Travel policy

Your Chevening Award covers the cost of air travel to and from your nearest airport in your home country and your university in the UK, wherever possible and practical. To help you plan your journey, please read the guidelines below carefully.

Travel booking

  • It’s often easier for you to arrive at a large airport (often near London) and to travel to and from your university by train, bus or coach.
  • Flights must be booked through our nominated travel agency, Diversity Group International (DGI).
  • DGI will find the best fare available based on your requirements and the Chevening travel policy, so please be flexible. Flights offered will be one-way at the most cost-efficient route available. We are unable to guarantee that your flight will be direct but DGI will try to achieve this where possible.
  • Flights should be booked to and from the UK without long stopovers in a different country. A request for a stopover any longer than the specified airline stopover will not be permitted.
  • DGI will book your flight with a reputable airline but are not required to offer flights based on preferred airlines or higher baggage allowances.

Responsibilities

  • Chevening cannot be responsible for tickets booked outside this process unless prior permission has been obtained from your programme officer.
  • You are responsible for any costs in excess of the normal ticketed price, including paying for extra baggage. You are paid an arrival allowance and a departure allowance which you can use towards thesecosts if you wish. Please check your final award letter to find out whether these payments are covered by your award.
  • DGI is only able to invoice the Secretariat for flights booked for those in receipt of a Chevening award. Additional flights for any other persons travelling with you will need to be paid for by you at the time of booking.

Visa and timings

  • It is your responsibility to organise any transit visas that may be required when travelling through other countries. DGI may be able to assist, but the responsibility lies with the traveller and not the travel provider.
  • Scholars typically arrive in the UK within one or two weeks prior to their scheduled course start date. You must not arrive in the UK before the start date of your Student visa.

Further resources