Chevening Scholarship for Study Abroad Aspirants

Chevening Scholarships 2024-25: Funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and its partner organisations, the Chevening Scholarship for Indian students in the UK is a government-funded award. The scholarship has been designed to reduce the financial commitment of Indian applicants who display an enhanced set of leadership and people skills to be able to study graduate programmes in top UK universities in the upcoming academic year.

The Chevening Scholarship is a one-year scholarship award conferred to candidates applying to degree programmes leading to a master’s qualification. Since there are no limitations about the discipline or field of study, Chevening scholarships see a diverse range of applications from around the world.

Chevening scholarships offer candidates the ability to access some of the best quality of education in the world, and exclusive networking opportunities while having their tuition fees funded by the UK government. Graduates will be equipped with the knowledge and skills and return home to make a better world for themselves and their communities.

In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about Chevening scholarships for Indian students in UK and how you can enhance your chances of receiving the award.

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Chevening Scholarship Award Value and What it Covers!

Outlined in the table below is a gist of what the Chevening Scholarship for Indian students in the UK covers and what you can expect from the award.

Eligibility for Chevening Scholarship

To be eligible for such a prestigious government-funded scholarship, candidates must first meet the following criteria for the Chevening scholarship for Indian students in the UK. In some cases, students may be required to present proof of eligibility apart from the methods mentioned below.

• Candidates should be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country, which includes India.

• Awardees are required to return to their home countries after graduating from their course of study for a minimum period of two years.

• Candidates will be considered eligible if they have completed all components of their undergraduate degree giving them entry into the postgraduate programme in the UK.

• They should also possess a minimum of two years of work experience as well.

  • The types of work experience that are recognised for the Chevening scholarship include full-time, part-time, voluntary work and paid/unpaid internships.

• Candidates need to have applied to at least three Chevening-eligible courses in the UK and have received at least one offer letter by 13 July 2023.

Along with ensuring that the candidates qualify for the above-mentioned criteria, they should also take heed of the following criteria that could lead to their ineligibility for the Chevening scholarship for Indian students in the UK.

• Hold either British or dual citizenship.

• Be a refugee in a country not considered eligible for Chevening scholarships. However, candidates holding citizenship from a Chevening-eligible country and who hold a refugee status in a Chevening-eligible country will be considered for the scholarship.

• Candidates should not be an employee, a former employee or a relative of an employee of the UK government till at least two years before applying for the scholarship. This also includes employees, former employees or relatives of an employee of a Chevening Partner organisation.

• Have studied in the UK with a UK-funded scholarship.

Note: Candidates applying for a second master’s degree in the UK will be eligible to apply for the Chevening scholarship provided they can explain how and why the step would bring about a positive change in their home countries.

Work Experience for Chevening Scholarships

With regards to work experience, candidates who pursued job roles, before, during or after their undergraduate studies will be considered eligible. However, those who had to take up jobs as part of their undergraduate or graduate studies will not have that work counted in their work experience. In total, candidates applying for Chevening Scholarships need to present a minimum work experience of two years of 2,800 hours.

The Chevening organisation will automatically calculate the number of hours and weeks that you have worked or gained professional experience in. The work experience is calculated in weekly hours and the number of weeks worked in a year. As per regulations, 35-60 hours a week is defined as a working week, meanwhile, 40-50 weeks a year is considered a working year. Candidates exceeding this limit will be considered ineligible.

Chevening Scholarship Applicable Courses, Universities, and Country

Much like different scholarships, candidates are advised to select Chevening scholarship courses that come under the guidelines specified by the organisation. Therefore, it is important to first understand the guidelines that qualify courses for Chevening scholarships. These guidelines include:

• Candidates must be applying to full-time master’s taught courses that are beginning in the Fall intake, i.e. courses beginning in September or October.

• On completion of the degree, candidates should receive a master’s degree qualification, however, no research-focused MRes programmes will be considered.

• The courses should be based in the UK.

Courses will be considered ineligible for the scholarship award if their courses are:

• Distance Learning

• Part-time

• Less than 9 months in duration

• More than 12 months in duration

• PhD/DPhil

• Taught courses that are taught more than one month outside of the UK.

Candidates will be able to check if their courses qualify for the requirements specified to receive the scholarship award on the official website. If the course they wish to study is not included in the list then a missing courses application can be submitted. However, candidates are advised to ensure that the courses abide by the rules and regulations specified above.

Chevening Scholarship Eligible Countries

Similar to a course requirement, the Chevening scholarships have been earmarked for a select category of students, specifically citizens of Chevening-eligible countries. Listed below are a few of Chevening scholarship eligible countries, the citizens of which will be able to apply for the prestigious award.

There are several other countries whose candidates will be considered eligible for the Chevening Scholarship in the upcoming academic year. Students interested in applying for Chevening Scholarships 2024-25, must first confirm if their citizenship is considered eligible for the award.

Application Deadline for Chevening Scholarship

As is the case for most university scholarships, candidates applying for these scholarships will need to complete the steps as per the application timeline for Chevening Scholarships. It should be noted that the application deadlines mentioned below have been outlined for the 2024-25 academic year. Detailed below are the application deadlines for Chevening scholarships for the upcoming academic year.

August 2023: The application portal for the Chevening Scholarships offered during the 2024-25 academic year will open. Interested and eligible candidates should start applying for the scholarship if they wish to study for a postgraduate degree in the UK using a renowned scholarship opportunity.

November 2023: The Chevening organisation will close the application portal for Chevening Scholarships 2024-25. Therefore, interested candidates should have their documents and application forms in order before November 2023 to be considered for the scholarship next year.

November 2023: A day after the closing of the application portal, the applications will be sifted against the eligibility criteria mentioned by the organisation for the scholarship award. Candidates meeting the criteria will pass through to the next round of elimination.

Mid-November to December 2023: Independent reading committees will evaluate the eligible applications and assign appropriate scores. These scores will be sent back to the local British embassies and high commissions.

February Beginning to Mid-February 2024: The Embassies will review the application scores and rankings and shortlist the candidates who they consider eligible for an interview. They will send out notifications for the same.

February to April 2024: Candidates need to submit two references and their education documents. They must submit all the required documents before the interview date.

March to April 2024: Most interview dates will be set between early March to late April, therefore, candidates must prepare for the interview as much as possible before the allotted date and time.

June 2024: The results of the interview should be announced in June 2024.

Mid-July 2024: Shortlisted candidates will be required to submit at least one UK university in one of the Chevening-eligible courses, as discussed in this article.

How to Apply for Chevening Scholarship?

A crucial step to even becoming eligible for the Chevening Scholarship is to apply for the scholarship. Every year, the Chevening organisation opens the application portal for the Chevening Scholarship for a span of 4 months, starting in August and ending at the start of November. You can check the application deadline timelines that have been discussed above to plan your application process. Here are the steps on how to apply for Chevening Scholarships 2024-25.

• Visit the official website and click on the application portal for Chevening Scholarships for Indians.

• The scholarship portal opens in August and closes at the beginning of November every year.

• Candidates must submit all the education documents and two reference letters with their application form.

Candidates are advised to check our website or the official website for any updates on the timelines and deadlines for Chevening Scholarships 2024-25, to have a chance at earning the award in the upcoming academic year. The application process is subject to change at the discretion of the Chevening organisation as well.

Reference Guide for Chevening Scholarship

Apart from all the required education documents for the award, applicants are required to submit two reference letters from two referees to be selected for the Chevening Scholarship. As per regulations, it is the duty of the applicant to acquire the reference letters and submit the same on the online application portal by the specified deadline, i.e. the Chevening organisation will not take responsibility for acquiring the letters. Here is a brief guide for writing reference letters for Chevening scholarships 2024-25.

For Applicants

Applicants are advised to connect with two different referees, in the least, and request them to write you a reference letter backing your candidature for the Chevening Scholarship. However, the applicants must take the initiative and responsibility of acquiring the reference letters to be submitted before the specified deadline.

The British Embassy or high commission will get in touch with the referees and verify the reference letters. Furthermore, the British Embassy may also request applicants to bring the original hard copies of the reference letters to the interview. Additionally, candidates are advised to choose their referees carefully, ensuring that the relationship between the referee and the applicant is either strictly professional or academic in nature. No friends and family should be considered referees for the reference letters.

For Referees

As a referee, there are certain guidelines that should be followed for the reference letter to be considered adequate for the Chevening Scholarship 2024-25. These guidelines include:

• All reference letters should be written in English.

• It should be addressed to the British Embassy or High Commission in the country.

• The letter should include the referee’s contact details including address, email address and phone number.

• It should also address the length of the academic/professional relationship maintained between the candidate and the referee as well as the type of relationship maintained such as professional, academic, supervisory, voluntary, etc.

• The last point in time of regular contact with the candidate should also be mentioned.

• The letter should highlight a brief endorsement of the candidate’s skills, leadership and networking qualities, personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities as well as their potential in completing a demanding academic programme in the UK.

Once the reference letter has been completed, referees are advised to submit the letters to the applicant in question, who would then be responsible for submitting the letter via the online application portal. It is extremely crucial to ensure that the letters are completed and submitted before the deadline. In other words, the candidate should inform the referee of the deadline and the guidelines after the referee has accepted to write the letter on their behalf.

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Chevening Scholarships Interview

The Chevening scholarship interview will be conducted by a panel of British Embassy or high commission representatives and will be conducted in the English language. Applicants will be asked a series of questions regarding the information they provided on the application form, their personal and professional goals and how the Chevening scholarship will help them achieve their goals. The panel may also raise questions based on the applicants’ course choices as well as request an update regarding the application status of the same.

Therefore, if you are planning to apply for the Chevening scholarship this year, you need to understand every aspect of the award, starting from the pre-application process to all the steps you should take after the application as well.

Interview Tips for Chevening Scholarships

Congratulations! You have been selected for an interview for Chevening scholarships, which is a huge achievement. Through rigorous sifting and application scrutiny, you were able to convince different boards of experts that you are worthy of the award. Now the next step in the process is to convince the British embassy or high commission of the same in person. Here are some interview tips for Chevening Scholarships you can use to enhance your success rate.

• Be sure to keep your calendar clear during the global interview period (the interview period as mentioned in the application deadlines/timelines above)

• Book your interview as soon as you receive the email for the same. The instructions on how to do so will be outlined in the email itself.

  • The slots will be available on a first-come-first-serve basis, therefore, it is advisable to book your slots as soon as possible.

  • An email confirmation will be sent to the registered email address upon successful booking of the interview slot.

• Candidates will be required to submit the following documents before appearing for their interview:

  • Education documents, i.e. copies of the original certificates and academic transcripts in the original language.

  • Two reference letters

  • A short biography paints a clearer picture of your personality and candidature.

• On the day of the interview, candidates are advised to bring their passports or national IDs. The British Embassy may inform candidates of any additional documents that also need to be brought with them.

• The results of the interview will be published as per the application deadline/timeline as mentioned above. Candidates are advised not to contact the British embassy or the high commission for any updates on the same as no information will be provided earlier than the specified timeline.

• Candidates are also advised to apply for courses as soon as possible and not wait for a response from the Chevening organisation. They will be required to submit unconditional offer letters or acceptance letters as soon as possible via the online application portal.

Using the information that has been provided in this article, you should be able to apply for the scholarship and significantly improve your chances of success. However, it should be noted, that your candidature for the award will heavily depend on your academic and professional achievements and skills and qualities you possess which should be backed by the reference letters you submit. Therefore, for a successful application, it is advisable to go through the entire application, including the reference letters, spot any mistakes that can be avoided, make the necessary corrections and submit the form.

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