KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The United Kingdom has reopened its prestigious Chevening scholarship program for Afghan applicants for the 2025-26 academic year, following months of suspension.
In a statement on Thursday, November 14, Chevening announced the reopening of the scholarship program, inviting Afghan applicants to submit applications until January 2, 2025.
The statement highlighted changes in the eligibility criteria from last year, now requiring applicants to be both citizens and residents of Afghanistan in addition to meeting the general eligibility requirements.
The scholarship for the 2025 intake opened as usual to other countries in August, but applications from Afghanistan remained closed until this announcement.
Following the suspension of the scholarship, over 50 Afghan alumni sent a letter to the UK government seeking clarification, stating that the suspension has caused “significant anxiety” within the Afghan community, particularly as the Taliban has barred women from attending universities in Afghanistan.
Funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), the Chevening Scholarship has been operating since 1983, identifying “future leaders, influencers, and decision-makers” across over 160 countries.
In addition to covering tuition fees, the scholarship also includes travel expenses, a monthly stipend, and other allowances to support living costs while in the UK.
The program selects approximately 25 applicants from Afghanistan each year and has granted over 360 scholarships to Afghan students since 1990.
However, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 has impacted the Chevening program, like other educational opportunities, leading the program to accept applications from Afghan citizens only if they were outside the country.
The reopening of the Chevening Scholarship comes amidst the Taliban’s ongoing and severe restrictions on schools, universities, and other institutions, including the ban on girls attending secondary schools and higher education, as well as limiting access to certain subjects.
The Taliban authorities have also removed many modern and essential subjects, such as mathematics, science, English language, computer, and social studies, from several institutions across the country, replacing them with religious subjects.
