The three-course rule
Chevening states plainly that your application must list three courses, and that all three must be courses eligible for a Chevening Scholarship. They must also be three different master's courses. This is a requirement of the application itself, not a suggestion.
You apply separately to each university for each course. Chevening is explicit that your Chevening application does not constitute an application to your chosen courses. Submitting the scholarship form does nothing to secure you a place on the course. You must run the two processes side by side.
What makes a course eligible
The page sets out the criteria for an eligible course. Only courses that are:
- UK-based
- full-time
- starting in the autumn term
- leading to a taught master's qualification
are eligible for a Chevening Scholarship. Only courses that meet these criteria appear in the finder. Ineligible courses are not shown in the search results at all, which is why a course you know exists may not appear.
Note the last point carefully: the qualification must be a taught master's. If you are looking at a research degree, a part-time route or a course with a January or spring start, it falls outside what this page describes as eligible.
Using the course finder
The course information in the finder is supplied by Postgrad Solutions. Chevening says the data is regularly updated but, because course offerings at universities change, it may not always be 100 per cent accurate at the time you search. Candidates are responsible for checking that the courses they list meet the criteria for Chevening funding.
Chevening also says the Secretariat completes final checks on the courses candidates have selected after the interview period. Any course that does not meet the criteria will be deemed ineligible. In other words, a course appearing in the finder is not the end of the matter, and the final decision sits with the Secretariat.
You are also advised to check individual university websites for more information.
If your course seems to be missing
Chevening notes that most 'missing' courses are in fact already in the database. Before submitting a missing course report, it asks you to:
- Search for the name of the course, not the name of the department or faculty.
- Check that you have spelled the course name correctly.
- Look beyond the first page of results. Courses at Chevening Partner universities and advertisers appear first in alphabetic order, so you may need to search further pages or refine your search.
Only if you have followed these steps and are still sure the course is missing should you submit a missing course report.
What this page does not tell you
This text does not state the value of a Chevening Scholarship, what it covers, the application deadline, the number of awards, or which nationalities are eligible. It does not mention Nigeria, Africa, developing countries or international students as a group. Because the award text does not list eligible nationalities, you should check the current eligibility rules with Chevening before you build your plans around this award.
It also does not describe the academic or English language requirements, the work experience requirement, or the documents you will need. Those belong to other Chevening pages.
What to prepare now
Even without the funding details, this page gives you concrete work to do. Build a shortlist of taught master's courses that are UK-based, full-time and autumn-starting, and check each one against the eligibility criteria yourself rather than relying on the finder alone. Confirm the exact course title as the university gives it, because that is the name you must search and list.
Then apply to those universities separately and on their own timelines. A Chevening application does not do that for you, and a course offer is a separate matter from the scholarship.
Finally, read Chevening's own scholarship pages for the deadline, the funding terms and the nationality rules, since this course finder page does not carry them.
