How to Find Fully Funded Scholarships: 9 Proven Search Strategies

Fully funded scholarships cover tuition, living costs and often travel and insurance. They exist in almost every major study destination, but they are spread across governments, universities and foundations. Searching randomly wastes time. These nine strategies help you find the opportunities that genuinely fit you.

1. Start with government scholarships

Many governments fund international students to build global ties. Major programmes include Chevening (UK), Commonwealth (UK), DAAD (Germany), MEXT (Japan), GKS (Korea), CSC (China), Türkiye Bursları (Turkey), Fulbright (USA) and Australia Awards. Check which ones your nationality is eligible for. Russia’s Open Doors competition also gives winners tuition-free study at bachelor’s, master’s and PhD level. India’s ICCR scholarships are for bachelor’s, master’s and PhD study in India.

2. Check your own government

Your country’s higher education ministry or commission often runs or nominates candidates for bilateral scholarships. Some awards are only available through these national channels. Malaysia’s MARA programme, for example, is open to Malaysian citizens only.

3. Look for university funding packages

Research universities often fund PhD students fully through stipends, assistantships and fee waivers. Some also offer excellence scholarships for master’s students. Finnish universities, for example, offer tuition waivers for non-EU master’s students. Search each university’s “funding” or “scholarships for international students” page.

4. Contact supervisors for research degrees

Professors with research grants often fund students directly. A short, specific email with your CV can open doors that are never advertised widely. Use our academic CV template.

5. Explore international programmes

Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s programmes offer full scholarships for study across Europe. Read our Erasmus Mundus guide.

6. Search foundations and organisations

Foundations, development banks and international organisations offer scholarships linked to their missions, often for specific regions or fields. Examples include the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program and various foundation-funded fellowships.

7. Use reliable databases and alerts

Use trusted databases, and set up alerts so new opportunities come to you. Browse our scholarship database by country, degree level and funding type, and subscribe to scholarship alerts on our home page.

8. Use precise search terms

Specific searches find better results:

• “fully funded master’s scholarship [field] [country] international students”
• “PhD studentship [topic] international applicants”
• “[university name] tuition fee waiver international”
• “graduate assistantship [field] [university]”

9. Track everything in one place

Create a spreadsheet with the scholarship name, eligibility, deadline, documents, link and status. Review it weekly, and follow our 12-month scholarship timeline.

How to spot scholarship scams

• You are asked to pay a fee to “guarantee” or “process” a scholarship.
• You win a scholarship you never applied for.
• Emails come from free email addresses instead of official domains.
• You are pressured to send bank details or passport copies urgently.

Genuine scholarships never guarantee success in exchange for money. When in doubt, check the official website or contact the provider directly.

Start from your profile, not from a list

Before you search, write down five facts about yourself. They remove most of the scholarships that you cannot win and save you weeks.

1. Level: bachelor’s, master’s or PhD.
2. Field: some awards fund any subject and others only a few.
3. Nationality and residence: many awards list eligible countries.
4. Age: some awards have limits. Türkiye Bursları, for example, asks master’s applicants to be under 30.
5. Work experience: some awards need it. DAAD EPOS asks for at least two years.

Examples by study level

These are real scholarships with pages on this site. They are examples to start from, not a complete list.

How to read a scholarship page in five minutes

Look for these five things, in this order. If one of them rules you out, close the page and move on.

1. Who can apply: country, age, degree, grades and work experience.
2. What it pays: tuition, living costs, travel and insurance.
3. The deadline: the date, the time and the time zone.
4. How to apply: directly, through a university, or through a nominating body in your country.
5. Documents: which are required, and which take a long time to get.

"Fully funded" does not always mean everything is paid

Websites use the phrase loosely, so check the official benefits list. The Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship pays a monthly amount but does not cover tuition fees. The Uppsala University Global Scholarship covers tuition but not living costs. Stipendium Hungaricum’s own call says that its stipend is only a contribution to living expenses. A partial award can still be worth it. You just need to know how much you must find yourself.

Check that a scholarship is real and current

• The information is on an official website: a government, a university or a known foundation.
• The page names the current academic year and gives a clear deadline.
• There is an official e-mail address or contact form.
• Any application fee is stated on the official page. Many providers charge nothing. The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, for example, does not charge for applications.
• Nobody asks for money to "guarantee" or "process" your award.

If you found the scholarship on social media or a blog, including this one, open the official page before you trust any date or amount.

Where students in Pakistan should also look

Some scholarships are run through a national partner. If you miss that partner’s step, your application does not count.

• HEC: it is the nominating agency for Commonwealth Scholarships and Stipendium Hungaricum. You apply on the scholarship’s portal and on the HEC portal.
• USEFP: it runs Fulbright for Pakistan.
• Embassies: the Embassy of Japan runs the MEXT embassy route.
• Australia Awards Pakistan: it has its own website and country rules.

Students in other countries should look for the same kind of partner: the education ministry, the Fulbright commission and embassy pages.

Funding that needs no separate application

Some of the best funding is not advertised as a scholarship with its own form. You are considered when you apply for admission. KAUST, for example, awards its fellowship to every admitted student. Oxford’s Clarendon Fund has no separate form: you apply for your course by the funding deadline. At Qatar University, you tick the scholarship section inside the admission application. For these awards the admission deadline is your scholarship deadline, and it is often months earlier than the final admission date.

Awards you cannot apply for directly

For some scholarships, an institution must nominate you. The France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship is requested by the French institution, not by the student. The Lester B. Pearson Scholarship at the University of Toronto needs a nomination from your school. If an award works this way, contact the nominating body early and ask about its internal deadline, which comes before the official one.

Build a shortlist of six to ten

Do not apply to everything you find. Sort your list into three groups:

• Ambitious (two or three): famous awards with very high competition.
• Good match (three or four): you meet every rule, and your field fits their priorities.
• Safer (one to three): university or country awards with fewer applicants, including partial funding.

Set up a simple alert system

• Bookmark the official page of each scholarship on your shortlist.
• Subscribe to the official newsletter or follow the official account, if there is one.
• Add a calendar reminder one month before the usual opening date, and another two weeks before the deadline.
• Check your bookmarks once every two weeks. New calls sometimes open with little notice.

What can go wrong

• You rely on last year’s dates. Treat them as estimates until the new call is published.
• You find the scholarship too late. Many awards close 9 to 12 months before the course starts.
• You skip the eligibility page. One missed rule can cancel months of work.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get a scholarship with average grades?

It depends on the award. Some publish minimum grades. Türkiye Bursları asks for at least 70% for bachelor’s and 75% for graduate applicants, and Commonwealth Scholarships ask for at least an upper second-class degree. Others look more at experience and plans. Read the rule before you decide.

Are there scholarships that do not need IELTS?

Some universities waive the test if your earlier degree was taught in English and you provide a certificate. Others always need a test. Check each one.

Can I apply to scholarships in different countries at the same time?

Yes. Each application is separate.

Should I apply for partial scholarships too?

Yes, if you can cover the rest. A tuition waiver in a country with low living costs can be cheaper overall than a famous award you are unlikely to win. Work out the full cost before you accept.

What is the difference between a scholarship, a fellowship and an assistantship?

A scholarship or fellowship is money for your studies with no job attached. An assistantship pays you for teaching or research work, usually together with a tuition waiver. Assistantships are common for PhD study in the United States.

When should I start searching?

About a year before the deadlines, which is often close to two years before the course starts. See the 12-month timeline.

Next step

Once you have a shortlist, prepare your documents with our scholarship application checklist.