Some of the most generous scholarships in the world exist specifically to bring students from developing countries abroad — fully funded, with tuition, living stipend and flights. If you're from a low- or middle-income country, these should be the first awards on your list.
The big fully funded schemes
Several government and institutional programmes prioritise (or are limited to) developing-country nationals:
- Chevening (UK) — fully funded one-year master's; open to Chevening-eligible countries. See our Chevening page.
- Commonwealth Scholarships (UK) — for citizens of low- and middle-income Commonwealth countries.
- DAAD (Germany) — including EPOS and the Helmut-Schmidt programme for development-related master's.
- Swedish Institute Scholarships — for a defined list of low- and middle-income countries.
- Australia Awards, Manaaki New Zealand, JJ/WBGSP (World Bank), Mastercard Foundation Scholars (for African students), and more.
Every one of these has a verified profile — funding, eligibility and deadlines — in our scholarships database.
Read the eligibility, not just the name
Two lines decide most applications: the nationality rule (which countries qualify) and the work-experience requirement (Chevening, DAAD EPOS, the World Bank scheme and others require two to three years). Several also require you to return home for a period after study. Our profiles state each of these explicitly, so you don't waste an application.
Deadlines are early — and clustered
The big schemes open in the northern autumn and close between November and February, roughly a year before you start. Track them on the deadline calendar.
Don't scroll through hundreds of schemes hoping one fits. The scholarship matcher screens our verified awards against your nationality, level and work experience in five questions.