9–12 months
Study Mode	Full-time, taught Master’s
Applications Opened	4 August 2026
Application Deadline	6 October 2026, 11:00 UTC
Work Experience	Minimum 2,800 hours after undergraduate degree
Course Choices	3 eligible UK Master’s courses
Funding	Full Chevening award normally covers tuition and major study/living costs
University Offer Required	At least one unconditional offer
Offer Deadline	8 July 2027, 17:00 BST
Study Begins	September/October 2027

What Is the Chevening Scholarship?

Chevening allows eligible international students to study a taught Master’s degree in the United Kingdom.

Applicants select three eligible Master’s courses and submit a separate Chevening scholarship application.

The scholarship particularly looks for applicants who can demonstrate leadership, professional relationship-building, clear reasons for their course choice and a realistic career plan for creating positive impact after returning home.

Is Chevening Scholarship Fully Funded?

A full Chevening Scholarship normally includes:

• University tuition fees
• Economy travel to and from the UK
• Monthly living stipend
• Arrival allowance
• Departure allowance
• UK visa application cost
• Travel top-up allowance
• Contribution toward TB testing where required

The monthly stipend depends on whether the scholar studies inside or outside London and is subject to annual review.

Important: Special funding conditions can apply to some awards. Chevening also applies a tuition fee cap to MBA programmes, so MBA applicants should check the latest official funding rules before selecting a course.

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible for the Chevening Scholarship, applicants must generally:

• Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory
• Commit to returning to their home country for at least two years after the scholarship ends
• Have at least 2,800 hours of eligible work experience gained after completing their undergraduate degree
• Hold an undergraduate degree that qualifies them for admission to a UK Master’s programme
• Have completed their undergraduate studies at least two years before the Chevening application deadline
• Select three different eligible UK Master’s courses
• Obtain an unconditional offer from at least one selected course by the required deadline

For the current application deadline of 6 October 2026, applicants should pay particular attention to the requirement that their undergraduate studies must have been completed at least two years before the deadline.

Work Experience Requirement

Chevening requires at least:

2,800 hours of work experience

The work experience must have been gained after completing your undergraduate degree.

Eligible experience can include:

• Full-time employment
• Part-time employment
• Voluntary work
• Paid internships
• Unpaid internships

Applicants enter their employment information in the online application system, which calculates the total work-experience hours.

Do not apply if you have not yet completed the required work experience.

What Courses Can You Choose?

Applicants must list three eligible UK Master’s courses.

An eligible Chevening course generally must:

• Be full-time
• Be based in the United Kingdom
• Start in the autumn term, normally September or October
• Be a taught Master’s programme
• Lead to a Master’s degree qualification
• Be at least 9 months and no longer than 12 months

Courses cannot normally be:

• Part-time
• Distance learning
• PhD or DPhil programmes
• Research-focused MRes programmes
• Less than 9 months
• Longer than 12 months
• Programmes with more than one month of study outside the UK

Applicants may choose courses at the same or different universities, but Chevening recommends selecting similar courses that support a clear career direction.

Do You Need to Contact a Professor?

No.

Chevening is mainly designed for taught Master’s programmes, so contacting a professor or obtaining a supervisor acceptance letter is not a standard Chevening requirement.

Instead, applicants should focus on:

Course selection → University eligibility → Chevening application → Separate university applications → Unconditional university offer

This is different from research-based scholarships where applicants may need to contact potential supervisors before applying.

Do You Apply to the University Separately?

Yes.

Submitting a Chevening Scholarship application does not automatically apply you to your selected UK universities.

You must apply separately to the universities offering your three selected courses.

University requirements may include:

• Degree certificate
• Academic transcript
• Personal statement
• Academic or professional references
• English-language evidence where required
• Other course-specific documents

University deadlines are separate from the Chevening deadline, so applicants should check each university carefully.

Documents Required

At the initial Chevening application stage, applicants provide information about their education, work experience, course choices and two referees.

Applicants who progress to the interview stage are required to upload additional documents.

These include:

• Photo identification
• Official undergraduate degree certificate
• Two reference letters written in English

Chevening currently specifies that the undergraduate degree certificate must be an official university document showing the degree and grade. An undergraduate transcript alone is not accepted as a substitute for the required degree certificate.

Interview candidates must upload the required documents at least seven working days before their interview.

Chevening Application Process

The application process can be understood in the following sequence:

Step 1:
Check your Chevening eligibility.

Step 2:
Identify three eligible UK Master’s courses.

Step 3:
Prepare your education and work-experience information.

Step 4:
Choose two suitable referees.

Step 5:
Complete and submit the Chevening online application before the deadline.

Step 6:
Apply separately to your selected UK universities.

Step 7:
Wait for the application assessment and interview shortlisting.

Step 8:
If shortlisted, upload the required documents and attend the Chevening interview.

Step 9:
Secure at least one unconditional university offer.

Step 10:
Submit the unconditional offer before the Chevening offer deadline.

Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028 Timeline

Stage	Date
Applications Open	4 August 2026 at 11:00 UTC
Applications Close	6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC
Eligibility Screening	From October 2026
Reading Committee Assessment	Mid-October 2026 – January 2027
Interview Shortlisting	Mid-February 2027
Interviews	March – April 2027
Results	From mid-June 2027
Unconditional Offer Deadline	8 July 2027 at 17:00 BST
Studies Begin in UK	September/October 2027

What Does Chevening Look for in Applicants?

Chevening currently assesses applicants across four important areas:

1. Leadership and influencing

Applicants should provide genuine examples showing how they have taken initiative, influenced others or created measurable results.

2. Professional relationship-building

Applicants should show how they have built useful professional relationships and worked with others to achieve positive outcomes.

3. Course and university choice

Applicants should clearly explain how their selected course connects with their previous experience, future goals and the challenges they want to address.

4. Career plan

Applicants should have realistic short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for their career after completing their studies.

Important: Write Your Own Application Answers

Chevening currently states that applicants must submit original application answers.

The programme specifically prohibits using artificial intelligence software to generate application answers and uses tools to identify plagiarism, fraud and AI-generated responses.

Use official guidance to understand the requirements, but write your application answers yourself using your real experiences, achievements and career plans.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid:

• Applying without checking eligibility
• Having less than 2,800 hours of eligible post-graduation work experience
• Selecting ineligible courses
• Choosing three unrelated courses without a clear career direction
• Forgetting that university applications are separate
• Missing individual university deadlines
• Entering inaccurate work-experience information
• Providing weak or generic leadership examples
• Waiting too long to apply to universities
• Missing the 6 October 2026 Chevening deadline
• Using copied, plagiarized or AI-generated application answers

Important Dates for 2027–2028 Applicants

Applications are currently open.

Final Chevening application deadline:

6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC

Applicants should not wait until the final day because access to the application system closes after the deadline.

Successful interview candidates must later obtain and submit at least one unconditional offer from one of their selected UK courses by:

8 July 2027 at 17:00 BST

Official Information

Always use official Chevening sources before submitting your application.

Official Chevening Scholarship Page

Official Chevening Application Page

Official Eligibility Criteria

Official Application Timeline

Official Course Finder

Official Application Guidance

Official Scholarship Funding Information:

Final Advice

Before applying, follow this sequence:

Check Eligibility → Confirm 2,800 Work Hours → Choose 3 Eligible Master’s Courses → Prepare Application Information → Select Referees → Submit Chevening Application → Apply Separately to Universities → Prepare for Interview → Secure Unconditional Offer

Do not choose courses only because a university is highly ranked.

Your selected courses should fit your academic background, professional experience and future career plans.

The Chevening application is free, and applicants should use official Chevening and university websites as their primary sources of information.

Important Note

This guide is prepared for students applying for the Chevening Scholarship 2027–2028 based on the official information available in September 2026.

Scholarship rules, university requirements and course availability may change. Always check the latest official Chevening guidance and individual university requirements before submitting your application.