Fully Funded Scholarships with Accommodation and Monthly Stipend 2026

Rent is the expense that breaks student budgets. Tuition can be waived, flights can be saved for, books can be borrowed — but rent is due every month, in a foreign housing market, often with a deposit, a guarantor requirement and a lease you must sign before you have a local bank account. That is why the most protective scholarships in the world do two things at once: they house you (a dormitory place, provided accommodation, or a dedicated housing payment) and they pay you a monthly stipend for everything else. When both are covered, your largest fixed cost disappears and your stipend becomes money for food, transport, study materials and life — not a desperate monthly transfer to a landlord.

This guide identifies, from official sources only, the fully funded scholarships in 2026 that genuinely combine accommodation support with a monthly stipend — and it is precise about the difference between three models that are often blurred together: provided accommodation (a room is given to you: Türkiye Burslari, Chinese Government Scholarship), accommodation contribution (a housing payment or dormitory place or allowance: Stipendium Hungaricum), and stipend-includes-housing models (no room is provided, but a strong monthly stipend, sometimes with an additional rent subsidy or a housing-inclusive stipend description, is designed to pay your rent: DAAD EPOS, MEXT, Fulbright, Knight-Hennessy, Chevening, Commonwealth, Australia Awards). Blurring these models is how students arrive in a country expecting a free room that their scholarship never promised.

Every figure below was checked against official programme pages or handbooks in October 2026. Where accommodation is a dormitory place subject to capacity, where a housing contribution is explicitly described by the funder as only a contribution, or where a stipend is expected to cover rent in an expensive city, this article says so in plain language. Explore more funding routes in our scholarships directory and compare student cities in our study abroad guides.

At a Glance: Accommodation Model by Programme

Why “Accommodation Included” Needs a Second Look

Three honest warnings before the programme details. First, provided accommodation is not chosen accommodation. A Türkiye Burslari or CSC dormitory place means an assigned room, usually shared facilities, rules on guests and quiet hours, and no option to trade it for cash and rent privately. For most scholars this is a fair and even welcome trade — you arrive to a bed, an address for registration, and no deposit hunt — but if you are travelling with a partner or children, a single-scholar dormitory room will not house your family, and neither programme presents it as family housing.

Second, a housing contribution is not full rent. Stipendium Hungaricum is admirably explicit: its provisions are a contribution to living costs. Its HUF 40,000 monthly housing contribution (paid when a dormitory place is not provided) will cover a dormitory-style room or part of a modest private rent in a smaller Hungarian city; it will not, on its own, cover a central Budapest apartment. Its bachelor’s/master’s stipend of HUF 43,700 is likewise modest by design, and independent cost guides consistently show a gap between SH support and full Budapest living costs that scholars close with savings or permitted part-time work. Apply with your eyes open and a top-up plan, not with the assumption that “fully funded” means “spend nothing”.

Third, in stipend-model programmes, your city choice is your housing policy. The Commonwealth stipend is £1,712 per month outside London and £2,000 in London precisely because the CSC recognises rent differences — but even the London rate is absorbed quickly by London rents. To put visa benchmarks alongside: a self-funded UK Student visa applicant must currently show £1,529 per month in London or £1,171 per month outside London for up to nine months (rising to £1,570 and £1,203 for applications on or after 30 November 2026). Sponsored scholars follow their sponsor’s evidence route rather than showing personal savings in the same way, but those official figures are a useful reality check on what the UK itself considers a month of student living to cost. Germany’s self-funded benchmark is €11,904 for a year (2026 blocked account); DAAD’s €992 per month (€11,904 per year) is calibrated exactly to that logic — and DAAD’s possible rent subsidy exists because Munich and Hamburg rents can outrun the base calculation.

Programme by Programme: Accommodation and Stipend in Detail

Türkiye Burslari — the most complete housing package

Türkiye Burslari, run by the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), provides free accommodation for the scholarship period alongside a monthly stipend — currently 6,500 TL for undergraduate, 9,500 TL for master’s and 13,000 TL for PhD scholars on the official schedule (verify the live figure on turkiyeburslari.gov.tr, because lira amounts are revised and older pages show outdated stipends). The package also pays full tuition, health insurance, a flight to Turkey at the start and a return flight at the end, and a one-year Turkish language course where required. Because housing is carried separately, the stipend functions as genuine living money for food, transport and personal costs. You apply centrally and list up to 12 programme preferences; YTB places you — you do not negotiate housing or admission university by university.

Chinese Government Scholarship — free dormitory plus stipend, but pay your own flight

The CSC scholarship, administered by the China Scholarship Council, covers tuition waiver, free on-campus dormitory accommodation (or an accommodation subsidy at institutions that use that model), comprehensive medical insurance, and a monthly stipend of CNY 2,500 for bachelor’s, CNY 3,000 for master’s and CNY 3,500 for doctoral students. Dormitory standards vary by university — many CSC students share a room and facilities — and the room is tied to your enrolment. The notable exclusion, stated plainly in official-route guidance, is international airfare: CSC does not pay your flight to China. Budget the fare yourself and the CSC becomes one of the lowest-out-of-pocket routes in this guide. Apply via Type A (embassy/bilateral route) or Type B (university route) on campuschina.org, and see the route guides linked from our scholarships directory.

Stipendium Hungaricum — dormitory or housing contribution, honestly labelled

Hungary’s Stipendium Hungaricum, managed by the Tempus Public Foundation, exempts tuition and provides a dormitory place depending on capacity, or a housing contribution of HUF 40,000 per month, plus a monthly stipend of HUF 43,700 for bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier and non-degree students and HUF 140,000 per month for the first four semesters of a PhD and HUF 180,000 for the last four, plus medical insurance (national health care services and supplementary insurance up to a stated annual amount). The official call is explicit that these provisions are a contribution to living costs, not full coverage — this article repeats that framing deliberately, because it is the difference between a workable budget (especially outside Budapest, in cities such as Debrecen, Szeged or Pécs) and a shortfall. Travel to Hungary is not part of the core Tempus benefit package; any travel support depends on your sending partner, so confirm it in writing before you rely on it. Official site: stipendiumhungaricum.hu.

DAAD EPOS — stipend with a possible rent subsidy on top

Germany’s DAAD EPOS pays €992 per month at master’s level and €1,300 (rising to €1,400 from February 2026) at doctoral level, plus payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance and a travel allowance — and, in the DAAD’s own wording, scholarship holders may additionally receive a monthly rent subsidy and a family allowance under certain circumstances. Germany’s context matters: with no tuition at most public universities and a national student cost benchmark of €11,904 per year, the base stipend is designed to cover a student room (including the very common WG, or flat-share, market) plus living costs in most cities. In high-rent cities the rent subsidy mechanism exists precisely for the gap. Explore German options via our DAAD guide and profiles such as Free University of Berlin and FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg — noting that a smaller-city university can make the same stipend considerably more comfortable.

MEXT — a housing-inclusive stipend in Japan

MEXT pays ¥117,000 per month to undergraduates and ¥143,000–¥145,000 to research students, exempts tuition, and provides a round-trip air ticket. Japanese university guidance describes the monthly amount as a subsistence allowance including housing — that is, MEXT expects the stipend to carry your rent, and it does not add a free dormitory room on top. In practice, many Japanese universities operate international student residences with below-market rents, and securing a place in one is the single best budget decision a MEXT scholar can make; private apartments in Tokyo involve deposits, key money and agency fees that can consume two to three months of stipend at move-in. Apply for university housing the moment your placement is confirmed. See our MEXT guide.

Fulbright, Knight-Hennessy, Chevening and Commonwealth — stipends built around rent

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program combines tuition support and round-trip airfare with a monthly stipend; official country programme descriptions variously present this as a monthly stipend plus a housing allowance, or a stipend from which housing is paid, with settling-in, book and computer allowances in a number of programmes — your binational commission’s grant terms are authoritative, and there is no single global Fulbright housing rule. Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford is the clearest American model: its stipend is explicitly for living and academic expenses including room and board, alongside the tuition fellowship, annual travel stipend and one-time relocation stipend (official funding page); Stanford-area rents are among the highest in the US, and the stipend is calibrated to graduate student costs there, not to luxury housing. Chevening describes its monthly payment as a stipend for accommodation and living expenses, with an arrival allowance to help with set-up costs — see our Chevening guide. Commonwealth pays its £1,712/£2,000 stipend as a living allowance from which scholars rent, usually in university or private student housing arranged independently — see our Commonwealth guide. In all four cases, apply for university accommodation early: scholar stipends assume student housing prices, not open-market family apartments.

Australia Awards and Erasmus Mundus — establishment help and a combined allowance

Australia Awards pays a fortnightly Contribution to Living Expenses and, distinctively, a one-off establishment allowance as a contribution towards accommodation expenses, textbooks and study materials — the bond-and-first-fortnight money that new arrivals in Australia otherwise struggle to find. It does not provide a residence; you rent in the Australian market (usually starting with university or homestay-style arrival arrangements coordinated around the Introductory Academic Program) with the living contribution as your income. Full benefits are set out on australiaawards.gov.au, and research students should compare the RTP stipend route (AUD 34,315 per year in 2026) at universities such as UNSW Sydney — noting RTP has no establishment allowance as a standard feature. Erasmus Mundus pays €1,400 per month as one combined contribution covering accommodation, food, travel, visa and installation across at least two European countries; your housing cost will swing between your mobility cities, so bank the surplus from a cheaper semester against the expensive one rather than upgrading your lifestyle in semester one.

Eligibility

Eligibility follows each programme’s own rules, but the pattern is consistent. You must be a citizen of an eligible (usually non-host) country; hold the entry degree for your level by enrolment (high school for undergraduate awards such as CSC and Türkiye Burslari; a bachelor’s for master’s awards; a master’s for doctoral awards); meet academic thresholds — Türkiye Burslari, for example, sets minimum achievement levels of 70% for undergraduate, 75% for graduate and 90% for health sciences applicants, with age limits of under 21 (undergraduate), under 30 (master’s) and under 35 (PhD); Stipendium Hungaricum applicants must be nominated by their country’s sending partner; DAAD EPOS requires at least two years of post-degree professional experience and a development-related profile; MEXT applies category age limits set in each cycle’s official guidelines. Housing benefits attach to enrolled, resident scholars: if you defer, suspend or study remotely, both stipend and accommodation entitlements are normally paused or withdrawn under the award terms.

One correction matters for Canada-focused readers who may see older lists: the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships are discontinued; the replacement doctoral award is CGRS-D at CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months, paid as an award through Canadian universities rather than as a housing-plus-stipend package, and Canada separately requires study-permit applicants to show living funds of CAD 22,895 (applications 1 September 2025 – 31 August 2026) rising to CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026. In Australia, Destination Australia is closed and should not appear in any current plan.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Decide which housing model you need. If you have no savings for deposits and first rent, prioritise provided-accommodation programmes (Türkiye Burslari, CSC) and contribution models (Stipendium Hungaricum). If you have a modest arrival fund, stipend-model programmes open up.
2. Read the official call and note the housing clause word for word. “Dormitory depending on capacity”, “contribution towards”, “stipend including housing” — these phrases define your budget. Save the PDF.
3. Apply through the correct route. Central portal (Türkiye Burslari, CSC), sending-partner nomination (Stipendium Hungaricum), university course application (DAAD EPOS), embassy or university recommendation (MEXT), or scholarship portal plus university admission (Chevening, Commonwealth, Knight-Hennessy).
4. Prepare the documents below early, especially references, translations and medical forms, which have their own lead times.
5. Write the motivation the mission requires: development impact for DAAD/Australia Awards/Commonwealth, a research fit for stipend-model research awards, a clear study plan for Türkiye Burslari and CSC.
6. Submit well before the deadline and keep proof of submission; several of these portals accept no late files for any reason.
7. On selection, confirm housing in writing. Ask: Is a room assigned or do I find my own? From what date? Is it single or shared? What happens in holidays? What deposit, if any, must I pay, and from which payment?
8. Register for university housing immediately if you are on a stipend model (MEXT, Commonwealth, Chevening, Australia Awards). Scholar-priced rooms are allocated early and waiting lists are real.
9. Budget the arrival gap. Even the best packages pay the first stipend after arrival and registration. Carry funds for your first two to four weeks, any uncovered flight (CSC), and move-in costs your programme does not front.

Required Documents

• Passport or national ID valid for the application and travel period
• Academic transcripts and certificates for all completed qualifications, with certified translations where required
• CV (Europass format for Erasmus Mundus; programme format where specified)
• Motivation letter / study plan / research proposal matched to the programme
• Two references, signed, on letterhead where the programme requires it
• Language proficiency evidence where the host university or programme requires it
• Medical certificate on the programme’s own form (Türkiye Burslari, MEXT, CSC and Stipendium Hungaricum all require health documentation at application or nomination stage)
• Sending-partner nomination documents (Stipendium Hungaricum) or university nomination (Eiffel-style routes, MEXT University Recommendation)
• Proof of work experience where required (DAAD EPOS, Chevening)

Deadlines and Timeline

Keep track of these windows with the StudyGraduate tools, prepare language tests through test preparation, and compare host cities and institutions in the rankings before you commit to a stipend whose rent market you have not researched.

Tips for Making Housing-Plus-Stipend Packages Work

Choose the city, not just the flag. The same DAAD stipend is roomy in Leipzig and tight in Munich; the same SH package is workable in Szeged and strained in Budapest; a Commonwealth stipend goes further in almost any UK city than in London, even with the London weighting. If your programme lets you rank universities, put costed reality into that ranking. In provided-accommodation programmes, pack for a shared, furnished room and confirm what bedding, cooking facilities and internet are included before you duplicate them in your suitcase. In stipend-model programmes, treat the first stipend as spoken for: deposit, first month, transport pass, winter clothing where relevant. Scholars who thrive on these packages share one habit: they read the handbook’s housing and payment sections before departure, not after a problem. Finally, protect your entitlement — dormitory places and stipends depend on enrolment, residence and satisfactory progress, so keep your institution informed about fieldwork, holidays and any change in your circumstances.

Common Mistakes

• Reading “accommodation” as “free private apartment”. Provided accommodation means an assigned dormitory place, usually shared facilities, for a single scholar.
• Treating Stipendium Hungaricum’s contribution as full costs. Tempus itself calls the stipend and housing payment a contribution. Budget a top-up, especially for Budapest.
• Assuming MEXT provides a free dormitory. The MEXT stipend includes housing costs; a residence place, if you get one, is paid from it.
• Forgetting CSC’s missing flight. CSC covers tuition, dormitory and stipend — not international airfare.
• Arriving with no gap money. First stipends follow arrival, registration and bank set-up. Two to four weeks of costs must be in your pocket regardless of package.
• Planning family housing on a single-scholar package. Dormitories and stipends in this guide are calculated for one person; family allowances, where they exist (a DAAD family allowance in defined circumstances, or the Commonwealth child allowance for eligible single-parent scholars), are partial contributions, not family housing.
• Applying to closed programmes. Vanier (Canada) is discontinued and Destination Australia is closed — remove both from any 2026 plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which scholarships provide a free room as well as a stipend?

Two flagship programmes provide accommodation itself: Türkiye Burslari (free accommodation for the scholarship period, plus a monthly stipend, tuition and flights) and the Chinese Government Scholarship (free on-campus dormitory or an accommodation subsidy, plus a monthly stipend of CNY 2,500/3,000/3,500 by level). Stipendium Hungaricum sits between models: a dormitory place if capacity allows, otherwise a HUF 40,000 monthly housing contribution, plus its stipend.

Is Stipendium Hungaricum enough to live on in Budapest?

On its own, for most students, no — and the funder says the package is a contribution to living costs rather than full coverage. The bachelor’s/master’s stipend is HUF 43,700 per month plus either a dormitory place or HUF 40,000 housing contribution. In a dormitory place and a smaller city, the package stretches much further; in private Budapest housing, plan on savings or lawful part-time work to close the gap. PhD scholars receive substantially more (HUF 140,000, then HUF 180,000 per month).

Does DAAD pay my rent in Germany?

DAAD pays your stipend (€992 master’s; €1,300 rising to €1,400 doctoral), from which you rent like any student in Germany — and, under certain circumstances, EPOS holders may receive an additional monthly rent subsidy. There is no DAAD dormitory; you find your own room in a student residence or flat-share, ideally starting your search the moment your award is confirmed.

Can my family live in my scholarship accommodation?

Generally no. Provided dormitory accommodation (Türkiye Burslari, CSC) is for the scholar. Stipend-model programmes pay a single person’s living allowance; a few add partial family support in defined cases — DAAD may pay a monthly allowance for accompanying family members, and the Commonwealth pays a child allowance to eligible widowed, divorced or single-parent scholars whose children live with them — but neither amounts to family housing or family airfares. If family will accompany you, price private housing and their full costs separately before accepting.

What is an establishment allowance, and which programme pays it?

It is a one-off arrival payment towards set-up costs. Australia Awards pays an establishment allowance described in DFAT’s materials as a contribution towards accommodation expenses, textbooks and study materials, on top of full tuition, return air travel, health cover and the fortnightly living contribution. Knight-Hennessy’s one-time relocation stipend serves a similar purpose for new Stanford scholars. Chevening pays an arrival allowance. These one-off payments exist because deposits and first purchases come before your stipend rhythm is established.

Do I still need proof of funds for my visa with a housing-plus-stipend scholarship?

Sponsored scholars usually evidence maintenance through their sponsor rather than personal savings, but each country’s rules and your sponsor’s documentation decide this — follow your award letter and visa instructions exactly. For scale, self-funded benchmarks currently include: UK Student visa £1,529/month in London or £1,171 outside London for up to nine months (rising to £1,570/£1,203 for applications on or after 30 November 2026); Germany €11,904 per year; Canada CAD 22,895 in living funds for the 1 Sep 2025 – 31 Aug 2026 application period and CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026. Never stage borrowed funds in an account; sponsors and embassies treat that as misrepresentation.

What happens to my room and stipend during holidays or fieldwork?

Dormitory places are tied to your enrolment and the academic calendar — some residences close or re-let rooms over long breaks, and Türkiye Burslari/CSC housing follows the institution’s rules. Stipends generally continue while you remain enrolled and in good standing, but long absences, fieldwork abroad or suspension of study can pause payments or require sponsor approval (research funders such as Gates Cambridge handle fieldwork maintenance by application). Ask your programme office before you plan a long absence, not after.

Sources and Verification

Checked in October 2026 against official sources: Türkiye Burslari (free accommodation, tuition, health insurance, flights, current stipend schedule 6,500/9,500/13,000 TL); China Scholarship Council information via campuschina.org (tuition waiver, free dormitory or subsidy, stipends CNY 2,500/3,000/3,500, insurance; international airfare not included); Stipendium Hungaricum / Tempus Public Foundation call documents (tuition exemption, dormitory place or HUF 40,000 housing contribution, stipends HUF 43,700 and HUF 140,000/180,000, provisions stated as a contribution to living costs); the DAAD EPOS listing (€992 / €1,300–€1,400, insurance, travel allowance, possible rent subsidy and family allowance); Japanese embassy MEXT guidance and Study in Japan (stipend bands including housing, tuition exemption, air ticket); Chevening (stipend for accommodation and living expenses, tuition, airfare, arrival allowance); the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission at cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk (stipend £1,712/£2,000, tuition, airfare, child allowance conditions); Australia Awards and the DFAT Policy Handbook (establishment allowance towards accommodation, fortnightly living contribution, air travel, OSHC); Knight-Hennessy (stipend covering room and board, tuition fellowship, travel and relocation stipends); European Commission Erasmus+ documentation (€1,400/month combined contribution); and visa maintenance benchmarks from GOV.UK Appendix Student, German blocked-account requirements and IRCC proof-of-funds tables.

Disclaimer: StudyGraduate is an independent information portal, not a scholarship agency, landlord, university or government body. We cannot promise selection, admission, housing allocation or visa approval, and no legitimate programme charges applicants a fee for its accommodation or stipend benefits. Accommodation models, stipend amounts and deadlines change every cycle — confirm the current terms on the official programme website and in your award letter before you resign a job, end a tenancy or pay a deposit.