Chevening Scholarships for Vietnamese Students

Overview

Chevening is the flagship scholarship scheme of the British Government. The Chevening scholarship programme in Vietnam, funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and our co-sponsors, offers the opportunity for talented Vietnamese professionals from across the country to pursue postgraduate studies in the UK. The programme aims to encourage potential leaders and influential figures of the future to develop personally and academically and to bring benefits to Vietnam on their return. Over the past 18 years more than 250 Vietnamese nationals have benefitted from Chevening scholarships

2012/13 Chevening Scholarship Programme

The British Embassy is now accepting application for the 2012/13 Chevening scholarship programme. All applications must be submitted on-line through E-Chevening by 23 January 2012 .Further details about Chevening scholarships and the application process are set out below

What kind of courses can be studied under a Chevening Scholarship?

Chevening scholarships are awarded for one year Master degrees at United Kingdom universities and other professional institutions. Chevening scholarships are not applicable for PhDs, undergraduate studies or professional courses (e.g. ACCA, RIBA, ICSA etc) nor are they awarded for studies outside the UK, for distance learning or for part-time studies.
The 2012/13 Chevening Scholarship Programme in Vietnam will be closely aligned with the seven key areas of cooperation set out in the UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership:

Political and diplomatic cooperation
Global and regional issues
Trade and investment
Sustainable socio-economic development
Education, training, science and technology
Security and defence
People to people links

More information about the Strategic Partnership is available on the British Embassy website.

What costs are covered by a Chevening Scholarship?

A full scholarship will cover the cost for a UK visa, a return air ticket to the UK, all tuition fees (not exceeding £12,000 per year), and a monthly stipend and allowances. Candidates wishing to study a course with academic fees exceeding £12,000 per year should expect to part-fund their study.

Who can apply?

The Chevening programme in Vietnam is open to Vietnamese nationals. We offer scholarships to individuals from the private and public sectors and from non-governmental organisations. We encourage applications from all provinces of Vietnam. We are committed to a policy of equality of opportunity and welcome applications from candidates who reflect the full diversity of Vietnamese society, including ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities. We will offer support for individuals with specific needs through the application process and, if successful, beyond.

Candidates should have a good academic record. Only candidates with an “excellent” (giỏi or xuất sắc) or “very good” (khá) first degree will be considered.

Candidates should be able to show they have potential to rise to a high level in their careers and to contribute to the wider development of Vietnam. Employees of the British Embassy, British Council or the Department for International Development in Vietnam, including those who left those offices less than two years ago, are not eligible to apply.

Candidates must already have a high standard of English to enable them to cope with post-graduate study in the UK. This means an IELTS (International English Language Testing System) score of at least 6.5 (TOEFL equivalent 600).

Candidates will be selected strictly on merit against the above criteria and no other considerations will apply. There are no minimum or maximum age limits for the scholarships, provided the other application criteria are met. There are also no quotas for candidates from any particular organisation, company or government department. Candidates must undertake to return to Vietnam once the course, or any reasonable extension of the course, has been completed.

Which universities can Chevening candidates apply to?

There is no restriction on which UK university a candidate can apply to.

Candidates are strongly advised to secure a confirmed place at a UK university before interview. Those invited to interview will be asked to give strong reasons for their final choice of university and subject of study.

Candidates should study the online prospectuses of UK universities available at Education UK website (www.educationuk.org/vietnam) and start applying for places on courses immediately - before submitting their Chevening application.

The British Embassy and the Cambridge Overseas Trust are working together to offer up to two Vietnam Chevening Cambridge Scholarships, tenable only at the University of Cambridge. The award is targeted at students who meet the Chevening criteria, and who can fulfil the rigorous admission criteria of the University of Cambridge.

Application process

All applications must be made on-line via E- Chevening. The revised closing date for applications is 23 January 2012. Candidates should complete the online application forms in full. Incomplete forms will be rejected.

Part F of the form asks about the candidate's choice of course and university. Candidates are strongly advised to secure a confirmed place at a UK University before interview. Those invited to interview will be asked to give strong reasons for their final choice of university and subject of study.

Part H of the form asks for reasons for the candidate's choice of course, how the candidate intends to ‘make a difference’ on their return to Vietnam, and their leadership potential. These sections are particularly important and will be discussed during the interviews for those who are shortlisted. They should be completed as fully as possible but not more than 1,000 words. Applications exceeding this word limit may be rejected

If you are shortlisted for an interview you will need to submit hard copies of the following papers to Ms Tran Thi Hong Gam, British Council, 20 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho Dist, Hanoi:

copies of relevant academic certificates and transcripts, with certified English translations
two (2) letters of reference (both of which should be professional or academic), with certified translations into English
copies of IELTS or TOEFL report forms
completed medical declaration form (Health Declaration Form [Word, New window, 40.5 KB])
a copy of an offer letter from a UK university (if available)

Selection procedure

The British Embassy and British Council will screen application forms and draw up a shortlist of candidates. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Indicative timeline for applications:

23 January 2012deadline for completion online application

24 February 2011shortlisted candidates contacted for interviews

2 March 2012submission of required documents by shortlisted applicants

5-9 March 2012provisional dates for interviews

23 March 2012successful candidates notified

Further Information

Any queries about the selection process should be directed to Ms Tran Thi Hong Gam from Monday to Friday, afternoons only, tel: (04) 37281938 at the British Council in Hanoi.

For comprehensive information about UK universities and institutions, please visit at the Education UK website.

http://ukinvietnam.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/our-embassy/contact-us

Please quote Scholarization.blogspot.com on your application when applying for this scholarship