Fully Funded Scholarships with Monthly Stipend 2026

Tuition is only half the story. A scholarship can waive every euro, pound or dollar of your fees and still leave you unable to live in your study city if it pays nothing towards rent, food, transport and health insurance. That is why, for most international students, the single most important line in any funding offer is the monthly stipend: the regular living allowance paid to you, month after month, for the full length of your degree. This guide compares the major fully funded scholarships that pay a genuine monthly stipend in 2026, using figures verified against official programme sources, and explains honestly what each stipend does and does not cover.

The programmes below are real, government or university funded, and open to international students from countries including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria and Indonesia. They include the DAAD EPOS programme in Germany, Chevening and Commonwealth Scholarships in the UK, the MEXT scholarship in Japan, Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters across Europe, the France Excellence Eiffel scholarship, the Australia Awards and Research Training Program in Australia, Knight-Hennessy Scholars and Fulbright in the United States, and Türkiye Burslari in Turkey. Each pays tuition (where tuition applies) plus a monthly living allowance, although the structure differs: some pay a flat monthly rate, some pay fortnightly, some add a separate rent subsidy, and one or two pay an annual maintenance amount that you must budget monthly yourself.

Before you compare headline numbers, read the comparison carefully. A stipend of €992 in Germany, where most public universities charge no tuition and student living costs are moderate, can go further than a larger-looking stipend in London or Sydney. Currency, city, rent and whether accommodation is included all change what a stipend is really worth. This article gives you the verified figure for each programme, the official source behind it, and a realistic reading of what it covers in practice. You can also browse our full scholarships directory and compare destinations in our study abroad guides.

At a Glance: Monthly Stipend Comparison Table

How to read this table: stipend structures are not identical. MEXT and DAAD publish fixed monthly rates. Australia Awards pays a fortnightly Contribution to Living Expenses. RTP publishes an annual rate. Eiffel pays a generous monthly allowance but no tuition, so it is only “fully funded” in practice when combined with France’s low public tuition or a fee exemption at your host institution. Always open the official page for the programme you choose before you rely on any figure.

Why the Monthly Stipend Matters More Than the Word “Fully Funded”

“Fully funded” is not a legal term. It is a marketing phrase used by universities, governments and, unfortunately, by many low-quality websites that copy each other’s lists. In practice it can mean anything from “tuition, rent, food, flights and insurance all paid” to “tuition waived, everything else is your problem”. The monthly stipend is what separates those two realities. If a programme pays your fees but gives you no living allowance, you will still need to show — for your student visa and for your actual survival — that you can cover rent and food in one of the most expensive decisions of your life.

Visa rules make this concrete. For a UK Student visa, the current maintenance requirement is £1,529 per month if you study in London and £1,171 per month outside London, for up to nine months, under Appendix Student of the UK Immigration Rules. Those rates rise to £1,570 per month in London and £1,203 per month outside London for applications made on or after 30 November 2026. Germany requires proof of €11,904 for one year (the 2026 blocked account figure) if you are self-funded. Canada requires proof of living funds of CAD 22,895 for applications in the period 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, rising to CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026, on top of tuition and travel. A genuine stipend scholarship normally satisfies or replaces much of this proof through its award letter, because the sponsor confirms it is maintaining you. A tuition-only waiver does not.

A monthly stipend also changes your daily life. It arrives predictably, so you can sign a tenancy, buy a semester transport ticket and plan food costs without depending on part-time work that may be restricted by your visa, unavailable in your first months, or damaging to your studies. Programmes know this, which is why the strongest government scholarships — DAAD, MEXT, Chevening, Commonwealth, Türkiye Burslari — all build a living allowance into the award itself rather than leaving it to chance.

Programme by Programme: Verified Stipends and What They Cover

DAAD EPOS — Germany (€992 / €1,300–€1,400 per month)

The DAAD EPOS programme funds professionals from developing and emerging countries to take development-related postgraduate courses in Germany. The official DAAD scholarship database lists monthly payments of €992 for graduates (master’s level) and €1,300 for doctoral candidates, rising to €1,400 beginning February 2026. On top of the stipend, DAAD makes payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance, pays a travel allowance unless your travel is funded from another source, and may add a monthly rent subsidy and a monthly allowance for accompanying family members in defined circumstances. EPOS is not a tuition programme in the Anglo-American sense: most German public universities charge no tuition for consecutive master’s programmes, although some EPOS courses (particularly some international health and management courses) do charge fees that DAAD does not automatically pay, so check your specific course page. Applicants normally need a bachelor’s degree, above-average results, and at least two years of relevant professional experience. Read the full profile in our DAAD scholarship guide and explore German universities such as TU Berlin in the directory.

Chevening — United Kingdom (monthly stipend plus tuition and airfare)

Chevening is the UK government’s global scholarship for one-year master’s degrees. A Chevening award pays your full tuition fees, a monthly stipend intended to cover accommodation and living expenses, an economy return airfare to the UK, an arrival allowance, and the cost of your visa application and Immigration Health Surcharge. Chevening confirms the exact stipend rate in your final award letter and adjusts it for London versus elsewhere; because the rate is set per cohort and per location, this guide does not invent a single universal Chevening figure — check the official Chevening website and your award terms. Chevening is aimed at emerging leaders: you need an undergraduate degree, at least two years of work experience (2,800 hours), an unconditional offer from one of three eligible UK master’s courses you list, and a commitment to return home for at least two years after your degree. The 2027-entry cycle followed the established pattern of an autumn closing date (6 October 2026 for the 2027 cohort, per university guidance); if you are reading this after that date, prepare for the next cycle rather than assuming late entry is possible.

Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships — United Kingdom (£1,712 / £2,000 per month)

Commonwealth Master’s Scholarships, run by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), are for candidates from eligible low and middle income Commonwealth countries who could not otherwise afford to study in the UK. The CSC’s official pages state the current stipend plainly: £1,712 per month, or £2,000 per month if your university is in the London metropolitan area, at current levels. The scholarship also provides approved airfare from your home country to the UK and return at the end of the award, full approved tuition fees by agreement with the university, a study travel grant, and — where applicable — a warm clothing allowance, thesis grant and a child allowance for widowed, divorced or single-parent scholars whose children live with them in the UK. Note the contrast with the UK Student visa maintenance figures given earlier (£1,529 London / £1,171 outside London per month for up to nine months, rising on 30 November 2026): the Commonwealth stipend is paid for your award period as a living allowance by the sponsor, which is a different mechanism from the savings a self-funded visa applicant must show. Full details are in our Commonwealth Scholarship guide.

MEXT — Japan (¥117,000 to ¥145,000 per month)

Japan’s MEXT (Monbukagakusho) scholarship is one of the most complete national scholarships in the world. Official Japanese embassy guidance for recent cycles lists a monthly stipend of ¥117,000 for undergraduate students and ¥143,000 to ¥145,000 for research students (¥143,000 during preparatory education, ¥144,000 for master’s or professional degree students, ¥145,000 for doctoral students), with a possible regional supplemental allowance. MEXT also exempts tuition and entrance examination and matriculation fees, and provides an economy-class air ticket between your home country and Japan at the start and end of the scholarship. The stipend is intended to include your housing costs — MEXT does not, as a rule, provide a free dormitory room on top of it, although many universities offer international student residences at reasonable rent that you pay from your stipend. You apply either through the Japanese embassy in your country (Embassy Recommendation, typically opening around April–May for the following year’s intake) or through a Japanese university (University Recommendation, typically in the autumn). See our MEXT scholarship guide.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters — Europe (€1,400 per month)

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are prestigious master’s programmes delivered by consortia of universities in at least two European countries, and you study in at least two of them. Under the current Erasmus+ rules, the scholarship is calculated at €1,400 per month for the period needed to complete the programme, up to 24 months — a maximum of €33,600 for a two-year master’s. Read the official description carefully: that monthly amount is a contribution towards your travel, visa, installation and subsistence costs combined; under the current design there is no separate travel allowance paid on top of it, unlike older Erasmus Mundus cycles that itemised travel and installation separately. Scholarship holders are not charged tuition or other mandatory participation costs, and the consortium arranges insurance cover. Because you move countries, your stipend must stretch across different rent markets — €1,400 is comfortable in many smaller European cities and tight in capitals such as Paris or Amsterdam, so budget per mobility period, not as one average. Details: Erasmus Mundus guide.

France Excellence Eiffel — France (€1,200 / €2,100 per month, but no tuition)

The Eiffel programme, run by Campus France for the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, pays a monthly allowance of €1,200 at master’s level and €2,100 at doctoral level from January 2026. It also covers international travel (under Campus France rules, least-expensive-class airfare reimbursed up to 50% of the ministry maximum rate, with the return flight subject to end-of-programme academic results; domestic train or bus travel in France is also reimbursable), insurance and help finding housing. The critical honesty point: Eiffel does not cover tuition fees. Holders of French government scholarships are exempt from registration fees for national diplomas at public institutions under the relevant rules, but programme fees (common at business schools and some universities) are not paid by Eiffel. Eiffel is therefore best understood as a very strong stipend scholarship that becomes fully funded in combination with France’s low public-sector fees — not as an all-costs package on its own. You cannot apply directly; a French institution must nominate you, and institutions file applications to Campus France in early January (6 January 2027 for the 2027 campaign).

Australia: Australia Awards and the Research Training Program

Australia offers two distinct stipend routes. Australia Awards Scholarships, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), pay full tuition, return air travel (a single return economy airfare via the most direct route), a one-off establishment allowance towards accommodation, textbooks and study materials, Overseas Student Health Cover, and a Contribution to Living Expenses paid fortnightly at a rate determined by the department. Australia Awards are development scholarships tied to partner countries and priority sectors, and most applicants must return home for at least two years after finishing. The Research Training Program (RTP) is different: it funds research master’s and PhD students at Australian universities, with a government base stipend rate of AUD 34,315 per year in 2026 and AUD 35,550 in 2027, paid by your university (usually fortnightly) alongside a fees offset. Individual universities may pay above the base rate up to the published maximum. If you are comparing Australian research degrees, start with profiles such as the University of Melbourne and UNSW Sydney, and note that Destination Australia — sometimes still listed on old websites — is closed to new applicants and is not an open route.

Türkiye Burslari, Knight-Hennessy and Fulbright

Türkiye Burslari (Turkey) combines a monthly stipend — currently listed as 6,500 TL for undergraduate, 9,500 TL for master’s and 13,000 TL for PhD students on the official schedule (confirm the live figure on turkiyeburslari.gov.tr, as Turkish lira amounts are revised) — with full tuition, free accommodation, health insurance, a return flight and a one-year Turkish language course. Because accommodation is provided separately, the stipend is mainly for food, transport and personal costs. Knight-Hennessy Scholars at Stanford pays tuition and associated fees through a fellowship, plus a stipend for living and academic expenses such as room and board, books, local transport and reasonable personal expenses, an annual travel stipend for one economy trip to and from Stanford, and a one-time relocation stipend — see our Knight-Hennessy guide. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program (USA) provides, depending on the country programme, tuition support, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare and health benefit coverage; exact composition varies by country commission, so your national Fulbright page is the authoritative source — see our Fulbright overview.

Eligibility: Who Can Actually Apply?

Although these programmes differ, their eligibility logic is similar. You will normally need: citizenship of an eligible country (most of these schemes exclude citizens of the host country); a completed degree at the required level by the time you start (a bachelor’s for master’s scholarships; a master’s for most doctoral awards); academic results in the upper range of your system — DAAD EPOS, for example, expects above-average results, typically in the top third; and the language proficiency your course requires, which is a university admission matter separate from the scholarship itself. Several programmes add a mission test. DAAD EPOS requires at least two years of relevant professional experience and a development-related motivation. Chevening requires two years of work experience and a return-home commitment. Australia Awards and Commonwealth Scholarships are explicitly development-focused and ask how your study will benefit your home country. MEXT applies age limits by category (for example, undergraduate applicants are generally born on or after 2 April in the year specified in each cycle’s guidelines — always check the current guidelines rather than relying on a remembered number).

Two programmes in this guide have changed in ways old articles miss. In Canada, the famous Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships have been discontinued; the replacement doctoral route is the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D), worth CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months. CGRS-D is an annual award rather than a monthly stipend, and eligibility is tied to Canada’s tri-agency doctoral competitions and university quotas, so treat it as a research funding route, not a simple apply-to-the-government scholarship. In Australia, as noted, Destination Australia is closed. If a website presents either Vanier or Destination Australia as open in 2026, it is out of date.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Choose your target programmes (plural). Shortlist two to four stipend scholarships whose deadlines, levels and fields fit you. Stipend scholarships are competitive; a single application is a fragile plan.
2. Read the official call, not summaries. Download the current guidelines or handbook from the official site and note the stipend, what it excludes, the deadline in the correct time zone, and whether you apply to the scholarship body, the university, or both (DAAD EPOS and Eiffel are university-route applications; Chevening and MEXT Embassy Recommendation are scholarship-route applications).
3. Secure admission where required. Chevening requires an unconditional offer by a July deadline from one of your three listed courses. Eiffel requires a French institution willing to nominate you. RTP requires admission to a research degree at an Australian university. Start admission months before the scholarship deadline.
4. Prepare documents early. Transcripts, degree certificates, passport, CV, references, language certificates and a study or research plan are needed by almost every programme (full list below). References are the most common bottleneck — ask referees at least a month ahead.
5. Write the motivation or study plan for that programme’s mission. A development scholarship wants a credible home-country impact story; a research scholarship wants a feasible project and the right supervisor fit. One generic essay pasted into five portals fails everywhere.
6. Submit before the deadline — not on it. Portals slow down in the final 48 hours, and several of these systems (notably the CSC’s) do not accept late applications for any reason. Treat a date one week earlier as your personal deadline.
7. Prepare for interview or examination where applicable. Chevening interviews at British embassies and high commissions; MEXT Embassy Recommendation includes written examinations; Türkiye Burslari interviews shortlisted candidates. Practise explaining your plan, your budget understanding and your return or research intentions honestly.
8. When an offer arrives, read the stipend terms. Confirm the monthly amount, payment start date (some stipends begin only after arrival and bank registration), whether rent is included or separate, what happens during fieldwork or holidays, and which costs — visa, insurance, flights — are paid, reimbursed or not covered.

Required Documents (Typical Set)

• Passport or national ID (valid beyond your planned start date)
• Degree certificates and full academic transcripts, with certified translations if not in the required language
• Curriculum vitae in the format the programme requests (Europass is standard for Erasmus Mundus)
• Motivation letter, study plan or research proposal matched to the programme
• Two academic or professional references, signed and on letterhead where required
• Language proficiency evidence if your university or programme requires it
• University offer letter or nomination, where the route requires one
• Medical certificate or health form (MEXT and Türkiye Burslari require specific forms completed by a physician)
• Proof of work experience (DAAD EPOS and Chevening): employment certificates stating role, dates and duties

Deadlines and Timeline

Use the StudyGraduate tools, including deadline tracking and cost-of-living estimation, to keep these dates and budgets in one place, and check official university rankings when you compare host institutions.

Tips to Strengthen a Stipend Scholarship Application

First, apply where you genuinely fit the mission. A development scholarship panel can tell in two paragraphs whether your home-country plan is real. Name the sector, the employer type or institution, and the problem your degree addresses at home. Second, make your academic record easy to read: provide grading-scale explanations, class rank if your university issues it, and translations done properly the first time. Third, choose referees who know your work in detail over famous names who know you vaguely; every programme in this guide weights specific, evidenced references. Fourth, show you understand the money. Mentioning — accurately — what the stipend covers and how you will handle costs it does not cover (for example, Eiffel’s tuition gap, or dependants, whom most stipends do not support) signals maturity rather than weakness. Fifth, apply to more than one programme across different countries when your field allows it; the calendars above are staggered precisely so that a Chevening applicant can also prepare DAAD EPOS and Erasmus Mundus files.

Common Mistakes

• Trusting copied stipend figures. Blog lists routinely show DAAD at the old €934 rate, Eiffel doctoral at old rates, or Türkiye Burslari at stipends from several years ago. Verify on the official page in the month you apply.
• Assuming “fully funded” includes dependants. Almost none of these stipends fund a partner’s or children’s flights or living costs; Commonwealth child allowance is a partial contribution in narrow circumstances, and DAAD family allowances are conditional. Budget honestly if family will join you.
• Missing the nominator or internal deadline. For Commonwealth, Eiffel, DAAD EPOS and MEXT University Recommendation, someone else’s deadline — your nominator’s or university’s — is earlier than the headline date.
• Forgetting that the stipend starts after arrival. You usually need your own funds for the visa application period, initial travel bookings that are reimbursed later, and the first days before a local bank account and first payment are set up.
• Applying to a closed programme. Vanier (Canada) and Destination Australia (Australia) are discontinued/closed; applications sent on the basis of old articles waste a cycle.
• Weak or generic motivation letters. Panels fund a plan, not a biography. Connect your past experience, the specific course, and your post-study impact in one thread.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which fully funded scholarship pays the highest monthly stipend?

On a simple monthly figure, Erasmus Mundus (€1,400, which must also absorb travel and installation), Commonwealth (£1,712, or £2,000 in London), Eiffel doctoral (€2,100, but with no tuition cover) and MEXT (¥143,000–¥145,000 for research students) are among the strongest. But “highest” is meaningless without the city: £1,712 in a mid-cost UK city and €992 in a mid-cost German city can leave a similar amount after rent. Compare stipend minus realistic rent in your specific city, not the headline number.

Is the DAAD stipend really €992 per month?

Yes for master’s-level EPOS scholars under the current DAAD listing: €992 per month for graduates, €1,300 per month for doctoral candidates rising to €1,400 from February 2026. Older articles quoting €934 are out of date. DAAD may add insurance payments, a travel allowance and, in defined cases, a rent subsidy and family allowance.

Does a monthly stipend cover my rent?

For most programmes in this guide, yes in the sense that the stipend is your living allowance and rent is its largest intended use — but it is rarely paid as a separate “rent” line. Exceptions: Türkiye Burslari and the Chinese Government Scholarship provide accommodation separately from the stipend, and DAAD can add a rent subsidy where conditions are met. Always ask whether housing is included, subsidised or entirely your responsibility before you sign anything.

Can I work part-time on top of a stipend scholarship?

It depends on both your visa and your scholarship contract. Some sponsors restrict outside work or require you to declare other income; Australia’s RTP, for example, has rules about other income supporting living costs relative to the stipend rate. Student visas also cap work hours in many countries. Check both documents — your award terms and your visa conditions — rather than assuming part-time work is allowed or needed.

What stipend do I get during holidays or fieldwork?

Rules differ. Some stipends continue year-round (Türkiye Burslari and Stipendium Hungaricum-style stipends are commonly described as 12-month payments), RTP continues while you are enrolled and making satisfactory progress, and Gates Cambridge-type trusts allow you to apply to keep maintenance during PhD fieldwork. If your research involves long fieldwork abroad, ask the sponsor in writing before you accept.

Do I still need to show money for my student visa if I have a stipend scholarship?

Often much less, because your award letter evidences sponsor maintenance — but the exact evidence depends on the country’s rules and your sponsor’s status. For context, self-funded UK Student visa applicants must show £1,529 per month (London) or £1,171 per month (outside London) for up to nine months at current rates, rising to £1,570/£1,203 for applications on or after 30 November 2026. Follow the instructions that come with your scholarship and your Confirmation of Acceptance / sponsor letter, and never borrow funds to stage a bank balance.

Are stipends taxed?

Usually scholarships for full-time study are not taxed as employment income in the host country, but there are exceptions — Knight-Hennessy, for example, notes its fellowship stipends are taxable in the United States and not automatically withheld for many international scholars. Read your award letter’s tax paragraph and keep a small reserve if your programme flags a tax obligation.

What if the stipend is not enough for my city?

Choose your city as carefully as your programme. The same national stipend stretches very differently in Berlin versus Munich, or in Adelaide versus Sydney. Use a cost-of-living estimate before you accept, consider university residences and smaller cities, and remember that declining an unaffordable offer is better than arriving underfunded — sponsors do not top up stipends because a scholar chose an expensive city.

Sources and Verification

Figures in this article were checked in October 2026 against official sources: the DAAD scholarship database entry for EPOS (monthly payments, insurance, travel allowance, rent subsidy); the Chevening official site (award components); the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s official pages at cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk (stipend £1,712/£2,000, airfare, fees); Japanese embassy MEXT guidance and the official Study in Japan portal (MEXT stipend bands and airfare); the European Commission’s Erasmus+ programme documentation (€1,400 per month, up to 24 months); Campus France for Eiffel (€1,200/€2,100 from January 2026, travel rules, tuition not covered); the Australia Awards official site and DFAT handbook (tuition, air travel, establishment allowance, fortnightly living contribution); the Australian Department of Education’s Research Training Program page (AUD 34,315 for 2026, AUD 35,550 for 2027); Türkiye Burslari (stipend schedule, accommodation, flights); Knight-Hennessy Scholars funding page (tuition fellowship, living stipend, travel and relocation stipends); and UK maintenance rates from GOV.UK Student visa guidance and Appendix Student.

Disclaimer: StudyGraduate is an independent information portal, not a scholarship agency, university or government body. We do not select scholars and cannot promise or influence selection, admission or visa approval — anyone who charges you a fee with such a promise is misleading you. Scholarship amounts, deadlines and rules change every cycle; always confirm the stipend, coverage and closing date on the official programme website before you apply or make financial decisions.