TOP-10 tips how to get the British Chevening Scholarship

The British Chevening scholarship will allow you to get a Master's degree in any chosen specialty for free. The UK government pays for 1 year of study at a British university indicated by the applicant, the main expenses associated with studying and living in the country.

Tens of thousands of scholarship applications are submitted annually, and 1 out of 100 is received. To receive funding, you must satisfy the requests set forth on the Chevening website and fulfill all conditions. Documents for the competition are submitted with strict observance of the deadlines for submission, requirements for each section - after submitting the application there will be no opportunity to make changes.

British Chevening Fellowship: Who Can Become an Applicant

The British Chevening scholarship puts forward a number of requirements for those who apply - to become a scholarship applicant can a person who has:

• age from 22 years
• citizenship or refugee status in the country participating in the program
• international certificate in English (academic version) with high scores
• study invitation from a british university
• Higher education: Bachelor / Master degree
• at least two years of work experience in the specialty (including internships, volunteer practice).

The goal of the program is to help the countries on the list to educate young leaders who influence public relations and shape public opinion in various fields of activity. Foreign students, who has applied for a Chevening scholarship, must know that one of the conditions of the program is an obligation to return to his country after studying for at least 2 years.

International Certificate in English for Chevening

The minimum scores from the table are relevant only for the Chevening program: for university studies, there may be other requirements that differ for faculties of one university. University requests are available on the official website of each university, but it is better to clarify by asking a question on the website or by phone.

An English exam can be passed after the application is submitted, but the test result must be known by July 16th. Do not postpone the change to the last moment: a careful study of the work schedule of test centers, the timing of test verification will help to avoid stressful situations.

Before applying for funding, it is necessary to determine the course of study: the future master's specialty should be closely related to the education and professional activities. The applicant chooses three different master's programs at 1 British university or the same courses in content from three different universities, and submits documents for study. It is better to choose one specialty in different universities - this will convince the commission of the seriousness of your intentions. When choosing 3 majors in 1 university, it is necessary to think over the desired sequence.

Chevening scholarships are awarded on condition of admission to university or an invitation to study. If the candidate has not received an invitation from any of the indicated universities, a scholarship will not be issued. The site lists priority professions funded by Chevening, as well as the universities participating in the program. A list of priority majors is published every year and may change next year. It is not necessary to choose a priority specialty: first of all, you need to have a good idea of your goals, intentions, and convince the commission. The program does not finance research activities, only education.

The applicant must have a higher education - a bachelor's or master's degree, since the scholarship is allocated only for education for a master's degree. The diploma presented to the commission should have a high average mark, which indicates a serious attitude to study. Applicants who receive funding enter the magistracy for a period of 9 to 12 months. Education in the magistracy is intensive, during this time you need to have time to write a master's thesis.

Any UK government assistance is given only once: an applicant who has received any scholarship cannot participate in another program, including Chevening.

British Chevening Fellowship: What Pays

The British Chevening scholarship differs from the rest of the scholarship programs in that it takes care of all the needs of the student and compensates for the main costs. Having received Chevening, a student can leave for the UK, live and study for 1 year without additional sources of funding.

What will pay for Chevening:

• education
• university registration fee
• student visa
• round trip
• monthly scholarship

Magistracy of any cost is paid in accordance with the data of the applicant. An exception is MBA - the maximum amount of 18,000 pounds is set here: if the course costs more, the student is looking for an additional financial source.

The monthly allowance covers the basic minimum expenses for housing, food, transportation. There is also the opportunity to work part-time on campus, but no more than 20 hours a week, and with the intensity of one-year master's studies, part-time work will slow down the main activity.

British Chevening Fellowship: What do I need to compete?

• British Chevening Fellowship requires strict adherence to requirements and deadlines

No changes can be made to the submitted application, the only possibility of adjustment is an interview at the British Embassy.

• Candidate identity card - passport.

The preparation of documents begins with a check of the suitability of the passport, the validity period. The validity of the passport should cover the time of study with a margin - if the period is limited, it is better to make a new one. Please, note that the results of certificates in English are tied to the passport number. If the scholarships fail in the competition, the application can be repeated for the next year, but after changing the passport the test results will be invalid.

• Registration of a personal account on the site.

In your personal account, you select 3 master's courses in British universities, indicate the data of experts who will give recommendations, learn the topic of an essay (motivation letter), and receive an application form. Chevening scholars are advised to choose 3 universities: the university of dreams, the university of the first 20 in the ranking and 1 university from the end of the rating list, which is much easier to enter.

• An applicant should provide recommendations from at least 2 experts to study for a Master's degree abroad.

The recommendations are written by supervisors, teachers, employers, colleagues in English - the applicant only indicates who they are and how to contact them. To communicate with experts, you must provide the official mail address: university, enterprise. The selection of recommenders follows from among authoritative people in the field related to future studies who are fluent in English. It is better to agree on recommendations in advance so that the experts have time to write a quality review.

• Motivation letter.

The essay consists of 4 parts and is intended to convince the commission that the candidate is worthy of receiving a scholarship. In each part - Leadership, Networking, Studying in the UK, Career Plan - you need to talk about yourself, your career, opportunities, linking them with the interests of the country and the world community. This should be a story about the goals set and the results achieved, confirmed by specific examples. The essay also demonstrates English proficiency. At this stage, many candidates fail, therefore, writing essays should be given maximum attention.

• An interview at the British Embassy.

The commission consists of embassy staff and a former Chevening scholar. At the interview, they discuss the issues raised in the essay, but others can ask: from the method of resolving conflict situations in the service to sports addictions. You need to prepare for the interview, think over the answers to the main questions, pick up fresh examples so as not to repeat your essay word for word and not to get confused by surprise. It is very important to tell the truth, not to invent anything, so as not to complicate your discussion of the situation in a foreign language. Consulting with a native speaker and with a Chevening Fellow will increase the chances of success.

The only chance to make adjustments to the application is to do it at an interview at the embassy. Here it will be possible to discuss a change in priorities when choosing universities, even change the direction of study, if it is possible to justify it correctly. But it’s better not to do this, because the accusation of ambiguity of goals is a good reason for refusal. If the candidate already has a master’s diploma , a reasoned answer to the question why he needs another magistracy should be considered.

After a successful interview, a list of documents for finalizing the application will appear in your account:

• Bachelor / Master degree with honors or high GPA
• certificate from the university about the average diploma score in English
• invitation to graduate from a british university
• english test results
• recommendations
• medical certificate.

Deadlines and deadlines for filing are on the Chevening website. The diploma must be translated into English, the translation is legally certified. Recommendations are sent from official mail in English on a letterhead of a university or institution.

• After receiving a notice that the documents have been accepted, the applicant becomes a participant in the competition. After the elimination of most participants, 2 lists are formed: main and reserve.

Only after clarification of all the nuances is a final decision made.

The British Chevening scholarship contributes to the development of the democratic institutions of the countries included in the program list, the studying of educated and motivated leaders in the main areas of activity, and the formation of a positive attitude of the peoples of other countries towards Great Britain . This should be remembered when applying for the Chevening scholarship - self-presentation and the level of preparation of the applicant should correspond to high goals.