Top 25 Fully Funded Scholarships in the World for International Students 2027

Every year, governments and great universities fund a small number of scholarships so completely that money stops being the reason a talented student stays home. Tuition paid. Flights paid. A monthly stipend, health insurance, and sometimes housing, books and a laptop on top. This article ranks the 25 best of them for international students applying for 2027 entry — ranked by a combination of how complete the funding is, how prestigious and career-changing the award is, how many students can realistically win it, and how open it is to applicants from countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Nigeria and Indonesia.

Ranking honestly matters. A scholarship can be the most generous in the world and still be the wrong first choice if it funds 80 people a year from the entire planet, while a slightly less famous government scheme funding thousands may be where your realistic chance lies. So each entry below tells you three things plainly: what it actually pays, who it is really for, and how hard it is. Figures were verified in October 2026 against official sources wherever an official figure is published. Where a programme varies by country or university — Fulbright and the Commonwealth schemes are the classic examples — we say so rather than printing a single invented number. If a 2027-cycle date has not been published yet, we give the last cycle’s dates and label them as such.

Use this ranking alongside the StudyGraduate scholarships directory, the world rankings explorer and our focused lists for the top 50 fully funded scholarships for international students 2027, master’s students and PhD students.

At a Glance: The Top 25 Compared

The Ranked List

1. Fulbright Foreign Student Program — United States

Fulbright remains the world’s defining exchange scholarship: government-funded, present in more than 160 countries, and built around mutual understanding as much as academic merit. For graduate students it typically covers tuition and fees, a monthly living stipend set for the host city, round-trip airfare, settling and book allowances and health benefits, for up to two years of degree study in most country programmes — but the exact bundle is set country by country, so your binational commission or US embassy page is the authority. That country variation is why Fulbright is both first on this list and impossible to summarise in one figure. Apply through our seed profile of the Fulbright Program and then your country’s official Fulbright channel. If you dream of Harvard University or a great public research university, Fulbright is a placement partnership, not a cheque: strong applicants propose a clear study objective and a reason to return and contribute at home.

2. Chevening Scholarship — United Kingdom

Chevening is the UK government’s flagship award for a one-year taught master’s, and its package is admirably complete: full tuition, a monthly stipend (higher in London), economy return travel, the visa application cost, arrival and departure allowances, a travel top-up and up to £75 toward TB testing where required. You must be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country, hold a degree that qualifies you for a UK master’s, have at least two years (2,800 hours) of work experience, apply to three eligible courses and secure one unconditional offer in time, and commit to returning home for at least two years afterwards. The 2027–28 cycle opened on 4 August 2026 and closed on 6 October 2026 — it has just closed as this article is published, so 2028–29 hopefuls should build their work-experience and leadership evidence now. Start from our Chevening Scholarship profile.

3. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters — Europe

No other scholarship gives you a master’s degree across two or three European countries with this simplicity: scholarship holders pay no tuition or participation costs and receive €1,400 per month for up to 24 months — a maximum of €33,600 — intended to cover travel, visa, installation and living costs, with insurance arranged through the programme. You apply to a specific joint master’s in the Erasmus Mundus Catalogue (up to three programmes in a cycle is the usual limit), not to the EU in general, and each consortium sets its own deadline, mostly between October and January for the following autumn. There is no age limit and no return-home obligation. For breadth of subjects and genuine mobility, Erasmus Mundus is the best-designed master’s scholarship in the world. See our Erasmus Mundus profile.

4. KAUST Fellowship — Saudi Arabia

KAUST funds every admitted master’s and PhD student in its STEM divisions automatically, and the numbers lead this list for graduate science: on KAUST’s official Fees and Funding page, full tuition and bench fees up to $35,000 a year, a stipend worth $20,000 a year for M.S. students and $25,000–$30,000 for PhD students, base accommodation, health insurance and relocation support, valued in total at $70,000–$80,000 a year. No separate scholarship application, no teaching obligation baked into the headline offer, and a Red Sea research campus built for one purpose. The limits are equally clear: science and engineering only, and admission is fiercely competitive. In pure coverage per student, nothing else for taught-plus-research graduate study beats it.

5. DAAD Scholarships, including EPOS — Germany

Germany’s DAAD is the world’s largest funding organisation of its kind, and for development-related postgraduate courses its EPOS scheme is the workhorse award for professionals from developing and emerging countries. Current verified rates are €992 per month for master’s students and €1,300 per month for doctoral candidates, rising to €1,400 from February 2026 in current calls, plus insurance, travel and rent-subsidy support under programme rules — on top of Germany’s low or zero public tuition. Most EPOS courses require at least two years of relevant professional experience after your bachelor’s. DAAD also funds research stays, doctoral programmes and study scholarships in specific fields, each with its own call, so treat “DAAD” as a portfolio and find your exact programme in its database. See our DAAD Scholarship profile.

6. MEXT Scholarship — Japan

Japan’s MEXT programme is one of the few great scholarships that spans undergraduate, college of technology, specialised training, teacher training and research (master’s and PhD) students. Tuition is exempted, a monthly stipend is paid — ¥117,000 for undergraduate-level categories and ¥143,000–¥145,000 for research and teacher-training students in the 2026 guidelines published through official Japanese embassy and Study in Japan channels — and round-trip airfare is provided. Most applicants apply by embassy recommendation in spring (April–May in many countries for the following year) or by university recommendation later in the year. Japanese is not required at application for research students, and preparatory language education is built into undergraduate routes. See our MEXT Scholarship profile.

7. Australia Awards Scholarships — Australia

Australia Awards are the Australian government’s development scholarships for partner countries, mainly in the Indo-Pacific and Africa, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nepal and Pakistan in recent rounds. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade describes a complete package: full tuition, return air travel, a one-off establishment allowance, a fortnightly contribution to living expenses, an introductory academic programme, Overseas Student Health Cover, supplementary academic support and fieldwork allowances where applicable. Applications for study commencing in 2027 opened on 1 February 2026 through country programmes, with country-specific closing dates (late April is typical). You apply for development impact in a priority sector, not just a degree, and a return-home contribution expectation is central. Our seed profile is the Australia Awards profile, and the University of Melbourne’s Australia Awards page shows how a host university presents the same benefits; explore the University of Melbourne profile if Australia is your target.

8. Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) — South Korea

South Korea’s GKS invites well over a thousand graduate scholars a year through embassy and university tracks, plus undergraduate cohorts. The package covers tuition (capped per semester, with universities covering excess in the standard model), round-trip airfare, a monthly allowance, a settlement allowance, medical insurance, a completion grant and a full year of Korean language training before the degree for those who need it. Graduate applications typically run February to March through embassies and universities; undergraduate applications in autumn. You and your parents must hold non-Korean citizenship, graduate applicants are generally under 40, and a CGPA equivalent to 80% or top-20% standing is the academic floor. GKS rewards applicants who genuinely want Korea — language effort and a Korea-linked study plan visibly help.

9. Chinese Government Scholarship (CSC) — China

China’s CSC system funds undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, general and senior scholar categories through Type A (bilateral, via your home authorities), Type B (university programmes) and Type C routes. Type A and B awards commonly combine tuition, university accommodation or an accommodation subsidy, a monthly stipend by level, and comprehensive medical insurance, on amounts published in the current CSC guidelines — confirm your type’s exact stipend before accepting, because categories differ. China offers unmatched scale in engineering, medicine, agriculture and Chinese language study, and many programmes are taught in English. Apply through Campuschina and your dispatching authority or university, and keep copies of everything: CSC is an administrative marathon as much as an academic competition.

10. Eiffel Excellence Scholarship — France

Eiffel is prestigious, generous as an allowance — and the most misunderstood award on this list, because it does not pay tuition. From January 2026 the verified rates are €1,200 per month for master’s students and €2,100 per month for doctoral students, paid for the academic year (with doctoral mobility rules), plus services such as insurance and housing assistance support through Campus France channels. French public tuition is comparatively low, and many Eiffel scholars combine the allowance with university fee arrangements — but you must budget tuition yourself unless your institution waives it. You cannot apply directly: a French institution must nominate you. Ranked tenth for prestige and doctoral value, with the tuition warning in bold in our at-a-glance table so nobody is misled.

11. Commonwealth Scholarships — United Kingdom

The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission funds master’s and PhD study in the UK for citizens of eligible Commonwealth countries who could not otherwise afford it, under development themes. A full award typically covers approved airfare, full tuition fees, a monthly stipend (higher in London), warm-clothing, thesis and child allowances where applicable, under the current handbook. Split-site, shared and distance-learning variants serve different needs, and Shared Scholarships are co-funded with universities for one-year master’s study. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Nigeria are among the historically eligible countries, but the eligible-country and agency list is set per cycle — nominating agencies in your country are part of the process. See our Commonwealth Scholarship profile.

12. Rhodes Scholarship — University of Oxford

The Rhodes, founded in 1903, funds postgraduate study at the University of Oxford for around 100 scholars a year from defined constituencies, covering all university and college fees, an annual stipend (reported at £21,060 for 2026–27), settling support, health surcharge and economy flights under the Trust’s terms. Selection weighs academic excellence, energy to use talents fully, integrity and leadership — “fighting the world’s fight” in the founder’s language. Age and eligibility rules are strict and constituency-specific, and a Global constituency route has not always been open. Rhodes is the pinnacle for a small number of young graduates; it should be one application in a portfolio, never the whole plan.

13. Gates Cambridge Scholarship — University of Cambridge

Gates Cambridge funds outstanding applicants from outside the UK for full-time postgraduate study at Cambridge — roughly 80 scholars a year, most of them PhD students. The award covers the full cost of studying: university composition fee, a maintenance allowance (£23,152 a year in 2026–27 comparison reporting — confirm the live rate on the Trust’s site), one economy airfare and visa and health-surcharge costs, with additional discretionary support for conferences, fieldwork and dependants under Trust rules. Academic excellence comes first, followed by leadership and a commitment to improving the lives of others. Our seed profile is Gates Cambridge.

14. Knight-Hennessy Scholars — Stanford University

Knight-Hennessy funds graduate study in any Stanford school — law, medicine, business, engineering, humanities, education and more — for up to three years, with a fellowship covering tuition and associated fees, a stipend for living and academic expenses, and an annual economy travel stipend, plus the King Global Leadership Program alongside your degree. Around 100 scholars a year are chosen from all countries. You must apply both to Stanford and to Knight-Hennessy, and your first bachelor’s degree must fall inside the programme’s recency window (for the 2027 cohort, January 2020 or later, with a two-year extension for US military applicants, per current programme guidance). Our profile is Knight-Hennessy.

15. Schwarzman Scholars — Tsinghua University, China

Schwarzman is a one-year master’s in global affairs at Tsinghua in Beijing, taught in English to a cohort of roughly 150 future leaders drawn from China, the United States and the rest of the world. Scholars receive tuition, room and board in Schwarzman College, round-trip airfare, a stipend, a laptop, books and health insurance. Applicants are typically 18–28 with an undergraduate degree by enrolment and English proficiency. It is a leadership programme with a degree attached, and selection reads like it: trajectory, entrepreneurial spirit and cross-cultural promise outweigh a narrow research proposal. One intense year, an extraordinary network, and a very specific fit — apply only if that fit is real.

16. Türkiye Burslari — Türkiye

Türkiye’s government scholarship combines placement and funding in one application: tuition, free accommodation, health insurance, a one-year Turkish language course, flights at start and graduation, and monthly stipends currently published at 6,500 TL (undergraduate), 9,500 TL (master’s) and 13,000 TL (PhD) — the 2026 call printed lower figures. The window runs 10 January to 20 February in the established annual pattern, with age limits under 21, 30 and 35 by level and minimum achievement of 70–75% (90% for health sciences). No separate university application is needed — you list up to 12 programme preferences. In hard currency the stipend is modest; with housing free and Turkish living costs comparatively low, the package works as genuinely fully funded in practice.

17. Stipendium Hungaricum — Hungary

Hungary’s Stipendium Hungaricum, run by the Tempus Public Foundation with partner sending countries, covers tuition, accommodation support or a housing allowance, a monthly stipend, and medical insurance for bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral students at Hungarian universities, with many English-taught programmes. Places are allocated through your country’s sending partner, so eligibility starts at home: if your country has no partnership for your level, there is no route in that cycle. Hungary offers European study at gentle living costs, strong medical and engineering schools, and a central-European base. Deadlines typically fall in January through the DreamApply system — confirm your sending partner’s timetable.

18. Invest Your Talent in Italy and Italian Regional Awards — Italy

Italy’s offer is a stack rather than a single cheque: Invest Your Talent in Italy combines tuition relief at participating universities with a monthly allowance (paid for the academic year in recent calls) for selected master’s students in engineering, advanced technologies, architecture, design, economics and management, alongside Italian language provision; separately, regional right-to-study agencies (DSU) can add housing, meals and need-based grants, and many universities waive tuition for top international admits. Assembled well, the stack can amount to full funding; assembled carelessly, it covers only part. Italy therefore ranks on potential and value, with an explicit instruction: model your exact university and region before accepting.

19. Swedish Institute Scholarship — Sweden

The Swedish Institute Scholarship for Global Professionals funds master’s study in Sweden for citizens of a defined list of countries, covering full tuition paid directly to the university, a monthly living allowance, insurance, and a one-off travel grant, for programmes aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Work experience and demonstrated leadership are required, and you apply first to Swedish master’s programmes through University Admissions, then to the Institute. Sweden’s English-taught master’s market, post-study work options and sustainability focus make this a small, high-quality award — cohorts are a few hundred, so treat it as competitive despite less global fame than Chevening.

20. Funded Erasmus-Linked and EIT Masters — Europe

Beyond the flagship Erasmus Mundus scholarships at number 3, a second tier of European joint and EIT-labelled master’s programmes fund cohorts through programme-level scholarships, tuition waivers plus monthly contributions, or EIT community support, with terms that differ programme by programme. We list this family at number 20 with a verification warning rather than a single figure, because inventing one would be dishonest: some programmes are effectively fully funded for scholarship holders, others fund tuition only. The strategy is catalogue research — shortlist programmes in your field, open each consortium’s funding page, and apply where a named scholarship with published terms exists. Mobility between European universities is the cultural signature of the whole family.

21. Manaaki New Zealand Scholarships — New Zealand

New Zealand’s Manaaki scholarships, funded by the New Zealand government for partner countries mainly in the Pacific, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, cover full tuition, a living allowance, establishment and medical allowances, airfare and insurance for undergraduate and postgraduate study aligned to the scholar’s country’s development needs. Country eligibility is narrow and published per round, which keeps Manaaki at number 21 despite an excellent package: for an eligible applicant from, for example, Indonesia or a Pacific nation, it jumps straight into personal top-five territory. Check the eligible-country list first; if your country is not listed for this round, no application exists to make.

22. Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D) — Canada

Canada belongs on a world list, but honestly: its famous Vanier scholarship has been discontinued, and any 2027 guide still presenting Vanier as open is out of date. The successor doctoral award, CGRS-D, provides CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months to doctoral students at Canadian institutions, awarded through the federal granting councils. It is a research scholarship, not a packaged international-student award — tuition and living costs beyond the stipend are your and your university’s to arrange, and most international doctoral funding in Canada is assembled with university funding packages. CGRS-D earns its place for value to PhD students already admitted in Canada; undergraduates and taught master’s students should look to university entrance scholarships instead. Explore Canadian options through our University of Toronto profile and the universities directory.

23. Australian Research Training Program (RTP) — Australia

RTP is how most research students in Australia are funded: universities award RTP scholarships covering tuition and a stipend at or above the government base rate of AUD 34,315 in 2026 and AUD 35,550 in 2027, for master’s by research and PhD study, with international students eligible at participating universities. Unlike Australia Awards, RTP has no development-sector requirement and no return-home rule — it is a pure research competition, decided by each university in its own rounds. A strong honours or master’s record, a supervisor who wants you, and a credible proposal are the whole game. Ranked below Australia Awards only because it funds research degrees alone; for a PhD applicant, it may be the single most realistic fully funded route on this entire list.

24. Clarendon Fund — University of Oxford

Clarendon is Oxford’s big automatic-consideration graduate fund: apply to Oxford by the relevant December or January deadline and you are considered without a separate scholarship form. Awards cover tuition and college fees in full and provide a grant for living expenses at least at the UK research council minimum rate for the fee-liability period, across master’s and DPhil programmes and all subjects, with around 200 new scholars a year. Clarendon’s scale makes it statistically kinder than Rhodes or Gates while remaining Oxford — which is why every serious Oxford applicant should simply meet the early course deadline and let Clarendon happen. Browse Oxford and other profiles in the universities directory.

25. Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship and ADB-Japan Scholarship — Global / Asia-Pacific

We close with two development-bank programmes that quietly fund hundreds of master’s students. The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program funds development-related master’s at participating programmes for professionals from developing countries, covering tuition, a monthly subsistence allowance, economy airfare, health insurance and a travel allowance, with work-experience and return-home requirements. The Asian Development Bank–Japan Scholarship Program funds postgraduate study in economics, management, science and technology and related fields at designated institutions in the Asia-Pacific for ADB developing-member nationals, covering tuition, subsistence, housing, books, insurance and travel under its rules. Both demand professional experience and a development mandate — and both are far less contested, relative to places, than the celebrity awards above them.

Eligibility in General

No single eligibility rule covers 25 programmes on five continents, but the pattern is consistent. Government development scholarships (Australia Awards, Commonwealth, Manaaki, JJ/WBGSP, ADB-JSP) require citizenship of a listed partner country, a development-linked study plan and usually a commitment to return home. Leadership scholarships (Chevening, Schwarzman, Knight-Hennessy, Swedish Institute) require work experience and evidence of influence, not just grades. University prestige awards (Rhodes, Gates, Clarendon, Knight-Hennessy) require admission or application to one university and an academic record near the top of your cohort. Research awards (RTP, CGRS-D, DAAD research, KAUST) require a supervisor fit and a proposal. Language rules differ: Erasmus Mundus, GKS and MEXT build language learning into the award, while Chevening and Fulbright expect English readiness at application. Read the eligibility page of your exact programme — it is the only version that counts.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Build a portfolio, not a single bet. Choose six to eight awards across tiers: two prestige, three government, two university or research routes.
2. Sequence by deadline. Oxford and Cambridge cluster in autumn; Chevening closed 6 October 2026 for 2027–28; Erasmus Mundus and Türkiye run through winter; Australia Awards and MEXT embassy routes run in spring. Put every date into a tracker today.
3. Verify each figure officially. Open the programme’s own site and record stipend, tuition treatment and family rules for your nationality and level.
4. Secure referees early. Every serious award wants two or three people who know your work. Ask two months ahead and give them your study plan.
5. Write programme-specific essays. Leadership evidence for Chevening, development impact for Australia Awards, research fit for KAUST and RTP — one generic essay wins none of them.
6. Apply to the university where required. Gates, Clarendon, Knight-Hennessy and RTP all run through university admission; missing the course deadline voids the scholarship.
7. Submit early and keep proof. Portals fail near deadlines. Save confirmations, and never pay anyone to apply on your behalf — every award here is free to apply for.

Required Documents

The common core across the 25: passport; degree certificates and transcripts; English scores (IELTS or TOEFL) where required; a current CV; a statement of purpose or study plan; a research proposal for PhD and research awards; two or three references; and programme-specific pieces — Chevening’s three course choices, Fulbright’s study objective and personal statement through your country commission, Türkiye’s letter of intent and up to 12 programme preferences, GKS’s apostilled documents at later rounds. Translations, attestations and legalisations take weeks in many countries; start them before you know whether you are shortlisted, because several programmes demand them immediately after.

Deadlines and Timeline

How to Improve Your Chances

Winners of these awards share habits, not luck. They apply to a portfolio across tiers in the same season, so a prestige rejection still leaves funded offers. They can explain, in one paragraph, the problem they will work on, why this programme is the place to prepare, and what changes at home afterwards — the development and leadership awards score that paragraph directly. They collect referees who describe specific work, not adjectives. They respect administrative detail: apostilles, word limits, course-choice rules and deadline time zones (Chevening closes at 11:00 UTC, not midnight in your country). And they start a full cycle early — the applicant who discovers Chevening in September has already lost to the applicant who built two years of leadership evidence deliberately. Use StudyGraduate’s student tools to track deadlines and test scores, and the guides library for essay and interview preparation.

Common Mistakes

First, treating “fully funded” as a single standard — Eiffel does not pay tuition, CGRS-D is a stipend rather than a package, and lower CSC types differ from Type A. Second, applying only to celebrity awards with under 2% success rates. Third, missing the university deadline that a scholarship depends on. Fourth, recycling one essay everywhere. Fifth, trusting outdated lists: Vanier is discontinued and Destination Australia is closed to new applicants, yet both still circulate as if open — a useful test of any website you read. Sixth, paying agents. Every programme in this ranking accepts free, direct applications, and several explicitly warn that they do not work with paid intermediaries.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best fully funded scholarship in the world?

By reach and reputation, Fulbright; by completeness for a one-year master’s, Chevening; by design for a mobile European master’s, Erasmus Mundus at €1,400 a month with no tuition; and by raw graduate value in STEM, KAUST at $70,000–$80,000 a year in total. The best scholarship for you is the best one you are eligible for and can realistically win.

Which of these scholarships is easiest to get?

None is easy, but scale helps: GKS, CSC, DAAD, Türkiye Burslari, RTP (across many universities) and Stipendium Hungaricum fund hundreds to thousands of students a year, while Rhodes, Gates Cambridge and Schwarzman fund around 80–150 each. Apply across the scale.

Do I need IELTS for all of them?

No. Erasmus Mundus consortia set their own English requirements, GKS and MEXT do not require IELTS at application in most routes, and Türkiye Burslari requires no IELTS or TOEFL. Chevening itself does not set an English test, but your UK university offer will. Always check both the scholarship and the university requirement.

Can I apply for several of these at the same time?

Yes, and you should, unless a specific programme’s rules say otherwise. University-linked awards require parallel university applications, and accepting one award usually means declining others — a good problem, handled by replying promptly and politely.

Is Vanier still available in Canada?

No. Vanier has been discontinued. The current federal doctoral successor is the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Doctoral (CGRS-D), at CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months. Any source still inviting Vanier applications for 2027 is out of date.

Does Eiffel cover tuition in France?

No. Eiffel pays a monthly allowance — €1,200 for master’s and €2,100 for doctoral students from January 2026 — and related services, but tuition is not covered by Eiffel itself. Budget for fees or secure a university waiver alongside it.

Which scholarships have no age limit?

Erasmus Mundus has no age limit in its official rules. At the other end, Türkiye Burslari sets under-21/30/35 limits by level, Rhodes has constituency age rules, and Schwarzman applicants are typically 18–28. Check your exact programme.

Are these scholarships really free to apply for?

Yes. None of the 25 charges an application fee for the scholarship itself, though some university applications attached to them do charge fees. Chevening explicitly warns that it does not endorse anyone charging for application help.

Sources & Verification

Verified in October 2026 against official and programme sources, including: KAUST Admissions Fees & Funding; Chevening official terms and 2027–28 timeline (opened 4 August 2026, closed 6 October 2026); Erasmus Mundus / Erasmus+ programme information (€1,400 per month, up to 24 months, no tuition for scholars); DAAD EPOS rates (€992 / €1,300, €1,400 doctoral from February 2026); MEXT guidelines via the Embassy of Japan and Study in Japan (¥117,000–¥145,000 bands); DFAT Australia Awards benefits and the Study Australia 2027-intake announcement (applications opened 1 February 2026); Türkiye Burslari 2026 call (window and TL stipends); Eiffel rates from January 2026 (€1,200 / €2,100, tuition excluded); and the published terms of the Rhodes Trust, Gates Cambridge Trust, Knight-Hennessy, Schwarzman, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and Australian RTP base rates (AUD 34,315 in 2026, AUD 35,550 in 2027). Where a figure is set by country or university, this article says so.

Disclaimer: Scholarship details change yearly. Always confirm deadlines and amounts on the official website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, and cannot promise selection, admission or visa approval.