Global Minds Doctoral Scholarships Programme at KU Leuven, Belgium

KU Leuven funds PhD research for students from developing countries through the Global Minds Programme. Each academic year the university picks scholarship candidates from these countries to earn a PhD at Belgium's largest university. The programme is run by the Interfaculty Council for Global Development.

Awardees do their research in a sandwich system: half of the work is carried out at KU Leuven and half at the scholar's home institution, with a local co-promoter supporting the project. KU Leuven awards the PhD degree.

• Host: K.U. Leuven and your Home Institution
• Level: PhD Research Degree
• Study destination: Belgium, with part of the research at your home institution
• Deadline: 4 February 2027 at 17.00 GMT
• Course starts: October 2026
• Awards: number not specified
• Covered: tuition fee, monthly allowance, insurance, travel costs, research allowance

K.U. Leuven and your Home Institution

PhD Research Degree in development-related topics.

Not specified.

You must be a national and resident of one of the countries on the scholarship country list:

Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, D.R. Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa

Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Palestinian Territories, Vietnam

Latin America: Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru

The scholarship pays the tuition fee, a monthly allowance, insurance, travel costs, a research allowance and other items. The full list of benefits is on this link.

1. You must be a national and resident of one of the eligible countries (see the list above).
2. Applicants with EU citizenship will not be selected. The same applies to applicants who hold a long-term EU residence permit.
3. Your latest Master's degree must have been awarded no more than ten years ago, so not before February 2017.
4. You must have been awarded an academic grade equivalent to High Distinction or higher. Degrees with a final score equivalent to second class second/lower division will not be considered.
5. Your research project must be of excellent academic quality, with special attention to the development relevance of the proposal.

READ THE FULL ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA AT THIS LINK.

This programme suits a researcher from one of the listed countries who already holds a strong Master's degree and wants to complete a PhD that also benefits their home institution. The sandwich structure means you split your time between KU Leuven and your home institution, so you need a local co-promoter and a project that fits both settings.

Your proposal should show clear development relevance, since the selection looks closely at that alongside academic quality.

Applications are currently closed.

There are two steps. First, you must obtain admission to a doctoral or predoctoral programme. Applications from candidates who started the admission procedure too late may not be evaluated in time, so start it as soon as possible (2.5 months before the deadline). Second, only after you have this admission can you apply for a Global Minds PhD scholarship. The scholarship application deadline is 4 February 2027 at 17.00 GMT.

Read the application procedure and check the official website (link below) for full details on how to apply.

• Who can apply for the Global Minds PhD scholarship? Citizens of the countries on the scholarship country list in Africa, Asia and Latin America. EU citizens and holders of a long-term EU residence permit are not selected.

• What does the scholarship cover? Tuition fee, a monthly allowance, insurance, travel costs, a research allowance and other benefits listed on the official benefits page.

• When is the deadline? 4 February 2027 at 17.00 GMT. Applications are currently closed.

• Do I need admission before applying? Yes. You must first be admitted to a doctoral or predoctoral programme, and only then can you apply for the scholarship.

• How recent must my Master's degree be? It must have been awarded no more than ten years ago, so not before February 2017, and with a grade equivalent to High Distinction or higher.

• Read the full eligibility criteria and the application procedure on the official pages before you prepare anything.
• Start the admission procedure early, because the scholarship application only opens once admission is granted.
• Line up your documents, including transcripts and proof of your Master's grade, well ahead of the deadline.
• Discuss the project with a potential promoter and a local co-promoter so the sandwich structure is clear in your proposal.
• Spell out the development relevance of your research, since reviewers weigh it alongside academic quality.