Chevening Scholarship for Pakistani Students: Fully Funded UK Master’s

The Chevening Scholarship is the UK government’s flagship award for future leaders. It pays for a one-year master’s degree at any UK university, and Pakistan is one of the eligible countries. This guide covers the 2027-28 cycle, which closed on 6 October 2026, and what Pakistani students should do now to prepare for the next round.

1. Introduction

Chevening is the UK government’s international scholarships program, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and partner organizations. It supports outstanding emerging leaders from more than 160 countries and territories. Pakistan has been part of the program for many years, and Pakistani scholars study at universities across the UK each year.

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Quick Facts

Scholarship Name	Chevening Scholarship
Host Country	United Kingdom
Host University	Any eligible UK university
Study Level	One-year taught master’s
Funding Type	Fully funded: tuition, monthly stipend, return flights, visa cost
Eligible Nationalities	160+ countries and territories, including Pakistan
Study Duration	1 year
Application Deadline	6 October 2026, 11:00 UTC (2027-28 cycle, closed). Next cycle dates not announced yet.
Scholarship Year	2027-28
Official Website	chevening.org/apply

The award covers a one-year taught master’s degree. You choose from three eligible courses at UK universities, and Chevening pays your tuition, a monthly living allowance, return flights, and your visa application cost. The program looks for people with leadership potential and a clear plan to use their UK education back home.

Timing matters more than anything else with Chevening. The 2027-28 application window opened on 4 August 2026 and closed on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC, which was 4:00 PM in Pakistan. If you are reading this after that date, you cannot apply for the 2027-28 cycle. The next cycle is expected to open in August 2027, and this guide is built to help you prepare for it, using the confirmed rules and dates of the 2027-28 round as the reference.

2. Types of Scholarship

Chevening runs two main awards. The Chevening Scholarship funds a full one-year master’s degree, and it is the award this guide covers. The Chevening Fellowship is a separate, shorter award for mid-career professionals, built around short courses and professional placements rather than a degree. Fellowships follow their own timeline and rules, so check the official fellowship pages if that route fits you better.

Within the Scholarship itself there is one award type, but you shape it through your three course choices. You can pick three different courses at the same university or at three different universities. The courses must be eligible taught master’s programs, full time, starting in the autumn term.

3. Degree Level

Chevening funds one-year full-time taught master’s degrees only. It does not fund undergraduate study, part-time study, distance learning, or PhD research. Your course must start in the autumn term of the award year, and it must be based in the UK.

Most taught master’s programs qualify. The main exception is the MBA, where Chevening caps its tuition contribution at 22,000 pounds. If your MBA costs more than that, you pay the difference yourself, so confirm the current cap in the terms of award before you rely on it. A small number of courses are also excluded by Chevening’s eligibility rules, so check each course against the official eligibility checker before you list it.

4. Available Subjects

Chevening does not publish a fixed list of subjects. Almost any taught master’s subject can qualify, as long as the course is eligible and your application shows a clear link between the subject, your leadership record, and your career plan. That freedom is useful, but it also means your course choices carry weight: they must make sense together.

Pakistani applicants often choose fields tied to public service and development, such as public policy, international development, law, economics, public health, data science, environmental management, and business. The subject itself does not decide your result. What matters is the story your application tells about why this subject, why the UK, and what you will do with it when you return to Pakistan.

5. Scholarship Benefits

Chevening is a fully funded award. The official list of what it covers is short and clear, and it applies to the scholar only.

• Full payment of university tuition fees, paid directly to your university. MBA tuition is capped at 22,000 pounds, so confirm the current cap in the terms of award.
• A monthly personal living allowance (stipend) for accommodation and living costs. The rate is higher for scholars based in London than for those outside London, and Chevening reviews the rates each year.
• Economy return air travel between your country of residence and the UK, by an approved route.
• An arrival allowance, paid when you land in the UK.
• A departure allowance, paid with your final stipend to help with the journey home.
• The cost of one entry clearance (visa) application, for you only.
• A travel top-up allowance for official Chevening events.
• A contribution of up to 75 pounds toward TB testing, where a test is required.

Chevening does not publish a fixed monthly stipend figure on its public pages, and figures quoted on other websites differ. Do not plan your budget around a number you saw on a third-party site. The exact rate for your award is confirmed in your acceptance letter. Dependants are not funded: if your spouse or children travel with you, their visas, rent, and daily costs come from your own funds.

6. Eligible Nationalities

Chevening is open to citizens of more than 160 countries and territories, and Pakistan is on the eligible list. To apply from Pakistan, you must be a Pakistani citizen. You cannot hold British citizenship or dual British citizenship. If you hold British citizenship in any form, you are not eligible.

You must also commit to returning to Pakistan for at least two years after your scholarship ends. This is a core condition of the award, not a formality. Chevening exists to build leadership that returns home, and the return commitment is part of every award.

7. Eligibility Criteria

Chevening checks eligibility before anyone reads your essays. If you fail one rule, your application stops there. The rules below are the confirmed requirements for the 2027-28 cycle. Always confirm the current rules on the official eligibility page before you apply, because details can change between cycles.

• Citizenship: You must be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory. Pakistan qualifies.
• Undergraduate degree: You must hold an undergraduate degree that would qualify you for a UK master’s program, and you must have completed it at least two years before the application deadline. For the 2027-28 cycle, that meant finishing your degree by October 2024.
• Work experience: You need at least 2,800 hours of work experience gained after your undergraduate degree. Chevening describes this as roughly two years of full-time work on a 35-hour week. You can combine up to fifteen employment periods. Full-time work, part-time work, voluntary work, and paid or unpaid internships can all count. Work completed during your degree does not count.
• Course choices: You must list three different eligible UK master’s courses in your application.
• University offer: If you are selected, you must hold an unconditional offer from at least one of your three course choices by the offer deadline. For the 2027-28 cycle, that deadline was 8 July 2027 at 17:00 BST.
• Return commitment: You must agree to return to your home country for at least two years after the award ends.

The 2,800-hour rule catches many applicants out. Two calendar years of work does not automatically mean 2,800 hours. If you worked 20 hours a week for two years, you have about 2,080 hours and you are still short. Add up your hours from exact start and end dates before you apply, and keep payslips or employer letters that prove the dates and hours.

8. English Language Requirements

Chevening removed its own English language requirement in 2020, so you do not need an IELTS score for the Chevening application itself. That is one of the reasons the program is popular with Pakistani applicants.

Your chosen universities set their own English requirements, and most will ask for IELTS or an equivalent test before they give you an unconditional offer. Check the English requirement for each of your three courses early, and book your test in time. A strong IELTS score also helps your university applications even when Chevening does not ask for one.

9. Required Documents

Chevening asks for documents in two stages. At the application stage, you fill in the online form: personal details, education history, work history with exact dates and hours, your three course choices, and four essay answers. You also name two referees. You do not upload degree certificates or reference letters at this stage.

If you are shortlisted for an interview, you must upload your documents to the online system at least seven working days before your interview. The documents are:

• Photo ID, such as a valid passport or national identity card.
• Your undergraduate degree certificate or diploma.
• Reference letters from your two referees.

References matter more than most applicants expect. Choose referees who know your work well and can write about your leadership in their own words. Tell them early that Chevening may contact them, and make sure they can respond in time. A late reference can end an otherwise strong application.

10. Selection Criteria

Chevening assesses every eligible application against four qualities, which match the four essay questions: leadership and influence, networking, studying in the UK, and your career plan. The reading committees look for clear evidence in each area, not general claims. A strong application shows what you actually did, what changed because of it, and what you plan to do next.

The selection runs in stages. First, applications are sifted against the eligibility rules. Then independent reading committees assess the eligible applications. British embassies and high commissions then shortlist candidates for interview. At the interview, a panel tests the same four qualities in person and checks that your documents support your claims. Final results follow in June, and selected candidates must hold an unconditional university offer by the July deadline.

11. How to Apply – Step by Step

There is no paper form and no agent route. Every Chevening application goes through the official online system. Follow the steps below.

1. Check your eligibility against the official rules, and add up your work experience hours from exact dates.
2. Research UK master’s courses and pick three eligible options that fit your career plan. Check each course’s entry requirements and English language rules. The British Council’s Study UK site is a useful place to search courses and universities.
3. Draft your four essay answers outside the portal first: leadership and influence, networking, studying in the UK, and your career plan. Write in your own words. Chevening prohibits using generative AI tools to write your essay answers.
4. Go to the official apply page, select Pakistan, and create your account in the online application system.
5. Fill in the form: personal details, education, work history with hours, course choices, and your essays. Name your two referees.
6. Review every section, then submit before the deadline. For the 2027-28 cycle, the portal closed at 11:00 UTC on 6 October 2026, which was 4:00 PM in Pakistan. The system shuts at that exact time, and late applications are not accepted.
7. Save your confirmation email and your unique access code. You will need the code to log in and track your application.
8. If you are shortlisted in mid-February, upload your documents at least seven working days before your interview, and prepare for the interview in March or April.

Apply early in the window. The portal gets very busy in the final days, and Chevening does not extend the deadline for technical problems on your side.

12. Deadline

The 2027-28 Chevening cycle is closed. Here is the confirmed timeline for that cycle, published on the official Chevening timeline page.

Stage	Date
Applications open	4 August 2026, 11:00 UTC
Applications close	6 October 2026, 11:00 UTC (4:00 PM Pakistan time)
Eligibility sift	From October 2026
Reading committee assessments	Mid-October 2026 to January 2027
Interview shortlist announced	Mid-February 2027
Interviews	March to April 2027
Results announced	From mid-June 2027
Unconditional offer deadline	8 July 2027, 17:00 BST
Studies begin	September/October 2027

The next cycle, for 2028-29 entry, has not been announced yet. Based on the pattern of past cycles, applications are expected to open in August 2027, but Chevening has not confirmed any date. Do not plan around a specific day until the official call is published. Check the official application timeline page for the announcement, and treat any date on a third-party site as a guess until the official page confirms it.

Check every date and rule on the official Chevening website before you apply. The official apply page is chevening.org/apply, and the full selection timeline is on the official application timeline page.

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