Chevening Scholarships open for a fully funded UK master’s: Deadlines, eligibility, and what’s covered
Key Points
- UK government Chevening Scholarship applications opened on 4 August and close on 6 October 2026.
- Awards cover full tuition, living costs and travel for a one-year taught master's at any UK university.
- Applicants need an undergraduate degree plus two years' post-graduation work experience.
- Courses funded under this cycle begin in autumn 2027.
- India runs the largest national Chevening programme, with 4,000 awardees since 1983.
The UK government opened applications for its Chevening Scholarships on Tuesday (4 August), with a 6 October deadline for a fully funded one-year master’s degree at any UK university.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and partner organisations fund the awards, which cover tuition, living costs and travel.
Applicants must hold an undergraduate degree and at least two years’ work experience gained after finishing it, and they select three eligible master’s courses at the application stage. Successful candidates start their courses in autumn 2027.
Chevening publishes eligibility criteria and application guidance in its resource hub, which candidates should read before starting.
The programme began in 1983 and now takes applications from more than 160 countries and territories, with over 60,000 alumni worldwide. India runs the largest Chevening programme of any country, and 4,000 Indian awardees have taken up scholarships since the scheme launched.
“Chevening awards are highly competitive and extremely rewarding,” said Ben Mellor, Acting British High Commissioner to India. Mellor described education as a key pillar of the UK-India Vision 2035 partnership and said the programme gives applicants a route into a global professional network alongside the degree itself.
State governments in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Nagaland and Karnataka part-fund additional Indian awards, as does TVS Motors.
More than 75% of the 2026 Indian cohort came from tier 2 and tier 3 cities, many of them first-generation university students, and women made up 68% of the intake.
