The Chevening Pack

Everything you need to apply for the UK government's fully funded master's, in one page.

Closed for applications, read 7 October 2026. The next window is expected around August 2027, based on the last cycle, which opened in August 2026 and closed in October 2026 (each country's deadline at 11:00 UTC); Chevening has not announced it.

Which of these is you

• Just heard about it, am I even eligible? Start at "Eligibility, plainly".
• Eligible and ready to write. Start at "The four essays".
• Deadline maths and dates. Start at "The calendar".

Eligibility, plainly

You need: citizenship of an eligible country (Nigeria is one), an undergraduate degree that can enter a UK master's, and at least two years of work experience, counted as 2,800 hours, so full-time, part-time, paid internships and volunteering can combine; check your own hours on their calculator. You apply to three eligible UK courses and commit to returning home for two years after. You cannot hold British citizenship or have received UK government scholarship funding before. Source: chevening.org, scholarships.

What it pays: your tuition fees, a monthly living allowance, travel, and the visa application, read 7 October 2026. Coverage list: what a Chevening scholarship covers.

The scholarship needs no proof of funds from you, and Chevening itself sets no IELTS requirement at application; your chosen universities set their own English conditions.

The four essays (this is the real exam)

Chevening assesses you in four areas, from its application criteria page, read 7 October 2026: your leadership and influencing skills; building professional relationships to achieve positive outcomes; how your chosen course gives you the skills to address pressing challenges linked to UK priority areas; and how your career plan supports your ambitions to drive positive change.

• Leadership and influencing: one story where something changed because you acted. Name the before, your move, the after, with numbers if you have them.
• Networking: how you build and use relationships, with one concrete example.
• Study plan: why these three courses, named modules and all, and how they give you the skills to address pressing challenges linked to UK priority areas.
• Career plan: the problem at home you'll work on, and the job or venture two years out.

The single pattern in winning essays: specific beats impressive. One true story with details outruns five titles.

While the window is closed, this week

• Open the course finder inside the apply page and shortlist six courses; you'll cut to three.
• Message two potential referees, copy and send: "Hello [name], I'm applying for the Chevening scholarship, the UK government's funded master's award, in the next window, expected around August 2027. References are requested later for shortlisted candidates, and I'd be honoured to name you. May I share my draft plans with you this week?"
• Block three two-hour essay sessions in your calendar this week. That's the whole cost of entry.

The calendar

Closed for applications, read 7 October 2026. The next window is expected around August 2027, based on the last cycle, which opened in August 2026 and closed in October 2026 (each country's deadline at 11:00 UTC); Chevening has not announced it. For the 2027-2028 applicants, shortlisting follows, interviews at the British High Commission run around March to April 2027, university offer deadline July 2027, and study begins September or October 2027. Source: the application timeline.

Worked example

Tunde, 30, B.Sc. economics 2:1, five years across an internship, a bank job and an NGO project. Hours: far past 2,800. His three courses: development finance at two schools, public policy at one. His leadership essay: the savings product he pushed that onboarded 4,000 market traders. Cost of his whole application: data and printing, under ₦20,000. What the award carries if he wins: his tuition fees, plus a monthly allowance and flights, read 7 October 2026. That's the trade: eight serious hours of writing against a bill he could never pay.

Real questions, short answers

Is the form really free? Yes. Anybody selling Chevening forms or "slots" is running a scam.

My degree is a 2:2. Check whether your target courses accept a 2:2 with experience; some do. Your essays and experience carry weight.

Does NYSC count as work experience? Experience is counted in hours across employment types; enter your service year in their calculator with your real hours.

I applied before and failed. Reapplying is normal and openly encouraged; sharpen the essays with outcomes and numbers.

Who this does not fit

Fresh graduates under the hours, and anyone unwilling to return home for two years. If that's you, the funded path this year runs elsewhere (the FUNDED pack covers Europe's paid study routes), or build your hours and apply next August with a stronger file. The window comes every year; your file should only grow.