Chevening Scholarship

One of the most coveted international scholarships, winning this one involves going through cut throat competition at the international level. Under this international scholarship scheme, students from 122 countries and territories can apply for post-graduate studies in United Kingdom. It is the UK government’s international awards scheme and is funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

History
It was started in the year 1984 as was then called the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Awards Scheme (FCOAS). The vision of the scholarship scheme was to select the best minds of the respective countries who would later be the future leaders of tomorrow, thereby helping in networking foundations of the UK. The current name was adopted in 1994 and is named after Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent.

Awards
Currently, Chevening offers two types of financial awards—scholarships and fellowships. The candidates for both the scholarships are selected by the British High Commission in the respective countries. Chevening Scholarship offers a special and a unique opportunity to the future decision-makers, influencers and future leaders to develop academically and professionally. It also provides a platform for students to network, create positive experiences with the UK culture and also build long lasting relationships with UK. The number of Chevening Scholarships available differs from country to country. For example, more than 30 scholarships are awarded to the selected candidates from China and India, while more than 20 scholarships are awarded to the students from Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Indonesia, South Korea and Egypt. In total, more than 700 scholarships are awarded every year out of the 25,000 applications received internationally. Thus, this scheme provides the students the opportunity to have access to the British tertiary education institutions, few of which have very high rankings at the global levels. Winners of Chevening Scholarship receive national and local coverage in newspapers.

Requirements
The selected candidate for the Chevening Scholarship needs to have intellectual acumen, professional work experience, commitment for return to their respective countries and help in the socio-economic development of their nation. The leadership potential of the student makes a strong case for the selection of the application. Along with it, the candidates should showcase strong work integrity, merit and the ability to work independently.
Currently, there are 40 000 Chevening Scholarship alumni, which reveals the scope and the large foundation of the scholarship scheme. Many of the alumni have proved out to be thought leaders and international visionaries, earning their name, fame and affluence.