7 Bengalureans off to the UK on Chevening Scholarships

Bengaluru, 9 August 2019: The British Deputy High Commission in Bengaluru held a pre-departure briefing for seven Bengaluru-based scholars who will study in the UK for their one-year Master’s degree on a Chevening Scholarship provided by the UK government.

Chevening Scholarships offer full financial support for one year to candidates applying for a Master’s degree at any UK university – covering nearly 12,000 courses from more than 150 universities. Nationally, 45 scholars (25 men and 20 women) have been chosen this year for the Masters’ scholarships. Their preferred courses range from governance, urban planning, sustainability, social anthropology, theatre, human rights, special education, among a host of subjects. Abhishek Mohanty, Gitika Saksena, Ujwala Subba Rao, Madhusudhan Ramesh, Ritumoni Sonowal, Santhosh S.L. and Aruna Chandrasekhar attended the pre-departure briefing hosted by British Deputy High Commissioner Dominic McAllister on Friday. Priyanka Varma, a Chevening alum, shared her Chevening experience in the UK with the current cohort.

 Mr. McAllister said on Friday: “Chevening offers a unique and exciting opportunity to the most brilliant minds of India to come and study in the UK. I am proud to say that the India Chevening country programme is the largest in the world and has produced more than 3,000 scholars and fellows since 1983. The programme shows our commitment to developing future leaders and strengthening the UK and India’s living bridge, sharing the best of what our two countries have to offer. There are over 100 Chevening alumni in Karnataka. I encourage any ambitious young leaders and experienced professionals to apply.”

During the pre-departure, Mr. McAllister announced that the application window for the Chevening Scholarship and Fellowship programmes for the year 2020-21 is now open. Applications are invited for both the one-year masters, and the shorter fellowship programmes. Chevening Fellowships run for 8-12 weeks and offer professional development and networking opportunities in specified thematic areas, including science and innovation, cyber security, journalism, and financial services.

HOW TO BECOME A CHEVENER?

• Applicants to Chevening Scholarshipsmust have a minimum two years of work experience and a strong academic background. The deadline to apply is 5 November 2019.

• Applicants to Chevening Fellowships must have 7-10 years of work experience. Fellowships on offer are: South Asian Journalism Fellowship, Science and Innovation Leadership Fellowship, Cyber Security Fellowship, Financial Services Fellowships, and Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence. The deadline to apply is 9 October 2019 (except for the Gurukul Fellowship, which will open in December 2019).
• Globally, almost 1,800 Chevening scholarships were awarded in 2019-20. Today, there are over 50,000 Chevening alumni around the world, comprising an influential and highly regarded global network.