Last verified: 10 August 2026 against chevening.org
Applications for the Chevening Scholarship 2027/2028 opened on 4 August 2026 and close on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC. The award is fully funded: it covers your tuition fees, a monthly living stipend, return flights, visa costs and several allowances for a one-year taught master’s degree at any UK university. Scholars begin their studies in September or October 2027. Applications are free, and you do not need a university offer to apply.
If you are a citizen of an eligible African country with at least two years of work experience and a clear plan to return home and lead change, this is one of the most valuable scholarships you can apply for and one of the most competitive.
Quick facts
| Award name | Chevening Scholarship 2027/2028 |
| Funder | UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organisations |
| Level of study | One-year full-time taught master’s degree |
| Where | Any UK university, any eligible subject |
| Funding | Fully funded (tuition, stipend, flights, visa, allowances) |
| Applications opened | 4 August 2026, 11:00 UTC |
| Application deadline | 6 October 2026, 11:00 UTC |
| Studies begin | September/October 2027 |
| Application fee | None |
| Awards available | More than 1,000 globally each year |
| Official site | chevening.org |
What is the Chevening Scholarship?
Chevening is the UK government’s international awards programme, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) together with partner organisations. It has run since 1983 and has supported close to 60,000 professionals from more than 160 countries and territories.
Chevening is not a conventional academic scholarship. It does not simply reward the highest grades. It is designed to identify emerging leaders, people who already have professional experience, who have demonstrated influence in their field, and who intend to return home and apply what they learn. Your academic record needs to be good enough to get you into a UK master’s programme; your leadership story is what actually wins the award.
For African applicants the appeal is straightforward. You can study almost any subject at almost any UK university, and Chevening covers the costs that make UK study impossible for most people: tuition at overseas rates, living costs in one of the world’s more expensive countries, and international flights.
What does the Chevening Scholarship cover?
Chevening states that award recipients receive:
- Payment of tuition fees, paid directly to your university
- A monthly personal living allowance (stipend) to cover accommodation and living expenses. The rate differs depending on whether you study inside or outside London, and rates are reviewed annually. Stipends are paid on or around the 21st of each month for the following month.
- Economy return travel between your country of residence and the UK, by an approved route, for you only
- An arrival allowance
- A departure allowance
- The cost of one entry clearance (visa) application, for you only
- A contribution of up to £75 toward TB testing, where this is required
- A travel top-up allowance
- Access to the Chevening engagement programme — networking with fellow scholars, alumni, the FCDO, partner organisations and high-profile speakers
What Chevening does not cover
This is where most scholarship listings stop, and where applicants get caught out:
- Dependants. Flights, stipend and allowances are for the scholar only. Your spouse and children are not funded.
- MBA tuition above £22,000. Chevening applies a fee cap of £22,000 to MBA programmes. If your MBA costs more, you must fund the difference and may be asked to prove you can. Universities may contribute up to 20% toward that cap.
- Part awards may apply. In some cases an embassy or high commission offers a part award covering tuition only (no stipend or allowances) or stipend and allowances only (no tuition). You are expected to fund the gap.
- Some countries receive reduced awards. In Taiwan and Singapore, for example, the award comprises tuition fees and one visa application only.
Read the official terms and conditions on chevening.org before you accept anything. The FCDO also reserves the right to reduce or withdraw an award where a scholar receives other significant funding, prizes or earned income.
Chevening eligibility criteria
To be eligible for a Chevening Scholarship you must:
- Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory. If you are applying from an ODA-eligible country, you must also be resident in an ODA-eligible country — this does not have to be your country of citizenship, but you must show a clear intention to support your country of award.
- Commit to returning to your home country (your country of award) for at least two years after your scholarship ends.
- Have at least two years of work experience, equivalent to 2,800 hours, acquired after completing your undergraduate degree.
- Hold an undergraduate degree that qualifies you for a UK master’s programme. You must have finished your undergraduate studies at least two years before the application deadline, even if you have not yet received the certificate — though you will need the certificate by the time of your interview.
- Apply to three different eligible UK university courses, and hold an unconditional offer from at least one of them by 17:00 BST on 8 July 2027.
There is no upper age limit. Your gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital or parental status, caste or class are not factors. Holding a master’s degree already does not prevent you from applying for a second one in the UK.
Who is not eligible
You cannot apply if you:
- Hold British or dual British citizenship (unless you are a citizen of a British Overseas Territory, or hold BN(O) status and are applying from Hong Kong)
- Hold refugee status in a country that is not Chevening-eligible (if you are a citizen of an eligible country and hold refugee status in another eligible country, you are eligible)
- Are resident in the UK at the time of application, excluding British Overseas Territories
- Are an employee, former employee (within the last two years, from the opening of applications), or immediate relative of an employee of a government department, the British Council, a partner UK university, or any of their wholly owned subsidiaries, including anyone contracted to work on a British Council programme or project
- Have previously studied in the UK on a UK government-funded scholarship. If you previously held a Chevening Fellowship, you may apply for a Scholarship once five years have passed since completing it.
“Immediate relative” means parents or step-parents, siblings or step-siblings, children or step-children, spouse, civil partner, or an unmarried partner where the relationship has lasted at least two years.
Which African countries are eligible for Chevening?
The overwhelming majority of African countries are Chevening-eligible. At the time of writing, the following appear on Chevening’s country selector:
Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d’Ivoire · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of Congo · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Always confirm your own country on chevening.org/apply before you start. Eligibility lists change between cycles, and requirements and timelines vary slightly by country. Your country page is the authoritative source, not any third-party list, including this one.
Chevening 2027/2028 application timeline
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 4 August 2026 | Applications open at 11:00 UTC |
| 6 October 2026 | Applications close at 11:00 UTC. The online system becomes inaccessible after this moment |
| From October 2026 | Applications are sifted against eligibility criteria |
| Mid-October 2026 – January 2027 | Independent reading committees assess all eligible applications |
| Mid-February 2027 | British embassies and high commissions shortlist candidates for interview |
| March – April 2027 | Interviews take place at British embassies and high commissions. Shortlisted candidates must upload all documentation at least seven working days before their interview |
| From mid-June 2027 | Results announced |
| 8 July 2027 | Deadline to submit at least one unconditional UK university offer, 17:00 BST |
| September/October 2027 | 2027–28 Chevening scholars begin studies in the UK |
11:00 UTC is not midday everywhere. Check what 11:00 UTC is in your own time zone and treat that as your deadline. Every year applicants lose their application to a time-zone miscalculation. There are no extensions.
How to apply for Chevening
- Check your country’s page. Go to chevening.org/apply, select your country and the Scholarship award. Requirements and timelines vary by country.
- Read the eligibility criteria and the application guidance in Chevening’s Resource Hub before you write anything.
- Calculate your work experience honestly. You need 2,800 hours acquired after your undergraduate degree.
- Choose three eligible UK master’s courses. They must be different courses, and they must be eligible — check against Chevening’s course guidance.
- Create your account in the online application system and draft your four essays. The portal saves progress, so you can return and edit until the deadline.
- Nominate your referees. References are submitted through the portal.
- Submit before 6 October 2026, 11:00 UTC. You do not need a university offer at this stage — that comes only if you are successful at interview.
Applications can only be submitted through the Chevening online application system, accessed via your country page. There is no application fee, and no agent can submit on your behalf.
Application tips for African applicants
Do the work-experience arithmetic before anything else. 2,800 hours is roughly two years of full-time work. Internships, part-time roles, paid and voluntary work can all count, but only if acquired after your undergraduate degree, and you need to be able to evidence them. Applicants are rejected at the eligibility sift for this more than for any other reason.
Choose three courses that tell one story. The three courses are not three unrelated bets. Reading committees look for coherence between your career history, your chosen courses, and the change you say you want to make at home. Three master’s programmes in three different fields signals that you have not thought it through.
Write about leadership you have actually done, not leadership you admire. Chevening’s assessors read tens of thousands of essays. Concrete beats abstract every time: the initiative you started, the number of people affected, the obstacle you hit, what you did about it.
Take the two-year return commitment seriously in your writing. You must return to your country of award for at least two years. Essays that hint at staying in the UK afterwards are self-defeating. Frame your career plan around what you will build at home.
Approach referees months early. Give them your goals, your achievements, and the specific things you would like them to speak to. A vague reference from a senior person is worth less than a specific one from someone who genuinely supervised your work.
Get your documents in order now. Undergraduate certificate, transcripts, photo ID, and certified translations where needed. You will need them at interview stage with only seven working days’ notice.
Budget for the gap if you are applying for an MBA. With the £22,000 cap, most UK MBA programmes will leave you owing a significant balance. Either choose a programme within the cap, confirm your university’s contribution, or be ready to prove you can fund the difference.
Apply again if you are unsuccessful. Many scholars applied more than once. Provided you have not previously held a Chevening Scholarship, reapplying is allowed and common.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Chevening 2027/2028 deadline?
The deadline is 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC. The online application system closes at that moment and cannot be accessed afterwards. There are no extensions.
Who can apply for a Chevening Scholarship?
Citizens of Chevening-eligible countries and territories who hold an undergraduate degree qualifying them for a UK master’s, have at least 2,800 hours of work experience acquired after that degree, and commit to returning home for two years after the scholarship. British and dual-British citizens, UK residents, and previous recipients of UK government scholarships are not eligible.
What does the Chevening Scholarship cover?
Tuition fees, a monthly living stipend, economy return flights, an arrival allowance, a departure allowance, one visa application, a travel top-up allowance, and up to £75 toward TB testing where required. It does not cover dependants, or MBA tuition above the £22,000 cap.
How much is the Chevening monthly stipend?
Chevening does not publish a fixed figure. The stipend depends on whether you study inside or outside London, and rates are reviewed annually. Payments arrive on or around the 21st of each month for the following month.
Do I need a university offer before I apply to Chevening?
No. You apply to three eligible UK courses as part of your Chevening application, but you only need an unconditional offer from one of them by 17:00 BST on 8 July 2027 — and only if you are successful at interview.
What level of study does Chevening fund?
A one-year, full-time taught master’s degree in any eligible subject at any UK university. Chevening does not fund PhDs or undergraduate study.
Is there an age limit for Chevening?
No. There is no upper age limit for Chevening Scholarships.
Can I apply for Chevening more than once?
Yes, provided you have not previously held a Chevening Scholarship. Many successful scholars applied more than once before being selected.
Does Chevening cover my family?
No. Flights, stipend and allowances are for the scholar only. Dependants are not funded, and you would need to fund their visas and living costs yourself.
Can I study an MBA with Chevening?
Yes, but Chevening caps its contribution to MBA tuition at £22,000. Universities may contribute up to 20% toward that cap. You must fund any remaining balance and may be asked to demonstrate that you can.
Is there an application fee?
No. Chevening applications are free, and applications can only be submitted through the official online system via your country page.
Apply
Applications for the Chevening Scholarship 2027/2028 close on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC. Start at your country page:
This listing is compiled from official Chevening sources and was last verified on 10 August 2026. Requirements and timelines vary by country. Always confirm details on chevening.org before applying — AfriWide Scholarships is not affiliated with Chevening, the FCDO, or any university.