Five women from Karnataka selected for UK master’s courses on Chevening scholarships

Five women from Karnataka have been selected to pursue masters in the UK on scholarships through the Chevening programme. Here are all the details.

Published on: Aug 9, 2025, 12:57:49 IST

By Yamini C S, Bengaluru

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In a landmark moment for higher education and gender empowerment, five women graduates from Karnataka have been awarded fully funded scholarships to pursue one-year master’s degrees in the United Kingdom. This opportunity is the result of a new MoU between the Government of Karnataka and the prestigious Chevening Scholarships Programme, backed by the British High Commission.

These women from Karnataka will begin their studies in top UK universities this September. (X)

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The selected scholars for the 2025–26 cohort are:

- Nihaarika Naresh

- Sushma Shamasundar

- Chandana Anjinappa

- Atheena Rose Joseph

- Swetha Nagapathi Hegde

These women will begin their studies in top UK universities this September.

Scholarship programme details

The partnership, formalised in December 2024, enables five women graduates annually for three years — a total of 15 scholars — to study any discipline at UK universities. Priority is given to graduates from government colleges, especially those from tier-2 and tier-3 towns, aiming to strengthen inclusion and representation across the state.

The Karnataka government will fund ₹20 lakh per student for their year-long course, complemented by Chevening financial support to cover the remaining expenses.

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Dr MC Sudhakar, Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister, lauded the initiative, posting on social media site X, saying, “Under the Chevening Programme, 5 eligible female students will pursue higher education at Britain Universities. A huge step towards Women Empowerment..!”

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What is the Chevening scholarship

The Chevening-Scholarship, running since 1983, is the UK government’s flagship international awards scheme focused on developing future global leaders. This new Karnataka cohort underscores the strengthening of India-UK ties in the educational sector, especially focusing on gender parity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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