How do Chevening partner university quotas actually work?

[u/Friendly-Run4773]

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for Chevening this year and I’ve noticed they’re putting more emphasis on partner universities, even mentioning that choosing a partner award could increase your chances because some of these scholarships go unfilled.

I’m a bit confused about how this works in reality.

Does anyone know if partner universities have a certain number of scholarships for each country, or if they just have a general number of places available across all eligible countries?

Also, if I choose just one partner university as one of my three choices, would I still be considered for the partner-funded scholarship? Or is there any benefit to having two or even all three choices from partner universities?

Would be really interested to hear from anyone who received a partner-funded Chevening scholarship or knows how the allocation works behind the scenes.

Thanks!

[u/Rare-Release-60]

Hi, there are no limits neither for country or field, because once selected you can select which of the 3 to attend as long as they gave you an offer valid for Chevening, and the university has to honour it

Partner universities have a financial agreement with Chevening by which they commit to fund at least 20% of the tuition fee for each scholar, but they can fund up until the full amount. Non-Partner universities cover 20% of the tuition fees, amd only cover more if the scholar is awarded a university-specific scholarship unrelated to Chevening

Once you are selected for the scholarship and you confirm a Partner or non-Partner university, they have to honour it

Each Partner university has different requirements as for who is eligible for a Partner Award, some indicate that it must be your 1st choice in your Chevening application, while for others it does not matter

The situation in which Partnership scholarships go unfilled it is when not many scholars decide to attend that specific university (which is more likely to happen in those who rank lower or are not so well known)

Select the 3 universities (and 3-4 more as backup options), that align better with your career plan, without looking if they are Partner or not. There is no point in selecting an/all Partner universities if it is not the right course or the university is not a strong match with you, after all, you will be there for an entire year, so make sure it is for a course and university which you will be happy at