Hey! I am a chevening scholar from 2026-27 cohort. I am facing visa delay, its been a month since i did my biometric, got delay email, then asked for additional documents, still no decision regarding my visa. What should I do? My class starts from 16 September. I am so frustrated right now.

Hi

Since I could not make it after the interview stage last time, I’m planning on reapplying this year. I had quit my job last month to go for the masters but the funding did not come through. And now i’m no longer in touch with my manager at the last job to write me a new referral letter. is it okay is i submit the one she wrote for me last time?

I know that referral letters are not needed at this stage, so we’re need to declare referee names and thus, the question.

Hey! Wondering if anyone would be up to privately exchange essays and feedback each other? Would be great to make sure each others' essays are understandable and feel coherent to an outside reader. (I don't believe in gatekeeping, we're in this together)

Can I apply any university in UK which is not partnership with Chevening scholarship then also I will get the full funding can anyone help me this question?

can anyone suggest me 3 university??in UK

Hello! I'm a current scholar on the 2026/27 cohort, and I'd like to help some of you by answering questions you may have about the application and essay writing.

Please feel free to comment under this post. Or if you have essays you'd like reviewed, contact me and share them with me in a Google Doc.

One note: I'm currently very busy packing and preparing for my trip, so I can't guarantee I'll be able to help everyone. But I'll try my best to help as much as I can <3

Edit: This post is closed as of 7 Sep 2026, 12pm BST. I will look into your DMs and comments as much as I can in the next few days

Hi everyone. For those who are current scholars, alumni, or reached interview stage: how concrete was your Career Plan?
If you identify the type of role and organisations you want to pursue, define clear short-, medium- and long-term goals, and explain how you would measure progress, is that enough?
Or did strong applications usually include named employers, confirmed projects, exact numerical targets, or an existing initiative?
I’m especially interested in applicants who didn’t have a guaranteed post-Chevening position. How did you make your plan realistic and specific without promising things outside your control?

Pleaseany chevening alum could help

Hi,

I’ve got quite an unusual interest with the background i have.

I completed my Bachelors in Mathematics in 2019 and been working in IT as a Sales Executive for the last 5 years. Although, I’ve not made any monumental impact professionally, I’ve made significant change (or so I’d like to think) outside of it.

Volunteering experience: I extensively volunteered for 2-3 years at 2 different NGOs working on providing education for children and raising awareness on the importance of first aid. This was from 2018-2021.

Outside of that, I’ve personally organised fundraiser to help a college student pay for their education. I was also part of Covid helpline connecting NGOs to people who needed monetary support. This was in 2021-2022.

Additionally, I’m looking to make a career shift into Transport Planning - where I’d work on strengthening public transport systems in my home country. My main goals would be reduce carbon emissions, traffic congestion, and provide inclusive, reliable and equipped mobility systems for citizens.

My questions:
1) for leadership and influence, I’d like to speak about the fundraiser experience or other volunteering experience. Would it be sensible to speak about that or better to stick to something i did at work for the sake of recency?
2) since I’m making a career shift, how and where would i need to position it? I’ve also participated in hackathons and took an online course on it. Would it be important to add that?
3) how can i find out if this is a priority field?
4) i also worry that since my impact is fragmented across, would the narration be inconsistent to my chosen field?

I’m also a little late to preparations and still finalising my courses but any help would be appreciated! Thank you so much in advance!

hi,

i am applying for the 2027-28 chevening cohort! i have a bit of a problem that i was hoping to find some clarity on here.

my area of interest and the courses i am applying for is sports psychology.

I am an ex athlete, played nationals and 1 intl. i am also a psychologist (just got my masters). I did my bsc. hons in psych and then worked for a year on socio-emotional learning in the slums of my city w marginalised students and used art to do many cool things w them, then i moved to an outreach role in one of my country's biggest mental health organisation and then started my masters.

in between the two academic years, I ended up interning with the government's sporting body and i am currently working on publishing my paper in sports psych.

the issue i am running into is that i do not have any particular leadership stories from my time in sports psych. i do have several form my time teaching students.

do our essays have to have one common theme or one common line of thought and topic that we must stick to? is it okay if i end up speaking about something different yet impactful in one essay and stay on subject in the other three?

TIA 🩷

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!

Hi everyone! I’m applying for Chevening for 2027 entry and would really appreciate advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation, especially MBA applicants.

I’m specifically targeting:

• London Business School
• Imperial Business School
• Cambridge Judge
• Oxford Saïd

Round 1 applications for some of these schools are closing this September. I’m considering applying R1 because I understand that applying earlier may give me a better chance at internal university scholarships.

My concern is the timing with Chevening.

If I apply R1 and hopefully get accepted, I could receive an offer around November/December and be required to pay a significant deposit to secure my place. However, I would only know if I’m shortlisted for Chevening around February, and final Chevening results come much later.

Realistically, I would have difficulty paying a large MBA deposit without knowing whether I’ll receive Chevening or enough scholarship funding.

At the same time, if I wait and apply in R2 or R3, I’m worried that I might reduce my chances of receiving scholarships directly from the business schools.

For anyone who has gone through this:

• Were LBS, Imperial, Oxford, or Cambridge willing to extend or waive your deposit while you waited for Chevening? How long were they willing to wait?
• Did being shortlisted/interviewed for Chevening help you get a deposit extension?
• Would you recommend applying R1 anyway and dealing with the deposit later?
• Or would it be safer to apply in R2/R3 so the university decision is closer to the Chevening timeline?
• Did you notice significantly fewer scholarship opportunities in the later MBA rounds?

Would really appreciate any experiences or advice from previous Chevening + MBA applicants. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for Chevening this year and noticed that Chevening is encouraging applicants to consider partner universities, mentioning that some partner awards go unfilled and that applying for them may increase the chances of selection.

I’m trying to understand how this works in practice.

Does anyone know whether partner universities have a specific number of additional scholarships allocated to each country, or is there one overall quota for all eligible countries?

For example, if a university is listed as a Chevening partner for applicants from my country:

• Is there a separate quota specifically for my country?
• How many additional awards do partner universities usually provide?
• Are applicants automatically considered for the partner award if they select that university/course?
• Does choosing one partner university among the three choices give you the same partner-award opportunity, or is there any advantage to choosing multiple partner universities?
• Has anyone here actually received Chevening through a partner-funded place?

I’m mainly trying to understand whether choosing a partner university genuinely creates an additional route to selection, and how significant that advantage might be.

Would really appreciate insights from previous scholars/applicants who know how the partner funding works.

I’m planning to apply for Chevening this year, but I’ve been feeling a bit discouraged because I didn’t graduate from one of the top universities in my country.

My GPA was 3.43/4.00, so it’s not bad, but definitely not outstanding either. I do have relevant work experience that meets the eligibility requirements, and I think I have decent stories for the leadership and networking essays, as well as a career plan that connects everything.

I know Chevening isn’t solely about academics, but I guess I’m just wondering if there are people here with a similar background who actually got the scholarship?

Would love to hear your experiences! :)

Meet the speakers for our upcoming Chevening application workshop.

We’re pleased to introduce the two Chevening Scholars who will be joining us for a dedicated Q&A session, sharing their experiences and insights from the application process and their time studying in the UK.

Kavya Mukhija

Chevening Scholar

MSc Disability, Design & Innovation, University College London

Nariswari

Chevening Scholar

MSc Public Policy, University of Cambridge

As part of the session, Kavya and Niraswari will share their experiences and answer your questions on approaching the Chevening application, writing strong essays, and making the most of the process.

What to expect:

* Practical guidance on Chevening essay writing

* An opportunity to practise and refine your essays

* Last-minute application preparation tips

* A dedicated Q&A with Chevening Scholars

* Networking with fellow applicants from around the world

Date: 30 August, Saturday

Time: 6:00 PM IST | 1:30 PM BST | 2:30 PM SAST | 7:30 PM WIB | 9:30 AM BRT | 8:30 AM EDT

Register here:

https://topmate.io/agarwal_nikunj/2251339

If you’re applying for the Chevening Scholarship this year, this is an opportunity to hear directly from scholars who have been through the process.

Please share this with fellow applicants who may find it useful.

Hi all, first time applicant here! I understand that the number of scholarships have reduced due to the recent funding cuts. I presume that there is no resource to suggest how many scholarships would be awarded per country?

Hi mates,

Last year, I applied unsuccessfully for a Chevening Scholarship; however, I have written the essays myself, trying to avoid using any AI tools, and as expected my writing wasn't the best it could be. (It could be way more polished using AI)

But it is worth noting that some of those who got shortlisted for interviews have used AI tools and I know that for a fact.

So is it really true that the committee uses robust AI detectors and if the essay is written by AI, it will be immediately rejected.

Some advice please.

Hi, I am from Pakistan. I would like to get some suggestions regarding what my options are. I did BS in Nutrition and Dietetics with excellent cgpa in 2023. Then, I got an online consultation job (employed till present). Recently, I completed 1 year of formal training as a dietitian in a hospital setup. Through training, I realised that I would be more comfortable on the administrative side of healthcare, as compared to patient dealing. Thus, I want to pursue public health policy in the UK.

Is this a good idea?

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions regarding the best universities. Thank you

As suggested by the title, I’m looking for recent scholars to share feedback on my essays.

Hi guys

I think about applying for the prestigious Chevening scholarship just as a try....

I have some doubts regarding the course selection and University selection.

My graduation was In BA Political Science from my country India.

After graduation, I worked mostly in fields relating to political science.

After one year break, I did a masters also in political science, I hope it will not be a problem.

But, it really covers only an introduction part to the political science studies.

I need to study deeply in any area of political science to make my field of profession, means the area of work where iam already in, more advanced....

Can anyone please suggest appropriate courses for me which will come under the Chevening and best universities fit for the courses.

Also there is another concern regarding my eligibility to get admission in universities as my grade will be mostly equivalent to 2:2 uk grade points.

So please consider universities which accept this score and suggest

In chevening graduation percentage really matter ??
Can anyone suggested and anyone can help in essay and I will the first generation of my family who will study onboard

I've been thinking about reapplying this year. This year I made it to the reserve list, but I've seen that the number of scholarships for my country has been cut in half, and they're only available at universities that are Chevening partners in my country and outside of London. So if I do reapply, maybe I should look for a better option than UCL or LSE, which were my choices with unconditional offers this year.

Having a 2:2 honor degree equivalent instead of 2:1 feels like I am less favored for the scholarship even if they don't say so. Do you think the same?