Chevening application criteria

We break down the four key criteria you will be asked about in your Chevening application:

• Leadership and influencing skills. 
• The ability to build and maintain professional relationships. 
• A realistic and achievable career plan for creating lasting positive change.
• Research into how a UK government funded scholarship will help you achieve positive change. 

You will need to submit an essay on each of these four areas in your Chevening application.

Read on to find out if you’re ready to submit a competitive application.

Leadership and influence: 

Chevening Scholarships are awarded to individuals who show the greatest potential to become future leaders or influencers in their home countries. To excel in this area on your application form, you must: 

• Share recent examples where you’ve taken the lead and positively influenced others. What was the result? 

Networking and relationship-building: 

Effective leaders are good at building relationships. If you’re awarded a Chevening Scholarship, there will be plenty of opportunities to connect with other leaders in your field. To be invited to interview, you must: 

• Share examples of achievements that resulted from building strong relationships and working collaboratively with others. What was your role, and how did your actions create a positive impact on those around you?

A realistic and achievable career plan: 

Chevening looks for applicants who have a clear and achievable post-study career plan. To score well, you must: 

• Outline a realistic post-study career plan with clear, measurable goals. Explain how your planned work will help address a significant challenge in your field or community.

Motivations for studying in the UK: 

To be chosen for Chevening, you must be able to articulate how a Chevening Scholarship will help you achieve your goals for positive change. To be invited to interview, you must: 

• Evidence research into your chosen courses. Explain how all three of your chosen courses relate to your background and aspirations. How will the specific modules help you achieve your goals?

Final point:

• Be original: The use of AI software to generate answers in Chevening applications is strictly prohibited. If you aren’t confident that you can write a competitive Chevening application in your own words, we strongly recommend waiting to apply until you feel you can. Chevening uses tools and software to identify fraud, plagiarism, and AI-generated answers in applications.

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to crafting a standout Chevening application. Good luck!