What Do Scholarship Assessors Look For? Lessons from Chevening

A common question I was asked throughout my university roles was:

“Are there any scholarships I can apply for?”

The answer was usually yes, and I would often point students towards relevant schemes or sources of funding.

Far fewer followed up with the more important question:

“What are scholarship assessors actually looking for?”

Both questions matter. But the second one is often where stronger applications begin.

Scholarships are not just about finding an opportunity. They are about understanding what the scholarship provider is looking for and how to present your experience, goals and potential clearly.

In my experience, it was often the students who went further in their preparation who were able to present themselves more convincingly.

I have also worked for several years as a Regional Assessor for the Chevening Reading Committee, reviewing scholarship applications against Chevening’s global selection criteria. The Reading Committee forms part of the wider selection process, with assessors reviewing applications independently and applying a consistent framework across a large and diverse applicant pool.

My work with Chevening reinforced something I had already seen when supporting students: the strongest applications tend to go beyond listing achievements. They usually show clear evidence, careful reflection and a convincing link between past experience, future plans and the purpose of the award.

For programmes such as Chevening Scholarships, this matters because applicants are not simply being assessed on what they have done. They are being assessed on how clearly they can demonstrate leadership potential, relationship building, course fit and future contribution.

While not every scholarship scheme will use the same criteria, many of the underlying principles are transferable. Most strong applications need to show evidence, clarity of purpose, a convincing fit with the award and a realistic sense of what they hope to contribute. These principles can therefore be adapted when preparing applications for other schemes as well.

Using Chevening as an example, the scoring areas give a useful indication of what strong scholarship applications often need to demonstrate: leadership, relationship building and influence, course fit, and future impact:

Leadership and Influencing

Many applicants describe themselves as leaders, but fewer show this clearly in practice.

Assessors are looking for a specific example that explains the context, the actions taken, the outcome and what was learned.

In my experience, applicants often default to examples from sports teams, study groups or university activities. These can work, but even well-developed answers in these areas are not always sufficient, particularly if the level of challenge, responsibility or impact is limited.

The strongest applications often draw on experience beyond the classroom. This might include professional, voluntary or community-based activity, where they have had to take initiative, work with others and influence outcomes in more complex or less structured environments.

For example, a strong answer might show how someone identified a problem, persuaded others to support a solution, managed disagreement or setbacks, and delivered a clear outcome.

What matters is not the setting, but the level of responsibility, influence and impact demonstrated.

Networking

Another area that is often misunderstood is networking.

Strong applications do not simply state that they have a strong network.

In my experience, some applicants default to saying they have a large social media network or many online connections. However, a list of followers or contacts is not the same as evidence of relationship building.

Instead, stronger applications demonstrate how a professional relationship was formed, how it was maintained, and what outcomes it enabled.

Stronger answers usually focus on a professional relationship that has been developed over time, where there is clear mutual benefit and evidence of ongoing engagement.

This could include collaborating with others, creating opportunities, sharing knowledge or influencing outcomes through relationships.

At a higher level, assessors are also looking for how they will engage with the scholarship community and how they will continue to build and use networks in the future.

Specificity matters here. General statements are far less convincing than clear, practical examples.

Course Choice

A course should not be chosen simply because it appears to fit a scholarship.

It should be chosen because it makes sense for you: your academic interests, your previous experience, your future plans and the contribution you hope to make.

In a scholarship application, the task is then to explain that fit clearly.

For Chevening, course choice is assessed in relation to their wider goals and the challenge or priority they want to address. The course needs to make sense academically, personally and professionally, and they need to show how the knowledge or skills gained will support what they plan to do next.

This means a strong answer needs to show more than interest in a subject or university reputation. It should explain why the course is the right next step, how it builds on what they have already done, and how it supports what they want to do next.

Weaker answers often describe the course in general terms. Stronger answers show fit, direction and application.

In other words, the question is not only:

“Why this course?”

It is also:

“Why this course is for you, and what will it help you do?”

Career Plan

A strong career plan is not just a statement of ambition.

It needs to show a clear connection between their course of study, their medium and long-term goals, and the challenge or priority they want to address in their country or region.

A weaker answer might say: “I want to improve education in my country” or “I want to make a difference.”

A stronger answer would explain the specific issue they want to address, the role they hope to move into after study, how the course will help them get there, and what barriers they may need to navigate.

For Chevening, this means showing not only ambition, but also impact, progression, awareness of context and a practical sense of what needs to happen next.

The plan does not need to be perfect, but it does need to feel considered, credible and connected to the rest of the application.

What links all of these areas is coherence.

While these examples draw on Chevening, the same principles apply across many scholarship providers.

Scholarship assessment is not about ticking boxes. It is about how your experiences fit together, how your choices make sense and how clearly you can articulate your direction.

Strong applicants do not just present achievements. They present a clear, well-evidenced narrative.

Scholarships are very competitive, but there is a structure behind how applications are assessed, and understanding that structure can make a significant difference to how you prepare, position your experience and communicate your plans.

At Apply UK, I work with students to take a structured approach to scholarship applications alongside their wider university plans. This includes identifying relevant experience, strengthening how it is presented and building a clear, coherent application strategy.

If you are considering UK study and want to understand how to position yourself more effectively for scholarships, you can learn more about the advisory services or arrange a discovery call.