8 Argentine Chevening Scholars Head to UK Universities
On Thursday 27 August 2026, British Ambassador to Argentina David Cairns said farewell to eight Argentine professionals who are about to spend a year studying in the United Kingdom through the Chevening scholarship programme. In the UK government’s announcement, the send-off is described as more than a formal goodbye: it is a reminder that education can connect countries as well as classrooms. For readers new to Chevening, that matters. This is not simply a prize for good grades. It is a fully funded route into postgraduate study for people seen as having leadership potential, which means the story is as much about public life and future influence as it is about university admissions.
In his remarks, Cairns congratulated the scholars and drew attention to the range of subjects they have chosen, from criminology and digital policy to environmental humanities and law. The message from the embassy was clear: the strength of the group lies in its variety, not in everyone studying the same thing. That is also why the ambassador’s point about a community linking Argentina and the United Kingdom through education, leadership and friendship matters. **What this means:** Chevening is built to create networks that last beyond one academic year. The degree is important, but so are the relationships formed around it.
If you have ever wondered why governments fund international scholarships, this is the simple answer. Sometimes this is called scholarship diplomacy. Put plainly, people study abroad, learn in a new setting, and often return home with new contacts, new skills and a closer understanding of another country. For Argentina and the UK, that can shape future work in policy, media, justice, development and the environment. A scholarship therefore does two jobs at once. It supports an individual student, and it helps create long-term ties between institutions, professions and public debate.
The UK government says Chevening in Argentina allows applicants with leadership potential to take a graduate programme at a British university of their choice with all expenses covered. That point is worth pausing on, because cost is often the barrier that keeps talented people out of overseas study. There is also an important date detail here. The eight scholars in this announcement are the 2026-2027 recipients, while applications for the 2027-2028 academic year opened on 4 August 2026 and close on 6 October 2026. Applications are being taken through the Chevening in Argentina page, so this farewell event arrives at the same moment the next cohort is being selected.
The new scholars are Ezequiel Barnade, who will read an MPhil in Criminology at the University of Cambridge; Fernando Desteffaniz, who is heading to SOAS, University of London for an MSc in Public Policy and Management; Joaquin Herrero, who will study an MPhil in Digital Policy at the University of Cambridge; and Pilar Moreyra, who will take an LLM at King’s College London. They are joined by Iara Mossayebeh, who will study MSc Media Communications (Data and Society) at the London School of Economics and Political Science; Federico Pellegrino, who will read an MSc in Political Economy of Late Development at the same university; Macarena Santolaria, who is set for an MPA in Innovation, Public Policy and Public Value at University College London; and Lucía Wolaniuk, who will study an MA in Environmental Humanities at the University of Bristol.
What stands out in that list is not just prestige, though universities such as Cambridge, LSE, UCL and King’s College London are plainly well known. It is the spread of interests: crime, media, development, law, public policy and the environment all appear here, which tells you something about the sort of change-makers Chevening wants to support. For The Common Room, the bigger lesson is straightforward. When you read a scholarship story like this, you are looking at education, opportunity and international relations all at once. Eight people are leaving for postgraduate study, but the wider hope is that what they learn will travel back with them, and that the connection between Argentina and the UK will grow stronger because of it.