Nigerian graduates seeking a fully funded master’s degree in the United Kingdom can now apply for the 2027–2028 Chevening Scholarship, with successful candidates receiving support for tuition, travel, visa expenses and living costs.
Applications opened on August 4, 2026, and will close at 11:00 a.m. UTC on October 6, 2026, equivalent to 12:00 noon in Nigeria.
Chevening is the United Kingdom Government’s international scholarship programme, financed by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and participating organisations. It enables emerging leaders from eligible countries to complete a one-year taught master’s programme at a UK university.
Applications are free and must be submitted through the official Chevening portal. Chevening does not authorise agents or individuals to collect application fees.
What the Chevening Scholarship Covers
A standard Chevening Scholarship normally provides:
- Payment of tuition fees
- Economy travel between the recipient’s country of residence and the UK
- UK student-visa application fee for the scholar
- Monthly allowance for accommodation and other living expenses
- Arrival allowance
- Departure allowance
- Travel top-up allowance
- Contribution of up to £75 towards compulsory tuberculosis testing
Monthly living allowances vary depending on whether the scholar studies in London or elsewhere in the UK and are reviewed periodically.
Applicants considering an MBA should note that Chevening’s contribution towards MBA tuition is capped at £22,000. A successful candidate may have to finance any balance not covered by the university or another approved funding source.
The complete funding provisions are available in the official Chevening scholarship terms.
Who Can Apply From Nigeria?
To qualify for the 2027–2028 scholarship, a Nigerian applicant must:
- Be a citizen of Nigeria or another Chevening-eligible country
- Be resident in an ODA-eligible country when applying under an ODA-country award
- Hold an undergraduate degree that qualifies the applicant for admission to a UK master’s programme
- Have completed the undergraduate degree by October 2024
- Possess at least 2,800 hours of work experience obtained after completing the undergraduate degree
- Select three eligible UK master’s courses
- Obtain an unconditional offer from at least one selected course by July 8, 2027
- Agree to return to the country of award for at least two years after completing the scholarship
There is no upper age limit. Applicants who already hold a master’s degree may apply for another master’s programme, provided they meet the remaining requirements.
Candidates can confirm their status through the official Chevening eligibility guidance.
Work Experience Requirements
Applicants need at least 2,800 hours of post-graduation work experience, accumulated over a minimum of two years.
Chevening accepts several forms of experience, including:
- Full-time employment
- Part-time employment
- Voluntary service
- Paid internships
- Unpaid internships
- Remote work
Applicants may enter as many as 15 separate periods of employment in the application system. The portal calculates qualifying hours by multiplying the number of weeks worked by the average weekly hours.
Experience gained before completing an undergraduate degree does not count towards the requirement. Applicants who will reach 2,800 hours only after the October deadline are not eligible for the current cycle.
The calculation rules are explained on Chevening’s work-experience page.
Who Cannot Apply?
An applicant will generally be ineligible if the person:
- Holds British or dual British citizenship, subject to limited exceptions
- Currently resides in the UK
- Previously received a Chevening Scholarship
- Previously studied in the UK through another UK Government-funded scholarship
- Is an employee, recent former employee or immediate relative of an employee of specified UK government departments, the British Council or participating partner organisations
- Cannot meet the post-graduation work-experience requirement
- Is unwilling to return home for at least two years after the award
Former Chevening Fellowship recipients may apply for a scholarship only after the required waiting period specified by the programme.
Choosing Three Eligible UK Courses
Every applicant must name three eligible master’s courses in the Chevening application.
Each course must:
- Be based in the United Kingdom
- Be studied full-time
- Begin during the autumn term, normally in September or October
- Last between nine and 12 months
- Lead to a taught master’s qualification
Part-time, distance-learning, PhD, DPhil and research-focused MRes programmes are not eligible. A course involving more than one month of study outside the UK will also normally be excluded.
Applicants can choose three related courses at the same institution, but Chevening recommends selecting similar programmes at three different universities. This improves the possibility of securing at least one admission offer while demonstrating a consistent career objective.
The choices should be made carefully because applicants generally cannot change them after submitting their scholarship application without specific permission.
Eligible programmes can be checked through the Chevening course finder. Applicants should also verify the course structure, entry requirements and deadlines on each university’s official website.
Scholarship and University Applications Are Separate
Submitting a Chevening application does not amount to applying for university admission.
Candidates must complete two separate processes:
- Apply for the Chevening Scholarship through its online system.
- Apply directly to each selected UK university.
Applicants do not have to possess university offers before submitting the scholarship application in October. However, they should begin applying to their selected universities early enough to meet admission deadlines and resolve any outstanding conditions.
A successful scholarship candidate must submit at least one unconditional offer from one of the three approved course choices by 5:00 p.m. UK time on July 8, 2027.
An applicant who does not secure an offer from any of the three selected courses cannot substitute another programme at the end of the process and will lose eligibility for the award.
Guidance on university applications is available on the Chevening university-application page.
Information Required for the Initial Application
Applicants should prepare the following information before starting:
- Valid email address and accessible telephone number
- Personal and citizenship details
- Educational history
- Complete post-graduation work history
- Three eligible UK master’s course choices
- Names, positions and contact details of two referees
- Original responses to the four Chevening essay questions
The essays assess:
- Leadership and influence
- Professional relationship-building
- Reasons for selecting the proposed course
- Short-, medium- and long-term career plans
Strong answers should contain specific examples, explain the applicant’s personal contribution and identify measurable results. For the course question, applicants should connect particular modules or learning opportunities to the challenges they intend to address after returning home.
Chevening currently identifies four broad priority areas:
- Promoting economic growth and prosperity
- Building resilience to climate-related challenges
- Strengthening security and stability
- Advancing inclusive and effective development
Applicants can study outside these areas, but they must clearly explain how the proposed training supports their career plans and will create meaningful impact.
The programme’s assessment standards are outlined in the official application criteria.
Documents Needed at the Interview Stage
Applicants are not required to upload every supporting document during the initial submission. Candidates invited for an interview must provide the required records at least seven working days before their scheduled interview.
These include:
- Passport or another acceptable national photo identity document
- Official undergraduate degree certificate showing the degree and grade
- Two reference letters
Chevening states that an undergraduate transcript cannot replace the degree certificate.
Applicants must initially provide the names and contact details of two referees. The referees may be:
- Two professional referees
- Two academic referees
- One professional and one academic referee
A referee should know the candidate in a professional, academic, supervisory or voluntary capacity. Friends and relatives should not be used.
Chevening will not obtain the letters on behalf of applicants. Shortlisted candidates must collect and upload the references themselves. Letters not written in English must be accompanied by the original and a notarised English translation.
Detailed requirements are available in the official reference guidance.
Chevening’s 2027–2028 Selection Timeline
The principal stages are:
- August 4, 2026: Applications opened
- October 6, 2026: Applications close at 11:00 a.m. UTC
- From October 2026: Eligibility screening begins
- Mid-October 2026 to January 2027: Independent assessment of eligible applications
- Mid-February 2027: Shortlisted candidates are invited for interviews
- March to April 2027: Interviews take place at British embassies and high commissions
- From mid-June 2027: Interview results are released
- July 8, 2027: Deadline to upload at least one unconditional university offer
- September or October 2027: Successful scholars begin their studies in the UK
Candidates can monitor the dates through the official application timeline.
How Nigerians Can Apply
Applicants should follow these steps:
- Visit the Chevening Nigeria scholarship page.
- Read the eligibility requirements and complete the eligibility check.
- Select the Nigerian scholarship opportunity and enter the online application system.
- Register with an email address and Nigerian telephone number.
- Record the unique access code generated by the system.
- Enter education, employment and referee information.
- Select three eligible UK master’s programmes.
- Write the four required essays in English.
- Review every section and confirm it is marked complete.
- Accept the programme conditions and submit before noon Nigerian time on October 6.
Applicants should save the unique access code securely. It will be required when they return to the application system. Chevening also provides an SMS-based recovery option using the telephone number registered by the applicant.
The full submission process is explained in the online application-system guide.
Important Warning About AI-Generated Applications
Chevening expressly prohibits applicants from using artificial intelligence software to generate their application answers.
Candidates must confirm during submission that their responses were not generated by AI. Chevening says it uses systems to identify fraud, plagiarism and AI-produced content, and applications that violate the rule can be disqualified.
Applicants may research the scholarship requirements online, but their essays must be written personally and reflect their authentic experiences, decisions and ambitions.
Copying the applications of previous scholars, purchasing essays or paying an agent to prepare answers could also result in rejection.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid:
- Submitting after the October 6 deadline
- Counting work completed before graduation
- Selecting an ineligible or excessively long course
- Choosing unrelated courses without explaining the career connection
- Assuming the scholarship application also serves as a university application
- Providing vague leadership claims without evidence or results
- Naming friends or relatives as referees
- Uploading a transcript instead of an undergraduate certificate when shortlisted
- Using copied or AI-generated essay responses
- Paying an agent for a process that is officially free
- Waiting until July 2027 before seeking university admission
The programme has published additional guidance on common application errors.
Competition for Chevening is substantial, and meeting the basic conditions does not guarantee selection. Applicants who can demonstrate credible leadership, effective professional relationships, carefully researched course choices and a realistic plan for contributing to Nigeria after graduation will be better positioned during the assessment process.