Four Canadians Win 2026 Chevening Scholarships

The British High Commission in Ottawa has named four Canadians as winners of the 2026 Chevening Scholarship, sending them to leading UK universities for fully funded master’s study. According to the UK Government announcement, the new cohort is Amy Topshee, Eliza Yadav, Dea De Jarisco and Ana Maria Lleras. If you have seen the name Chevening before and wondered why it carries so much weight, this is the useful place to start. Chevening is the UK Government’s global scholarship programme, aimed at postgraduate students who show strong academic records, professional promise and a clear interest in public impact.

What makes Chevening stand out is the scale of the support. The UK Government says the award covers tuition, accommodation, travel and living costs for an eligible master’s degree, and it also opens the door to academic events, professional contacts and a large alumni network. **What this means:** this is not a small bursary that only trims fees. It is built so scholars can focus on study, build relationships and return home with new knowledge, new contacts and, in many cases, a stronger route into public leadership.

There is also a bigger story here about why governments pay for international study. Chevening is funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with support from partner organisations and universities, so it works as both an education scheme and a diplomatic one. When scholars spend a year in the UK and then go back into public service, law, policy, business or research at home, they carry those relationships with them. For readers trying to make sense of official language about future leaders and opinion formers, the plain-English version is simple. Governments often fund study abroad because they want long-term ties with people who may later help shape public decisions. In this case, the announcement also fits the wider UK-Canada relationship that the British High Commission says covers business, defence, climate, science, education and culture.

The subjects chosen by this year’s Canadian scholars tell you a lot about the kinds of work Chevening backs. Amy Topshee, who grew up in a Canadian military family and has worked in both the BC Legislature and the House of Commons, will study international relations at King’s College London before returning to Canada to study law at McGill University. Her background in climate security and defence points to one of the programme’s recurring themes: public service shaped by global risk. Eliza Yadav’s path sits nearby but with a more technical focus. The Government of Canada national security practitioner, whose work includes cyber threat assessment, is set to study public policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. Her planned focus on AI-enabled conflict, security strategy and technology competition shows how scholarships like this increasingly sit where politics and digital technology meet.

Dea De Jarisco brings a different part of the public sector into view. Based in Victoria and working as a senior product manager with the Government of British Columbia, she has spent more than a decade in public service, linking design, policy and technology. She will study future governance at the University of Edinburgh, with a stated interest in governance innovation and the responsible use of AI. Ana Maria Lleras, an economist and policy analyst working on financial sector issues, will also head to Edinburgh, where she plans to study finance, technology and policy. Her work, including support for women in the public service through Finance Canada’s Women’s Network, reflects another Chevening pattern: these awards are often given to people already active in institutions, but looking for deeper specialist training before taking on larger roles.

Two of the awards also show how public programmes are often part-funded by outside partners. The British High Commission says Dea De Jarisco received the Chevening-ATCO Scholarship, backed for a third straight year by Calgary-based energy company ATCO. Eliza Yadav will study with support from the Chevening-Briggs Scholarship, funded by British entrepreneur and philanthropist David Briggs. That matters because these named scholarships are not random add-ons. The ATCO route is aimed at study linked to the energy transition, sustainability, prosperous communities, Indigenous relations, equitable partnerships, affordable housing or community spaces. The Briggs scholarship gives strong preference to high-quality applicants from Métis, Inuit and First Nation communities, showing how a large umbrella scheme can also focus on specific social and policy priorities.

Chevening has been running since 1983, and the UK Government says more than 60,000 professionals from over 160 countries and territories have taken part. The name comes from Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent, now used as the joint official residence of the UK Foreign Secretary. That detail may sound ceremonial, but it tells you something important: this is a state programme, built to connect education with international relationships. Seen that way, the Canadian announcement is more than a round of congratulations. **What it means:** the scholars’ subjects - security, cyber threats, ethical AI, governance reform and financial technology - show the kinds of skills public institutions expect to matter over the next decade.

For anyone hoping to apply, the timing matters. The UK Government says applications for the 2027-28 Chevening Scholarships are now open and will close on 6 October 2026. The scheme mainly funds one-year taught master’s degrees at UK universities, and the official guidance asks applicants to show leadership potential, academic ability and a plan to use what they learn back home. The British High Commission in Ottawa will hold a farewell reception for this year’s scholars in September before they leave for the UK. For readers, the clearest takeaway is simple: Chevening is not only about paying for a degree. It is about who gets trained, what they study, and how countries try to build influence through education as much as through politics.