Applications are open for the 2027–2028 Chevening Scholarship, the UK Government’s fully funded international scholarship programme.
Eligible Nigerians have until 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC, equivalent to 12 noon West Africa Time, to submit an online application.
The programme allows successful candidates to complete an eligible one-year master’s degree in the United Kingdom.
It could be relevant to experienced National Open University of Nigeria graduates planning postgraduate study abroad. However, applicants should check two important rules before investing time in the application:
- Undergraduate studies must have been completed at least two years before the application deadline.
- The required 2,800 hours of work experience must have been acquired after completing the undergraduate degree.
These conditions mean that current NOUN undergraduates and many recent graduates will not qualify for the 2027–2028 cycle.
What the scholarship provides
Chevening describes its scholarship as fully funded.
It is designed to support eligible emerging leaders undertaking a one-year master’s degree in the UK while also providing access to academic, professional and international networks.
Applicants should consult the terms associated with their eventual award rather than assuming that every personal expense will be reimbursed.
Those selecting an MBA should note that Chevening currently applies a £22,000 tuition-fee cap to MBA programmes. Any amount above that cap must be covered by the scholar.
Can NOUN graduates apply?
Chevening does not publish a separate rule excluding open and distance learning graduates.
Its academic requirement is that the applicant possesses an undergraduate degree that qualifies them for admission to an eligible UK master’s programme.
A NOUN graduate may therefore be considered if:
- The applicant satisfies all Chevening eligibility rules.
- The degree meets the admission requirements of the selected UK universities.
- The undergraduate programme was completed within the required timeframe.
- The applicant has sufficient eligible post-graduation work experience.
- The selected master’s courses satisfy Chevening’s course rules.
NOUN graduation by itself does not guarantee eligibility, university admission, shortlisting or a scholarship.
Each UK university will independently assess an applicant’s qualification, grades, documents and any programme-specific conditions.
The two-year degree-completion rule
For this application cycle, applicants must have finished their undergraduate studies at least two years before the scholarship application deadline.
Because the deadline is 6 October 2026, an applicant should carefully verify the date on which undergraduate studies were officially completed.
Chevening says an applicant may apply without having physically received the degree certificate, provided the undergraduate programme was completed within the required period. The certificate will, however, be needed by the interview stage.
Current final-year students should not submit an application on the assumption that they can graduate before the proposed UK course begins. The eligibility test applies to when undergraduate studies were completed, not merely to when the master’s programme will commence.
Work experience must come after the degree
Applicants need at least two years of qualifying experience, calculated by Chevening as 2,800 hours.
Under the current eligibility criteria, those hours must have been obtained after completing the undergraduate degree.
This is particularly important for NOUN graduates who worked while studying. Employment performed before the degree was completed should not automatically be counted towards the current post-graduation requirement.
Before applying, create an accurate record containing:
- Employer or organisation.
- Position or role.
- Start and end dates.
- Average weekly hours.
- Main responsibilities.
- Professional or community impact.
- Supervisor or organisational contact where appropriate.
Do not alter dates or inflate weekly hours to reach the threshold. Inaccurate employment information could undermine the entire application.
Other principal eligibility requirements
An applicant must also:
- Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory.
- Show a clear intention to contribute to the country of award.
- Commit to returning to the home country for at least two years after the scholarship ends.
- Apply for three different eligible UK master’s courses.
- Obtain an unconditional offer from at least one selected course by the applicable offer deadline.
- Avoid any citizenship, employment relationship or previous UK-government funding circumstance that creates an official disqualification.
Applicants residing in the UK at the time of application are generally ineligible under the published criteria.
Having an existing master’s degree does not automatically prevent a candidate from applying for another master’s programme.
Selecting three eligible courses
Applicants must list three eligible master’s courses in the Chevening application.
They may select:
- Three courses at one university.
- Similar courses at different universities.
- Three closely related courses supporting the same career direction.
Chevening recommends choosing similar courses at three different universities to improve the chance of receiving an offer.
Each course must:
- Be full-time.
- Be based in the United Kingdom.
- Begin in the autumn term, normally September or October.
- Lead to a master’s qualification.
- Be a taught master’s programme.
- Last between nine and 12 months.
Courses cannot ordinarily be:
- Part-time.
- Distance-learning programmes.
- Research-focused MRes programmes.
- Shorter than nine months.
- Longer than 12 months.
- PhD or DPhil programmes.
- Programmes involving more than one month of study outside the UK.
A person can hold a NOUN distance-learning degree and still investigate Chevening eligibility, but the proposed UK course itself cannot be a distance-learning programme.
The scholarship application is not a university application
Submitting the Chevening form does not apply to any UK university.
Candidates must apply separately to their three selected courses through the universities’ respective admission systems.
For the current cycle, a successful interview candidate must submit at least one acceptable unconditional offer by 8 July 2027 at 17:00 British Summer Time.
University deadlines may arrive much earlier. Applicants should therefore review admission requirements and begin suitable university applications without waiting for the outcome of the Chevening selection process.
Chevening also warns that course choices generally cannot be changed after submission unless permission is granted during the interview stage.
What applicants should prepare now
Before opening the application form, an eligible graduate should prepare:
- Correct undergraduate completion information.
- An accurate calculation of post-graduation work experience.
- Three carefully researched eligible courses.
- A clear explanation of career goals.
- Examples of leadership and influence.
- Evidence of professional or community impact.
- A realistic plan for applying new knowledge in Nigeria.
- An active personal email address and telephone number.
- A secure record of the unique application-system access code.
The strongest examples will normally explain the applicant’s specific actions, decisions and results rather than relying on job titles or general claims.
Every response should be truthful and written in the applicant’s own voice.
Application timeline
The official timetable currently provides the following milestones:
- Applications opened: 4 August 2026 at 11:00 UTC.
- Applications close: 6 October 2026 at 11:00 UTC.
- Eligibility review: From October 2026.
- Reading-committee assessment: Mid-October 2026 to January 2027.
- Interview shortlist: Mid-February 2027.
- Interviews: March–April 2027.
- Results: From mid-June 2027.
- Unconditional-offer deadline: 8 July 2027 at 17:00 BST.
- UK studies commence: September or October 2027.
For applicants in Nigeria, the application closes at 12 noon on 6 October 2026.
Do not wait until the final hour. Chevening states that applicants will lose access to the online application system after the deadline.
How to apply
- Visit the official Chevening Nigeria page.
- Read the current eligibility criteria in full.
- Confirm the date on which undergraduate studies were completed.
- Calculate only qualifying post-graduation work hours.
- Research three eligible master’s courses.
- Open the application through Chevening’s official system.
- Use a reliable personal email address and telephone number.
- Preserve the unique access code issued by the system.
- Complete every section accurately and personally.
- Review the application before submitting.
- Submit before 12 noon West Africa Time on 6 October 2026.
- Apply separately to the selected universities.
Meeting the minimum criteria does not guarantee progression to the assessment or interview stage.