Governments of developed countries have scholarships for international students to demonstrate their devotion to education and international cooperation. Such scholarships give students from developing and underdeveloped nations a chance to experience world-class education in the finest cities across the globe.
Lack of money should not be enough to suppress your dreams of becoming an international student.
These scholarships for international students listed below will give you the funds to study and live successfully in a foreign country.
Top 12 Scholarships for International Students
If you want to study your dream course in your dream country, here are top scholarships for international students you shouldn’t sleep on:
1. Fulbright Foreign Student Program
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is a U.S.-based scholarship program that allows students from over 155 eligible countries to pursue a postgraduate degree. The scholarship is administered by Binational Fulbright Commissions and all foreign students’ applications are processed through this office.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must reside in a nominating country at the time of application.
- Must possess a U.S. bachelor’s degree equivalent with excellent academic records.
- Be fluent in English as demonstrated by a standardized test.
- Must not hold a U.S. citizenship
Note that this eligibility criteria might vary slightly for different countries. Hence endeavor to confirm the eligibility criteria of your home country before applying.
Benefits
- The grant covers tuition fees
- J-1 Visa sponsorship
- Health insurance
- A living stipend
- Airfare at the beginning and the end of the program
- Enrichment activities
How to apply: Depending on your placement, you can either submit your application directly to the university or your country’s Fulbright office. For further information, click here
2. Chevening Scholarships for International Students
Chevening Scholarships is a UK-based scholarship program awarded to outstanding students from Chevening-eligible territories. The chevening awards are usually offered for a single year Master’s degree program after which students are expected to return to their home country to make an impact.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidate must hold citizenship of one of the Chevening eligible territories
- Must have worked for at least 2 years. (2800 hours)
- Must be committed to returning to your home country at the end of the program
- Must possess an undergraduate degree at the time of application
- Must have applied and received an unconditional offer from one of the eligible UK university courses.
Benefits
- Full tuition coverage including course fees.
- Accommodation.
- A living allowance.
- An economy class airfare at the beginning and end of your program.
How to apply: You can apply for the scholarship online at the Chevening website. The application usually opens in August and ends in November each year. For more information, click here.
Read: How to Prepare for GMAT in 3 Months
3. UK Commonwealth Shared Scholarship
This scholarship is strictly for candidates from Commonwealth countries who wish to pursue a postgraduate program in the UK. The purpose of this scholarship is to demonstrate commitment to the growth of commonwealth territories by educating outstanding academics who wouldn’t have been able to fund their studies in the UK otherwise.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must be citizens and permanent residents in a commonwealth country.
- Must be available to start studying in the UK by the beginning of next academic session
- Must possess at least an upper second-class honor bachelor’s degree by the beginning of the academic session.
- Must not be able to fund studies in the UK without a scholarship.
- Must not have worked or studied in a developed country for more than one year.
Benefits
- Tuition fees
- Airfare to and from the UK
- Personal maintenance stipend
- Initial arrival allowance
- Thesis’s grant if applicable
- Child allowance for widowed or single-parent
- Study travel grants for study-related travels.
How to apply: Candidates can apply online for one or more courses and to one or more universities but may only accept one offer from one university. For more information, click here.
4. The Netherlands Scholarships
The Netherlands Scholarships previously known as the Holland Scholarship is for non-EU/EEA students who wish to pursue a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the Netherlands. Funds for this scholarship are often provided by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Dutch research universities, and some Dutch universities of applied sciences.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must not be a citizen of an EU/EEA country.
- Must not have a degree from an institution in the Netherlands at the time of application
- Must be willing to apply for a bachelor’s or master’s degree program in one of the participating Dutch research universities or universities of applied sciences.
- Must fulfill the individual requirements of the institution of your choice.
Benefits
- This is not a fully funded scholarship, successful candidates receive a one-time payment of €5000 at the beginning of their studies.
How to apply: You can apply online to one of the participating research institutions or universities. The application usually runs from October to February or May depending on the institution. For more information, click here.
Read: Top 20 US Fully Funded Scholarships for Graduate Students
5. VLIR-UOS ICP Connect Scholarship Program
The ICP Connect Scholarship offers students from over 30 developing countries an opportunity to obtain a degree from one of the listed Flemish universities. Scholars for this scholarship are evaluated based on their motivation and personal goals, professional experiences, gender balance, regional balance, and whether or not a candidate has previously received a scholarship in a high-income country.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must be a citizen and residents of one of the 30 eligible counties.
- Must not be less than 19 or more than 35 years for candidates applying for a bachelor’s or initial master’s degree and must not be more than 45 years for candidates applying for an advanced master’s program.
- Must not have received any scholarship from the Belgian government in the past.
- Preference will be given to applicants who are employed in tertiary institutions, government, or civil societies.
- Must not apply for more than one ICP-connected scholarship in a year.
Note that individual universities may require additional criteria
Benefits
- Full tuition fees
- Health Insurance
- Travel expenses
- Living expenses
How to apply: You must apply for both the scholarship and the program via the institution’s website. Application deadlines vary by program or institution. For more information, click here.
6. Swedish Institutes Scholarship for International Students
The Swedish Scholarship is a scholarship opportunity open to international students who are willing to pursue a master’s degree in Sweden for 1 or 2 years. Funds for this scholarship are provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden and are exclusively for students from one of the eligible developing countries.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidate must be a citizen of one of the eligible countries
- Must be fluent in English
- Must have acquired at least a minimum of 3000 work experience
- Must demonstrate leadership ability as shown in previous or current place of employment.
- Must have applied and gained admission into one of the eligible master’s programs.
- Applicants can only apply for one SI scholarship. If you apply to more than one, you risk being disqualified.
Benefits
- Full tuition fees are paid directly to the Swedish university
- Medical insurance
- Travel expenses SEK 15,000
- Living expenses SEK 12000/month
- Membership of the SI Network
- Membership of the SI Alumni Network at the end of your program.
How to apply: You can apply for up to four eligible master’s programs between 17 October to 16 January. Then in February, applicants are expected to apply for the SI scholarship. For more information, click here.
7. Eiffel Excellence Scholarships
The Eiffel Excellence scholarship program was established as a means to attract talented students from all over the world for postgraduate programs in France. It is awarded based on academic excellence and although it is not a fully funded scholarship, recipients enjoy numerous other benefits. Also, note that students who have received French government scholarships are exempt from paying tuition fees.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidate must demonstrate outstanding academic performance.
- Must not be a French citizen.
- Must not be currently enrolled in a French university.
- Must be less than 27 years for master’s applicants and less than 32 years for PhD applicants.
Benefits
- Monthly allowance of up to €1,181 for masters students and €1,800 for PhD students
- Accommodation or housing allowance
- International and national transportation fees.
- Health insurance.
- Access to cultural events.
How to apply: You are expected to submit your application to a French Higher Education Institution which in turn sends it to Campus France if your name is shortlisted.
Application deadline to French Higher Education Institutions usually falls within November to December depending on the institution. For more information, click here.
8. Australian Awards Scholarships
The Australia Award Scholarships previously known as Australia Development Scholarships ADS are long-term awards offered to excelling students from Australia partner countries. This school gives students from developing countries opportunities to pursue undergraduate or postgraduate studies in Australia who are in turn expected to drive positive change and foster progress in their home countries
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must be at least 18 years old on the 1 February of the year the scholarship is meant to commence.
- Must be a citizen and resident in one of the participating countries.
- Must not hold dual citizenship or be a permanent resident in Australia.
- Must not be a current military personnel.
- Must not have received a long-term Australia Award in the past unless such candidates have lived outside Australia twice the amount of time he spent in Australia.
- Must not have been convicted of a crime in the past.
- Must be applying for a course of study higher than you already achieved. For instance, students who hold a master’s degree can apply for a PhD. However, students cannot apply for a master’s program when they already have a PhD.
Benefits
- Full tuition fees
- An economy class airfare to and from Australia at the beginning and end of your program.
- One-time establishment allowance
- Health insurance
- Contributions to living expenses
- Pre-course English fee
- Supplementary academic support
How to apply: while some countries allow applicants to turn in their applications online, others require applicants to physically submit a hard copy. Hence you must check participating countries’ profiles for information pertinent to your own home country. For more information click here.
9. Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships for International Students
The Manaaki New Zealand International Scholarships provide opportunities for students from developing countries to pursue a postgraduate degree in New Zealand at zero cost. Successful candidates get to obtain first-class education in one of the opportunity-focused areas courses from either of the eleven participating institutions.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must be citizens of one of the participating countries.
- Must not be less than 18 years
- Must be committed to returning to your home country for at least 2 years after your program.
- Must possess at least one year of work experience for a full-time job and two years of work experience for a part-time job.
- Candidates must reside in their home country for at least 2 years before the commencement of the program
- Must be fluent in English as demonstrated by a standardized English test.
Benefits
- Full tuition fees
- Health insurance
- One-time establishment allowance
- Travel allowance
- Living allowance
- Research grants where applicable
- Reintegration allowance at the end of the program.
How to apply: Candidates can apply directly to the Manaaki New Zealand scholarship via the application portal between 1st February and 29th February. For more information, click here.
10. MEXT Scholarship
The Mext scholarship is a scholarship provided by the Japanese government to support high-achieving international students in Japanese universities. This scholarship is available for undergraduate, master’s, and postgraduate students in all fields of study.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates from all countries of the world are eligible to apply.
- Must not be less than 17 years or more than 25 years for undergraduate studies.
- Must not be more than 35 years for master’s and PhD students.
- Students for teacher training must not be more than 35 years old and must have graduated from a teacher training college with at least 5 years of teaching experience.
Benefits
- Full tuition fees
- Accommodation
- An economy class flight ticket at the beginning and end of the program.
- Living allowance
How to apply: Candidates are expected to apply through the Japanese Embassy or Consulate of their country of origin. Application typically opens in April every year and candidates are not mandated to have knowledge of the Japanese language. For further information, click here.
11. Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship
The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship is a scholarship opportunity for PhD students in any academic field. With this opportunity, international students from over 180 countries can come to Switzerland to pursue higher studies at a post-doctoral level. Candidates for this scholarship are evaluated based on their profile, quality of previous research work, and potential for further research.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidate must have acquired a master’s degree.
- Must not have been born before December 1989.
- Candidates who have been in Switzerland for more than one year are not eligible to apply.
- Candidates are required to be fluent in the use of English language.
- Must provide a letter from a professor in the host university confirming that this supervisor is willing to supervise and support your research.
- Candidates must reside in Switzerland throughout this program.
Benefits
- Tuition fees
- Monthly stipend of CHF 1920
- Health insurance for non-EU grantees.
- Flight tickets
- One-time housing allowance paid at the beginning of the program.
- Public transportation card valid for a year and a half.
- Support services and sightseeing trips
How to apply: After preparing relevant documents, candidates are expected to obtain the application package from a Swiss representative in their home country. For further details, click here.
12. Danish Government Scholarship
The Danish Government Scholarship is a great opportunity for international students to obtain a master’s degree from Southern Denmark University, a First-class educational institution. This scholarship is only available for courses in Mechatronics, Electronics, and Mechanical Engineering.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must be fluent in the English Language if they intend to use English as the primary Language of instruction.
- Candidate must be a citizen of a non-EU/EEA country.
- Must be a tuition-paying student
- As an exchange student, you are only eligible for master-level courses if you have completed an equivalent of 180 ECTS credits (3 years of full-time studies)
Benefits
- Full tuition fee waiver.
- A DKK 6090 grant to help cover living costs.
- The scholarship may also be a partial tuition waiver covering tuition fees for only one year.
How to apply: To apply, candidates must apply to the university, and all successful applicants are automatically considered for the scholarship. For more information, click here.
Conclusion
Pursuing education goals abroad is no longer a thing reserved for the high and mighty in society. With the numerous types of fully and partially funded scholarships for international students, you too can enjoy the perks of living and studying abroad. It takes a lot of planning, dedication, and hard work but at the end of the day, it’s all worth it.
Remember one general rule in scholarship applications is that you start working as early as possible. Rather than put it off until the last minute, start now to find a scholarship that is best suited for you, their eligibility requirements, deadlines, and how you can apply.
