Scholarships & Funding

U.S. Department of State · United States

Tuition, a monthly living stipend, airfare, health insurance and a settling-in allowance for a Masters (and in some years a PhD) in the USA.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Applications usually open around April–May each year for study starting the following year.

UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office · United Kingdom

Full tuition for a one-year Masters in the UK, a monthly living allowance, return airfare and arrival allowances.

MASTERSDeadline: Applications usually open in August and close in early November.

Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, UK · United Kingdom

Tuition, a living stipend, airfare and allowances for Masters and PhD study in the UK, aimed at students from developing Commonwealth countries.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Nominating-body deadlines usually fall between October and December.

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) · Germany

A monthly stipend, health insurance, travel allowance and often a study and research subsidy for development-related Masters and PhD programmes in Germany.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Deadlines vary by course, mostly between August and October for the following year.

European Commission · Europe (multiple countries)

Tuition, travel and installation costs and a monthly allowance for a joint Masters studied in at least two European countries.

MASTERSDeadline: Most programmes close between October and January for the following academic year.

Ministry of Education, Japan · Japan

Full tuition, a monthly stipend, return airfare, and a preparatory Japanese language course.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Embassy recommendation applications usually open around April–May each year.

National Institute for International Education, South Korea · South Korea

Tuition, a monthly living allowance, airfare, medical insurance, a settlement allowance and a year of Korean language training.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Usually opens in February–March for study starting in September.

China Scholarship Council · China

Tuition, on-campus accommodation, a monthly stipend and comprehensive medical insurance.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Most university and embassy deadlines fall between December and April.

Australian Government (DFAT) · Australia

Full tuition, return air travel, an establishment allowance, contribution to living expenses, health cover and introductory academic programs.

MASTERSDeadline: Applications usually open around February and close around April.

Government of Hungary · Hungary

Full tuition exemption, a monthly stipend, accommodation contribution and medical insurance.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Usually opens in November and closes in mid-January.

Government of Türkiye · Türkiye

Tuition, a monthly stipend, accommodation, health insurance, return flights and a year of Turkish language course.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Usually opens in January and closes in February.

Swedish Institute · Sweden

Tuition, a monthly living allowance, insurance and a travel grant, plus membership of the SI Network for Future Global Leaders.

MASTERSDeadline: Usually opens in early February, shortly after university admission closes in January.

Aga Khan Foundation · Multiple countries

Tuition and living expenses, given as 50% grant and 50% loan, for postgraduate study abroad.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Applications are usually accepted from January to March each year.

Dutch Ministry of Education and participating universities · Netherlands

A one-off grant of around €5,000 in the first year of study, intended to offset tuition and living costs.

MASTERSDeadline: Usually 1 February or 1 May, depending on the university.

Individual universities and departments · United States

A tuition waiver plus a monthly stipend in exchange for teaching or research duties — the most common way Bangladeshi students fund a PhD in North America.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Tied to admission deadlines, usually December–January for the Fall intake.

Australian Government, through each university · Australia

Tuition fees, and for many recipients a living stipend and allowances, for a research Masters or PhD at an Australian university.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Each university runs its own round, most closing between August and October for the following year.

New Zealand Government (MFAT) · New Zealand

Full tuition, a living allowance, establishment allowance, medical and travel insurance, and return airfare.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Applications generally open early in the year for study starting the following year; dates vary by country.

Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia · Malaysia

Tuition fees, a monthly maintenance allowance, health insurance and other approved allowances at a Malaysian university.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Rounds are announced by the Ministry, typically once a year.

Russian universities, with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education · Russia

A tuition-free place on a Masters or PhD programme at a participating Russian university for contest winners.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Registration usually runs from autumn, with the contest held over the following months.

Government of the Russian Federation, via Rossotrudnichestvo · Russia

Tuition-free study, a modest monthly stipend and access to hostel accommodation on the government's annual quota for foreign students.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: The annual quota campaign usually opens toward the end of the year for the next academic year.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation / University of Cambridge · United Kingdom

The full cost of studying at Cambridge: university composition fee, a maintenance allowance, airfare at the start and end of the course, and a visa and health surcharge allowance. Discretionary funds cover family, fieldwork and conference costs.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Applied for through the Cambridge graduate application. The deadline is the course deadline in December or early January, so the Cambridge application itself has to be ready well before then.

University of Oxford · United Kingdom

Full course fees and a grant for living costs for the duration of the course, for more than 200 new scholars a year across every Oxford department.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: No separate application. You are considered automatically if your Oxford course application arrives by the December or January deadline for your course.

Rhodes Trust, University of Oxford · United Kingdom

University and college fees, a personal stipend, and travel to and from Oxford, for two years in the first instance and sometimes a third.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Applications usually open in the middle of the year and close a few months later, for study starting the following October.

Government of Canada · Canada

A substantial annual award for three years of doctoral study at a Canadian university.

PHDDeadline: The university's internal deadline comes first, usually in the autumn, with the national competition closing shortly after.

French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs · France

A monthly allowance, international travel, health insurance and cultural activities. Tuition is not paid by the programme, though fees at French public institutions are low.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: The French institution applies on your behalf, and its internal deadline falls in the autumn, well before the January campaign closes.

Stanford University · United States

Tuition and fees, a living and academic stipend, and a travel stipend, for up to three years of any graduate degree at Stanford, alongside a leadership development programme.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: The Knight-Hennessy deadline is in the autumn and is separate from, and usually earlier than, the Stanford degree programme deadline.

Tsinghua University · China

A one-year master's in Global Affairs at Tsinghua: tuition, accommodation, travel to and from Beijing, a stipend, and study trips within China.

MASTERSDeadline: One deadline in the autumn for study starting the following year, with an earlier deadline for applicants from mainland China.

State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) · Switzerland

A monthly stipend, tuition waiver, health insurance and housing allowance for research or doctoral study at a Swiss public university or institute.

PHDDeadline: Applications go through the Swiss embassy and are submitted in the autumn for study starting the following September.

Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science with Dutch universities · Netherlands

A one-off contribution towards the first year of study. It does not cover the full cost, so it is a top-up to other funding rather than a complete package.

MASTERSDeadline: Deadlines are set by each participating university, usually between February and May for the following September.

International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) · Taiwan

Tuition and credit fees, accommodation, insurance, a monthly allowance and a return air ticket, for programmes taught in English at partner universities in Taiwan.

MASTERS, PHDDeadline: Applications usually run from the start of the year to mid-March, for study starting that September.