The U.K. government has announced a one-year suspension of several short-term fellowships under the esteemed Chevening programme, which is designed for mid-career professionals. Specifically, the Chevening Research, Science and Innovation Leadership Fellowship (CRISP), the Chevening Cyber Security Fellowship, and the Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme (SAJP) will not be offered for the 2027-28 period. This decision has been attributed to various factors, including capacity constraints and the need for cost-cutting measures.
Chevening Fellowships to Temporarily Halt
The Chevening CRISP and Chevening Cyber Security Fellowships will be paused for one year, as announced by sources familiar with the matter. This decision is part of a broader review aimed at enhancing the fellowship portfolio.
Political Context
The Gurukul Fellowship, also hosted at the University of Oxford, is a 12-week programme targeting mid-career Indian professionals across sectors, including government, media, and civil society. Parliament in 2023. Parliament said that Chevening’s 60,000-strong alumni community includes 22 current or former heads of state or government, about 15% alumni hold prominent positions in government, and 10 are currently serving as Ambassadors/High Commissioners in the U.K. In 2010, the U.K. government had announced a cut of £10 million from the scholarships budget amidst wider budget cuts, which resulted in the cancellation of several scholarships for 2010-11. From a high of 1,650 Chevening Scholarships awarded in 2017-18, the number has seen a decrease in 2020-21 (1,630 scholarships), 2021-22 (1,396), 2022-23 (1,359), 2023-24 (1,332), and 2024-25 (1,401), according to data tabled in the U.K.
“We expect to provide an update on the Chevening Gurukul Fellowship (September-November 2027) cohort by early November 2026, and are currently exploring sponsorship opportunities for this programme too,” sources said. “Through corporate partner income and university partnerships, Chevening receives between £6-7 million annually, funding 22% of scholars,” the U.K.’s then Secretary of State for the FCDO stated in a policy paper presented in the U.K. “Many of the Chevening’s alumni are in positions of influence, and they form a valuable network for furthering His Majesty’s Government’s objectives,” a policy paper on the programme states.
The Chevening programmes function as an instrument of soft diplomacy for the U.K. By selecting high-potential international professionals to study in the U.K. on the FCDO’s fully-funded programme, the U.K. government aims to cultivate influential global networks that advance British foreign policy interests. A statement made to the U.K. Parliament.
