25+ International Scholarships at the World's Top Universities

Top-ranked universities in the USA, Australia, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, France and other countries run scholarship programmes for strong international students. The awards below belong to universities ranked among the top 250 universities around the world in 2018. Some cover tuition only, others add living costs, travel or insurance. Read each entry to see what it pays for and who it is open to.

Undergraduate Scholarships at Top Universities »

Karen McKellin International Leader of Tomorrow Award at University of British Columbia (Canada)
UBC offers bachelor's awards to talented secondary and post-secondary international students from around the world. The amount matches demonstrated financial need, up to full tuition for the relevant programme plus living expenses.

See also Donald A. Wehrung International Student Award

Reach Oxford Scholarships (UK)
Several Oxford colleges award Reach Oxford Scholarships to students from developing countries who cannot take a degree at home for political or financial reasons, or because equivalent educational facilities do not exist. The award covers university fees, college fees, a grant for living expenses and one return air fare per year.

Bachelors/Masters Scholarships at Top Universities »

Bristol University Think Big Scholarships (UK)
The University of Bristol offers 26 Think Big Undergraduate scholarships and 26 Think Big Postgraduate scholarships for courses starting in 2018. Awards cover between 25% and 100% of tuition fees for the duration of your course.

Utrecht University Excellence Scholarships (Netherlands)
A number of outstanding prospective students can take a Bachelor's or Master's degree in selected fields at Utrecht University. Selected students receive a scholarship covering the tuition fee plus 11,000 euro living expenses per year.

Bologna University Study Grants for International Students (Italy)
The University of Bologna awards study grants to deserving international students registering for First Cycle (Bachelors), Second Cycle (Masters) or Single Cycle Degree Programmes. Each grant runs for one academic year and totals €11,059, gross of all charges for the beneficiary's account.

Masters Scholarships at Top Universities »

Clarendon Scholarships at University of Oxford (UK)
The Clarendon Fund is a major graduate scholarship scheme at Oxford, offering around 140 new scholarships every year to eligible graduate applicants, including international students. Awards rest on academic excellence and potential across all degree-bearing subjects at graduate level. Every Clarendon Scholarship covers tuition and college fees in full plus a generous grant for living expenses.

See also Rhodes Scholarships at University of Oxford

Gates Cambridge Scholarships (UK)
These are full-cost awards for graduate study and research in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. They are open to international students from all over the world. A Gates Cambridge Scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge: university fees, maintenance allowances, airfare and more.

Edinburgh Global Online Distance Learning Scholarships
The University of Edinburgh offers 4 scholarships for any distance learning Master's programmes it runs. Each scholarship covers the full tuition fees and is tenable for three years.

Developing Solutions Scholarships at University of Nottingham (UK)
These scholarships target international students from Africa, India or one of the developing countries of the Commonwealth who want to take a Masters Degree at Nottingham and make a difference to development in their home country. Each year 105 scholarships are awarded: 30 cover the full tuition fee and 75 cover 50% of it.

TU Delft Excellence Scholarships (Netherlands)
Delft University of Technology runs several excellence scholarship programmes for international students. The Justus & Louise van Effen scholarship is one of them and supports excellent international MSc students who wish to study at TU Delft. It is a full scholarship covering tuition fees and a monthly allowance for living expenses.

University of Maastricht High Potential Scholarships (Netherlands)
The UM Scholarship Fund provides these scholarships to encourage talented students from outside the EEA to follow a master's programme at UM. They include tuition fee, living expenses, visa costs and insurance.

Leiden University Excellence Scholarships (Netherlands)
The Leiden University Excellence Scholarship Programme (LExS) is open to outstanding Non-EU/EEA students enrolling in a master's degree programme at Leiden. Awards take one of these forms: €10,000 of the tuition fee, €15,000 of the tuition fee, or the total tuition fee minus the statutory tuition fee.

Erik Bleumink Scholarships at University of Groningen (Netherlands)
The Erik Bleumink Fund Scholarships are usually awarded for any 1 year or 2 years Master's degree programme at the University of Groningen. The grant covers tuition fees plus international travel, subsistence, books and health insurance.

VU University Amsterdam Fellowship Programme (Netherlands)
The VU Fellowship Programme (VUFP) lets talented prospective students from outside the EU/EEA pursue a degree in a selection of Master's programmes at VU University. The award is a tuition fee waiver and provides no extra allowance towards study or living costs.

Amsterdam Merit Scholarships (Netherlands)
The University of Amsterdam uses these awards to attract bright students from outside the European Economic Area. Depending on the faculty, the scholarship varies between €2,000 and €25,000.

University of Twente Scholarships (Netherlands)
University Twente Scholarships (UTS) go to excellent students from both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA countries applying for a graduate programme (MSc) at Twente. The amount is from € 3,000 to € 25,000 for one year.

ETH Excellence Scholarships (Switzerland)
These are open to excellent students from ETH and from other universities, national and international, who wish to pursue a Master's degree at ETH Zurich. The scholarship is a full or partial grant covering living and study expenses plus a tuition fee waiver.

University of Lausanne Master's Grant for Foreign Students (Switzerland)
The University of Lausanne offers UNIL Master's Grants to international students who wish to pursue a Masters Degree there. The grant is CHF 1,600.- per month from 15 September to 15 July, for a duration not exceeding the regulation minimum period of the programme.

University of Geneva Excellence Master Fellowships (Switzerland)
The University of Geneva Faculty of Science, with several sponsors, set up an Excellence Fellowship Program for outstanding and highly motivated candidates who intend to pursue a Master of Science in any of the disciplines covered by the Faculty. The fellowship is a grant of CHF 10,000 to CHF 15,000 per year.

Lund University Global Scholarships for Non-EU/EEA Students (Sweden)
This selective, merit-based programme recognises top academic students from outside the European Union/European Economic Area (and Switzerland) who apply for a Bachelor's or Master's Programme at Lund University. Awards may cover 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of the tuition fee. Living costs are not covered.

Uppsala IPK Scholarships (Sweden)
Uppsala University offers scholarships to first year applicants to its Master Programmes through various schemes, including the Uppsala University IPK scholarships. They cover the cost of tuition but not living expenses.

Emile Boutmy Scholarships for International Students at Sciences Po (France)
Sciences Po created the Emile Boutmy Scholarships to attract the very best international students from outside the European Union who are first time applicants and have been admitted to an Undergraduate or Master's programme at the University. The Master's programme award ranges from €5,000 to €16,000 for 2 years of postgraduate study, or €3,000 to €12,300 for 3 years of undergraduate study.

Schwarzman Scholars Program at Tsinghua University (China)
Schwarzman Scholars prepares the next generation of global leaders and is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitics of the 21st Century. It gives top students the chance to build leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year Master's Degree at Tsinghua University. The scholarship covers tuition and fees, room and board, travel to and from Beijing at the beginning and end of the academic year, an in-country study tour, required course books and supplies, a lenovo laptop and smartphone, health insurance and a modest personal stipend.

PhD Scholarships at Top Universities »

Warwick Chancellor's International Scholarships (UK)
The Warwick Graduate School awards around 25 Chancellor's International Scholarships each year to the most outstanding international PhD applicants. They are open to students of any nationality and to any discipline offered at Warwick. The award includes full payment of overseas tuition fees and a maintenance allowance.