Top 50 Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students 2027

Every year, governments, universities and foundations fund tens of thousands of international students in full — tuition paid, a monthly stipend in the bank, flights and insurance covered. The problem is not scarcity. The problem is navigation: more than a hundred major programmes open on different dates, in different countries, with different nationality rules, and the students who win are usually not the most brilliant applicants in the world — they are the best organised.

This is the definitive StudyGraduate ranking of the top 50 fully funded scholarships for international students for 2027: fifty real, currently existing programmes, each with a full row in the at-a-glance table and a substantive mini-profile grouped by region and programme type below. Use it as your master shortlist. Pick eight to twelve programmes that match your nationality, level and field, then work backwards from their deadlines. Cross-check any programme in our scholarship directory, compare host universities in our university profiles and rankings, and track your plan with our scholarship tools. If your focus is one level, read our Top 25 Fully Funded Scholarships for Masters Students 2027 next, and if it is Europe, our Top 30 Fully Funded Scholarships in Europe for International Students 2027.

Top 50 at a Glance — The Ranked Table

Reading this table honestly: Entries 1–49 are fully funded for their selected cohorts under their published terms, with two explicit caveats printed in the table itself — Eiffel (No. 10) pays a generous monthly allowance but not tuition, and No. 50 is included as a warning entry because the Netherlands is so often mis-sold as “fully funded” when its best-known national award is a €5,000 one-off contribution. Vanier Canada is not in this list because it was discontinued; its replacement, CGRS-D at CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months, is No. 18. Destination Australia is not in this list because it closed to new applicants. Where a stipend is printed, it is the figure verified for the most recent cycle available in October 2026; where programmes vary by country or host, the table says so rather than inventing a single number.

United States and Canada — The North American Flagships

1. Fulbright Foreign Student Program (USA)

Fulbright remains the world’s flagship exchange scholarship, operating in more than 160 countries through binational commissions and US embassies. For most Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, Nigerian and Indonesian applicants it funds a master’s (and, in some countries, PhD research) with tuition support, a living stipend, health insurance and airfare, with the exact package set by your country programme. Its selection looks beyond grades to leadership and ambassadorial potential — you are chosen to represent your country as much as to study. Apply through your home-country Fulbright commission roughly a year and a half before departure. See our Fulbright Program guide and the official programme via your embassy.

9. Knight-Hennessy Scholars (Stanford, USA)

Knight-Hennessy funds any full-time Stanford graduate degree — JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MS, DMA or PhD — with tuition and associated fees plus a living stipend, and adds leadership training across disciplines. You apply to Knight-Hennessy and to Stanford separately, both by autumn deadlines. It suits applicants whose file already convinces a top graduate programme and whose leadership story is concrete, not aspirational. For undergraduates heading to the US, note that need-based full aid at highly selective US colleges performs the same function as a named scholarship — but only a handful of colleges are need-blind for internationals, so read each college’s policy rather than general lists. Study at Harvard University and peers is funded this way, not by a single national scholarship.

18. Canada Graduate Research Scholarship — Doctoral (CGRS-D), the Vanier Replacement

Canada discontinued the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships. The replacement doctoral award in the tri-agency system is the Canada Graduate Research Scholarship–Doctoral, valued at CAD 40,000 per year for 36 months. You apply through a Canadian university with a research doctorate, so supervisor and department fit come first. For master’s students, note carefully that CGRS-M is domestic-only — international master’s students in Canada are funded mainly by university packages, not by that scheme. Separately, remember Canada’s study-permit proof of funds: living funds of CAD 22,895 apply to applications to 31 August 2026 and CAD 23,448 from 1 September 2026, on top of tuition, unless your funding letter covers the requirement as IRCC specifies.

28–29. Lester B. Pearson (Toronto) and UBC International Scholars (Canada, Bachelor’s)

These are the two outstanding fully funded undergraduate routes in Canada. The Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship at the University of Toronto covers tuition, books, incidental fees and full residence support for four years, for students nominated by their school — you cannot apply without nomination, and the nomination deadline falls in autumn. UBC’s International Scholars Program in Vancouver bundles need-plus-merit awards that can meet full demonstrated need for exceptional students from under-resourced backgrounds. Both are brutally competitive and both reward sustained achievement plus contribution, not examination results alone.

34. AAUW International Fellowships (USA, Women)

The American Association of University Women has funded women who are not US citizens or permanent residents for graduate and postdoctoral study in the United States since 1917. Award amounts are set per cycle and level — check the current call for the exact figure rather than older blogs. AAUW matters because it funds women across fields, including professional degrees that many government schemes exclude, and because its alumnae network is strong in academia and public life.

United Kingdom — Chevening, Commonwealth and the Oxbridge Funds

3. Chevening Scholarship (UK)

Chevening, the UK government’s global scholarship, funds a one-year taught master’s at any UK university for future leaders with at least two years of work experience (2,800 hours in the current definition — confirm on Chevening’s official site). It covers tuition, a monthly stipend, airfare and arrival/homeward allowances, with visa and Immigration Health Surcharge support under programme terms. The application is essay-driven: leadership, networking and career plan carry as much weight as academics. Chevening for the 2027–28 cohort closed in October 2026 in recent-cycle timing (the prior cycle closed 7 October 2025) — if you missed it, build your file for the next August opening. See our Chevening Scholarship guide.

7. Commonwealth Scholarships (UK)

For citizens of Commonwealth countries — including Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nigeria and many others — Commonwealth Master’s, PhD, Split-site and Shared scholarships fund UK study for students who could not otherwise afford it, with a development-impact mission. Coverage includes approved airfare, full tuition, a living allowance (higher in London), and thesis and child allowances where applicable. Most applicants apply through a national nominating agency, so your home-country deadline is earlier than the UK deadline — missing the nominator stage is the classic error. See our Commonwealth Scholarship guide.

8, 16 and 25. Gates Cambridge, Rhodes (Oxford) and Clarendon (Oxford)

Three university-anchored funds complete the UK’s top tier. Gates Cambridge funds any full-time postgraduate degree at Cambridge (a small number of courses are excluded) at full cost, selecting on intellectual ability, leadership, fit and commitment to improving others’ lives. Rhodes, the oldest international scholarship, funds postgraduate study at the University of Oxford for constituencies around the world, including newer global and country Rhodes cohorts — check whether your country has a constituency or falls under Rhodes Global. Clarendon is Oxford’s automatic-consideration fund: apply to Oxford by the December/January course deadline and you are considered for a full fees-plus-living award without a separate form. Together with our Gates Cambridge guide and Knight-Hennessy guide, these are the purest merit funds in this entire list.

Europe — Erasmus, DAAD, Eiffel and the Continental System

2. Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (Europe)

No scholarship gives you more Europe per application. Each consortium combines at least three universities; you live in at least two countries, earn a joint or multiple degree, and receive €1,400 per month for 24 months with participation costs covered. Spanish, Finnish, German, French, Italian and dozens of other universities host programmes, which is why Erasmus appears in both our Spain and Finland guides as well. Apply to up to three consortia, October to January/February. See our Erasmus Mundus guide and the official Erasmus+ catalogue.

4, 38 and 39. DAAD EPOS, Helmut Schmidt and the German Political Foundations

Germany’s system is three doors into the same house. DAAD EPOS funds development-related master’s and PhD courses for professionals from developing and emerging countries at €992 per month (master’s) and €1,300 per month (doctoral), rising to €1,400 for doctoral scholars from February 2026, plus insurance, travel and rent subsidies in defined cases. Helmut Schmidt is the EPOS-family programme for future public-policy leaders. The political foundations (Heinrich Böll, Rosa Luxemburg, Konrad Adenauer and others) fund master’s and PhD students whose values match each foundation, at comparable stipend levels, and are open to internationals already in or coming to Germany. Remember the baseline: most German public university tuition is free, and the blocked account for a student visa is €11,904 per year — a DAAD stipend comfortably exceeds it. See our DAAD Scholarship guide and DAAD.

10. Eiffel Excellence (France) — Generous, With One Clear Limit

France’s Eiffel programme pays €1,200 per month at master’s level and €2,100 per month at doctoral level from January 2026 — and, as we state in the table, it does not cover tuition. That limit matters less in France than almost anywhere else, because public university tuition for internationals, while real, is far below Anglophone levels and many Eiffel hosts waive the differentiated fee. You cannot apply directly: a French institution must nominate you, so your first task is admission plus telling the university, early, that you want Eiffel nomination. The Campus France call typically closes in January.

13, 17, 24, 35–37, 40–44. Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Czechia and Romania

The Swedish Institute Scholarship funds master’s study for citizens of a defined list of countries with full tuition plus a monthly grant and travel grant — confirm the current monthly rate and country list, both of which SI revises. Swiss Government Excellence funds PhD, postdoctoral and arts scholars through the Federal Commission, applied for via the Swiss embassy in your country. Ireland’s Government International Education Scholarships pair a full host tuition waiver with a €10,000 stipend for one year in recent calls. Italy combines Invest Your Talent (tuition plus stipend for selected master’s in English) with the powerful regional DSU system, where eligible low-income students — including internationals — can receive fee exemption, housing, meals and a grant; DSU is need-assessed, not merit-only, and is Europe’s most underused full-funding route. Spain’s AECID and Carolina programmes (Nos. 36–37) are detailed in our Spain guide in this same wave. ETH Zurich’s ESOP (No. 40) is a full master’s package at one of the world’s top technical universities. Czech and Romanian government scholarships (Nos. 42–43) fund students from listed developing countries with tuition and stipends, including a language year where needed — smaller programmes, genuinely full coverage, and far less competition per place than the famous names.

Asia-Pacific — MEXT, GKS, CSC, Australia and Beyond

5. MEXT (Japan)

Japan’s MEXT funds undergraduate, master’s, doctoral and training students through embassy recommendation (the main route) and university recommendation. It exempts tuition and entrance fees, pays a monthly stipend — ¥117,000 for undergraduates in recent cycles, with regional supplements, and higher rates for graduate research students — and provides economy airfare. A preparatory Japanese-language year is built into the undergraduate route. MEXT’s embassy track opens around April–May in most countries. See our MEXT Scholarship guide.

6 and 19. Australia Awards and the Research Training Program (Australia)

Australia Awards, the Australian Government’s flagship, funds students from partner developing countries — including Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Indonesia and Pacific and African partners — for bachelor’s, master’s and PhD study with full tuition, a living contribution, establishment allowance, health cover (OSHC) and airfare, in exchange for a two-year return-home commitment after graduation. Country windows vary (many open February and close April/May). The RTP is the research route open worldwide: a tuition offset plus a stipend at the base rate of AUD 34,315 in 2026, rising to AUD 35,550 in 2027, awarded competitively by each university — top universities pay above the base. And a warning this guide repeats deliberately: Destination Australia is closed — do not build a plan on it. See our Australia Awards guide, the official Australia Awards site, and plan study at the University of Melbourne and peers through their RTP rounds.

11, 12, 21–23 and 27. GKS (Korea), CSC (China), SINGA (Singapore), HKPFS (Hong Kong), Schwarzman and Yenching (China)

Asia’s government scholarships are now as generous as any in the world. GKS funds undergraduate and graduate study in Korea with tuition, airfare, a monthly allowance, settlement and language-training support, including a full Korean-language year before the degree. CSC (Type A bilateral and Type B university programmes) covers tuition, dormitory accommodation, insurance and a monthly stipend in the CNY 2,500–3,500 range by level. SINGA funds a research PhD in Singapore’s A*STAR institutes and partner universities with tuition and a monthly stipend that increases after qualifying examinations. HKPFS is among the world’s best-paid PhD fellowships, at HK$344,400 per year in the recent cycle plus a conference travel allowance, for applicants to eight Hong Kong universities. Schwarzman (Tsinghua) and Yenching (Peking University) are China’s Rhodes-style one- and two-year master’s programmes in global affairs and China studies, fully funded including travel and room and board — small cohorts, global selection, extraordinary networks.

20, 45. Manaaki New Zealand and Brunei Darussalam

Manaaki funds partner-country citizens (Pacific, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean lists apply) for undergraduate and postgraduate study in New Zealand with full tuition, living allowance, establishment allowance, insurance and airfare — with a home-return contribution mission like Australia Awards. Brunei’s government scholarship funds diploma, undergraduate and master’s study at Brunei’s universities with tuition, airfare, monthly personal allowance, accommodation and book allowances for citizens of ASEAN, Commonwealth and OIC countries among others. Both are smaller than the giants in this list and, for eligible nationalities, materially less competitive.

Middle East, Hungary, Türkiye and the Development Funds

14, 15, 26, 46 and 47. Stipendium Hungaricum, Türkiye Burslari, KAUST, Khalifa and HBKU

Stipendium Hungaricum funds students from more than 80 partner countries (you apply through your home sending partner) with tuition exemption, a housing contribution, a monthly stipend and medical insurance, at bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral level. Türkiye Burslari is similarly comprehensive, adding airfare and a one-year Turkish course, with recent monthly stipends of 6,500 TL (undergraduate), 9,500 TL (master’s) and 13,000 TL (PhD) — Turkish lira figures change with inflation, so always re-check the current call. In the Gulf, KAUST in Saudi Arabia funds every admitted master’s and PhD student with tuition, housing, health cover and a living allowance — admission is the scholarship. Khalifa University (UAE) and Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Qatar) fund top graduate cohorts with tuition-plus-stipend or housing packages that vary by programme and tier; read the exact tier in your offer letter.

30–33, 48 and 49. Mastercard Foundation, World Bank Family, Rotary, Aga Khan and IsDB

The development funds solve a different problem: talent where government scholarships do not reach. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program funds full-cost undergraduate and master’s study at partner universities in Africa, North America and Europe for young Africans and Indigenous youth, with mentoring and transition support — you apply through the partner university, not the foundation. JJ/WBGSP funds experienced development professionals (typically three-plus years of relevant work) for master’s programmes on a defined list, with tuition, stipend, airfare and insurance, and a return-home expectation. ADB-JSP does the same for Asia-Pacific nationals at designated institutions. Rotary Peace Fellowships fully fund master’s degrees and professional certificates at Rotary Peace Centers for peace and development professionals with work experience. The Aga Khan Foundation award is a 50% grant / 50% loan for students from its focus countries who have exhausted other funding — unique, honest about its structure, and life-changing for its small cohort. IsDB scholarships fund member-country and Muslim-community students across levels on interest-free (qard) principles with a post-study service commitment.

Eligibility: How to Cut 50 Down to Your Personal 10

Apply four filters in order. Nationality: roughly half this list is nationality-gated (Fulbright, Chevening, Commonwealth, Australia Awards, Manaaki, Swedish Institute, Stipendium Hungaricum, Türkiye Burslari, AECID, Czech and Romanian governments). Strike out every programme whose country list excludes you — today, not after writing an essay. Level: Erasmus, Chevening and Eiffel are master’s-centred; HKPFS, SINGA and CGRS-D are PhD-only; Pearson and GKS-Undergraduate are rare bachelor’s routes. Experience: Chevening needs two years of work; JJ/WBGSP and Rotary Peace need more; FPU-style doctoral routes and Oxbridge funds need none beyond the degree. Return commitments: Australia Awards, Manaaki, JJ/WBGSP, IsDB and many bilateral schemes require returning home for a period. If your plan is post-study work abroad, weight Erasmus, DAAD, RTP, HKPFS and university funds instead, and check each host country’s post-study visa in our study abroad section.

How to Apply, Step by Step

1. Build your personal 10. Filter the 50 by nationality, level, field and return rules. Write each deadline into one calendar.
2. Order documents once, use them everywhere: passport, transcripts and certificates (attested/legalised as each scheme requires), English test if needed, CV, and a master personal statement you will adapt — never copy-paste between programmes.
3. Secure referees early. Two or three referees who know your work, briefed with your CV and deadlines, writing programme-specific letters.
4. Apply programme by programme on official portals only — Fulbright commission, Chevening online system, DAAD portal, Study in Korea, your university’s RTP round. Never pay an agent to submit a free application.
5. Tailor the mission fit. Government schemes fund a purpose: development impact (Commonwealth, Australia Awards), leadership (Chevening, Schwarzman), research excellence (Gates, HKPFS, Clarendon). Name that purpose in the programme’s own language.
6. Interview like a scholar. Know your proposed department’s current research, your supervisor candidates, and your post-award plan in specific, credible detail.
7. On award, move immediately on visa and enrolment. Funding letters expire; consulates fill. Germany’s blocked account (€11,904) is waived or satisfied differently for stipend holders in many cases — follow your award letter and consulate instructions exactly.

Required Documents Checklist

• Passport, photographs and national ID where the scheme asks for it
• All degree certificates and transcripts, attested/apostilled and translated where required
• English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE) or language proof for host-language programmes (DELF, TestDaF, JLPT where specified)
• CV in the programme’s format, research proposal (graduate research) or study plan
• Two to three reference letters, programme-specific
• Work-experience proof for Chevening, JJ/WBGSP, Rotary and professional schemes
• Medical certificate and police clearance at the stage the scheme requests them (MEXT, GKS and CSC ask at defined stages)

Deadlines and Timeline for the 2027 Cycle

Binding dates are those in the current official call for your country and programme. Where the 2027-cycle date was not yet published at the time of writing (21 October 2026), this table gives the last cycle’s pattern and says so.

How to Improve Your Chances Across All 50

Three habits separate winners from the far larger pool of qualified losers. First, fit beats prestige: a focused application to the right Erasmus consortium or RTP supervisor outperforms a generic application to five famous names. Second, evidence beats adjectives: every claim in your essays — leadership, impact, research promise — needs a number, a name or an artefact. Third, systems beat sprints: the students who win two or three offers in one season started documents, referees and tests nine to twelve months early and treated applications as a weekly project. Use our application guides to build that system.

Common Mistakes

• Applying to nationality-gated programmes you are not eligible for, discovered only at document check.
• Treating Eiffel or the NL Scholarship as full funding in your budget — both leave a gap by design, as flagged in the table.
• Missing a home-country nominator deadline (Commonwealth, Stipendium Hungaricum, MEXT embassy pre-screening) that falls weeks before the international deadline.
• Submitting the same personal statement to a development scheme and a pure-merit fund — their selection questions are opposites.
• Ignoring return-home conditions, then facing repayment or visa consequences after graduation.
• Believing any list — including old versions of this one — over the current official call. Programmes close (Vanier, Destination Australia, Orange Knowledge, the Finland Scholarship) and replacements open; verify every cycle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which fully funded scholarship is easiest to get?

None is easy, but competition per place is lower at strong regional and university funds (DSU Italy, Czech/Romanian government schemes, RTP at less famous universities, Stipendium Hungaricum through smaller sending countries) than at Rhodes, Gates or Schwarzman. Apply to a spread of both.

Can I apply for several of the 50 in one year?

Yes, and you should — eight to twelve well-matched applications is a normal winning portfolio. Watch for rules that limit simultaneous applications within one system (for example, up to three Erasmus Mundus programmes).

Which scholarships fund bachelor’s degrees in full?

MEXT Undergraduate, GKS Undergraduate, Lester B. Pearson, UBC International Scholars, Stipendium Hungaricum, Türkiye Burslari, Brunei, Manaaki and Mastercard Foundation partners are the main routes in this list. Fully funded bachelor’s funding is far rarer than master’s and PhD funding.

Do I need IELTS for all 50?

No. Requirements follow the programme of study, not the scholarship: many European and Asian programmes accept other tests or prior English-medium degrees, and language-year programmes (GKS, Türkiye, CSC) teach the host language. Always meet the host university’s stated requirement.

What GPA do I need?

Most government schemes set a minimum around a strong second-class / 3.0–3.3 equivalent and then rank competitively; Oxbridge funds and HKPFS effectively select at first-class level. A lower GPA can be offset over time by research output and professional achievement for experience-based schemes like Chevening, JJ/WBGSP and Rotary.

Are any of these programmes closed or discontinued?

Yes — and they are deliberately excluded or flagged: Vanier (replaced by CGRS-D, No. 18), Destination Australia (closed, excluded), the Orange Knowledge Programme (ended; No. 50 flags the partial NL Scholarship honestly) and the Finland Scholarship (ended 2024, excluded from the 50). If another guide lists them as open for 2027, it is out of date.

Can a scholarship cover my family?

A few do in part: Commonwealth offers child allowances in defined cases, Fulbright country programmes vary on dependants, and salaried doctoral routes let you live on a normal household budget. Most stipends are calculated for one person — read the dependants policy before you plan.

When should I start for 2027 entry?

Immediately for autumn-2027 master’s programmes: Chevening, Erasmus, Oxbridge and US deadlines cluster between October 2026 and February 2027, and document attestation alone can take a month or more.

Sources & Verification

Verified against official sources including: Fulbright / US Department of State programme descriptions, Erasmus+ (Erasmus Mundus €1,400/month), Chevening, DAAD (EPOS €992 / €1,300, rising to €1,400 doctoral from February 2026), Campus France (Eiffel €1,200 / €2,100 from January 2026, tuition excluded), MEXT via Japanese embassies, Australian Government (Australia Awards; RTP base rates AUD 34,315 for 2026 and 35,550 for 2027), Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, Gates Cambridge Trust, Hong Kong Research Grants Council (HKPFS HK$344,400/year recent cycle), Türkiye Burslari (6,500 / 9,500 / 13,000 TL recent call), Canadian tri-agencies (CGRS-D CAD 40,000/year × 36 months; Vanier discontinued), IRCC study-permit funds (CAD 22,895 to 31 Aug 2026; CAD 23,448 from 1 Sep 2026), German federal figures (blocked account €11,904/year), Fundación Carolina (736 awards, 2026–2027), and the official pages of the remaining named programmes. Where a figure varies by country, host or cycle, the text presents it as a range or a recent-cycle figure and directs you to the official call.

Disclaimer: Scholarship details change yearly, and programmes open, close and change value between cycles. Always confirm deadlines, amounts, nationality lists and coverage on the official website before applying. StudyGraduate is an information portal, not an agency, and cannot promise selection, admission or visa approval.