Chevening Scholarship - Selection Criteria

Selection Criteria

Applicants should be high-calibre graduates with the personal, intellectual and interpersonal qualities necessary for leadership. Evidence of leadership experience and potential are expected to be proven at interview. Specific selection criteria for Chevening Scholarships varies from country to country, and from year to year. A successful candidate is typically:

• a professional graduate, in early or mid-career, who displays both intellectual ability and clear leadership potential

has already worked for 2–3 years in his/her chosen profession

• committed to return to his/her home country and contribute to its socioeconomic development, by implementing the new skills and knowledge acquired in the UK
• has a proven track record of professional excellence and achievement, with the prospect of becoming a leader in his/her chosen field
• able to show at interview that he/she possesses the personal qualities to benefit from the scholarship and use it to succeed in his/her chosen career
• has a clear idea how the scholarship will benefit their country on his/her return
• Strong characters with integrity, drive, and the ability to self-manage and work independently

Applications are made online via a web-portal in October of each year, except for some sponsored scholarships for which applicants apply via the co-sponsoring organisation. Scholarship applicants also apply directly to their preferred universities in the UK, usually for Master's degree courses. Competition for scholarships is high with approximately 20 000 applicants for approximately 700 awards. Most scholarships include a living stipend, airfares and the full or partial cost of tuition fees.

The most popular destinations for study in 2011 were the London School of Economics & Political Science, University College London, and the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, University of Nottingham and King's College London.