The applications for the 2021 – 2022 round will open soon. Make sure you keep an eye on the scholarships with upcoming deadlines. In this article, we will look at the top scholarships for international students for the 2021 – 2022 admission cycle. But, before proceeding to the list, we will look at the key tips for getting scholarships to study abroad.
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3 Key Tips to Get Scholarships to Study in USA, Canada & Europe
1. Assess Your Finances
Assess your family income and assets and how much you can arrange through an education loan, Demonstrated financial need is as critical as the merit for a big majority of scholarship schemes. Know how much the study abroad program will cost (fees and living expenses). Evaluate your profile (merit is the key to any kind of scholarship).
2. Build an All-Round Profile
Grades and test scores are of course important. But, the scholarship committee will look way beyond your scores and grades. Solid work experience is always more than helpful. 2 – 3 years of work experience will give you more chances rather than 6 – 12 months of work experience, especially for full-scholarships.
Community involvement is good and does impress the admission officers and scholarship committee. But, don’t do it just for the sake of doing. A failed attempt at starting your venture, online business (part-time) or a quality research project is better than 3-month community engagement.
Universities prefer students who can express themselves and reflect the true-self in the applications. If you are passionate about playing guitar or photography, demonstrate how actively you have followed your passion. Demonstrate (don’t just tell) your leadership quality and the potential to excel in your chosen field.
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3. Check Eligibility Criteria and Application Deadlines
The majority of applicants miss out on getting scholarships because of not researching well enough. Secondly, they miss out on applying to various scholarship schemes before the specified deadlines.
Important Notes for Scholarships in Europe
For a vast majority of scholarship schemes in Europe, you have to apply for the admission (i.e. apply for the program first) and secure an offer letter. Then only you can apply for the scholarship. In a few cases, an offer letter is not required, but you must apply for the program before applying for a specific scholarship scheme.
Important Notes for Scholarships in USA
In the US, ideally, you need to apply for the program and financial aid at the same time before a specific deadline. For example, a good majority of programs have got application deadlines around December – February. But, in order to be eligible for financial aid, you must apply before the financial aid deadlines (or priority/early application deadlines) – usually November – January. Read more about How to Get Scholarships to Study in USA and 85 Top US Colleges that Offer Maximum Financial Aid to International Students for Undergraduate Studies.
Important Notes for Scholarships in Canada
For Canada, usually, you will need to find your thesis supervisor first. Once you find a supervisor who is happy to accept and fund your studies and research, you can then submit your formal application to the university. Know more about scholarships to study in Canada.

Now, we will move on to the top scholarship schemes for international students for the 2019 admission cycle.
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List of Top Scholarships for International Students for 2021 – 2022
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Top Scholarships for International Students 2020 – 2021 to Study in Europe
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Government Scholarships
British Chevening Scholarships (UK)
Level of Study: Masters
Number of Awards: 1,500
Amount of Scholarship: A Chevening Scholarship normally covers university tuition fees, a monthly living allowance, an economy class return airfare to the UK, and additional grants and allowances to cover essential expenditure.
Specific Criteria: Candidates must have at least 2 years of work experience
Application Deadline: November 6
Holland Scholarship (Netherlands)
Level: Bachelors and Masters
Number of Awards: Not specified
Amount of Scholarship: EUR 5,000
Application Deadline: February 1
Swedish Institute Study Scholarships (Sweden)
Level of Study: Masters
Number of Awards: 180
Amount of Scholarship: The scholarship covers tuition fees, and living expenses (stipend) of SEK 9,000 per month, and insurance. Additionally, there is also a one-time travel grant of SEK 15,000 (only for scholarship holders from countries on the DAC list of ODA recipients).
Specific Criteria: Candidates must have 3,000 hours (~1.5 years) of from full-time/part-time employment, voluntary work, paid/unpaid internship, and/or position of trust.
Application Deadline: January 15
Government of Ireland International Education (GOI-IES) Scholarships
Number of Awards: 60
Amount of Scholarship: Full tuition fees plus EUR 5,000 – 10,000 to cover living expenses
Level of Study: The scholarship may be for:
▪ the final year of an undergraduate programme;
▪ one year of a taught master’s degree programme or;
▪ one year of a research programme (i.e. one year of 2-year research masters or a 3-4-year PhD programme).
Specific Criteria: The Non-EU applicant must
➢ Possess excellence (academically, personally, professionally, creatively);
➢ Excellent communication skills;
➢ Extra curriculum activities (for example: humanitarian work; politics – local, national, international; arts; sports);
➢ Possess strong rationale for pursuing their study in Ireland that indicates
how a GOI-IES fits into their longer-term goals.
The applicant must have an offer in order to be eligible to apply.
Application Deadline: March 29
Eiffel Scholarship Program of Excellence (France)
Level of Study: Masters and PhD
Number of Awards: Not specified
Amount of Scholarship: For Master’s level studies, the Eiffel scholarship includes a monthly allowance of €1,181 (a maintenance allowance of €1,031 and a monthly stipend of €150) and can be awarded for 12-36 months. For Ph.D. level studies, the Eiffel scholarship includes a monthly allowance of €1,400 and is awarded for a maximum of 12 months.
Application Deadline: January 11
VLIR-UOS Training and Masters Scholarships (Belgium)
Level of Study: Masters
Number of Awards: Not specified
Amount of Scholarship: Full Scholarships for the duration of the Master’s program
Specific Criteria: Applicants should be from 31 specific countries and priority will be given to the candidates who are employed in academic institutions, research institutes, governments, the social economy or NGOs, or who aim at a career in one of these sectors. However, Master Candidates employed in the profit sector or newly graduated candidates without any work experience can be eligible for the scholarship as well, depending on their motivation and profile.
Application Deadline: Nov – Mar (depending on the institute you are applying)
Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships (Switzerland)
Level of Study: Ph.D.and Postdoc
Award Amount: The scholarship covers a monthly payment, exemption of tuition fees, health insurance, airfare, housing allowance, etc., as applicable. Please refer to the country-specific fact sheets for exact scholarship benefits.
Application Deadline: Sep – Dec
Danish Government Scholarships (Denmark)
Level of Study: Masters
Number of Awards: Limited
Scholarship Amount: The government scholarship consists of two parts and can be given as full or partial tuition fee waivers and/or grants towards covering your living costs.
However, as the scholarships are administered by the individual higher education institution, you should ask for further details at the institution of your choice.
Application Deadline: March – April for September intake
Italian Government Scholarships (Italy)
Level of Study: Masters and PhD
Number of Awards: Not specified
Scholarship Amount: Tuition Fees, Living Allowance (EUR 600 per month), and Health Insurance
Application Deadline: April 2019
University Specific Scholarships
Gates Cambridge Scholarships (University of Cambridge)
Level of Study: Masters and PhD
Number of Awards: 95
Amount of Scholarship: The scholarship covers the full cost of studying at Cambridge that includes tuition fees, maintenance allowance, travel costs, etc.
Application Deadline: December 5 / January 3
Clarendon Scholarships (University of Oxford)
Level of Study: Masters and PhD
Number of Awards: 130
Amount of Scholarship: Full tuition fees and a living stipend (appx. £14,777 per year)
Application Deadline: January 25
Leiden University Excellence Scholarships (Leiden University)
Level of Study: Masters
Number of Awards: Not specified
Scholarship Amount: EUR 10,000 – 15,000
Specific Criteria: The applicants are expected to be among the top 10% in their classes (cohorts).
Application Deadline: February 1 (for programs starting in September)
Maastricht University Holland-High Potential Scholarship (Maastricht University)
Level of Study: Masters
Number of Awards: 29
Scholarship Amount: EUR 29,000 (tuition fee waiver, living stipend, health insurance, and visa costs)
Application Deadline: February 1
ETH Excellence Scholarship (ETH Zurich)
Level of Study: Masters
Scholarship Amount: Tuition Fees and a living stipend (CHF 11,000 per semester). There are also a few partial scholarships.
Specific Criteria: You need to contact potential supervisors and get approval before applying for the scholarship
Application Deadline: December 15
Lund University Global Scholarship
Level of Study: Bachelor and Masters
Scholarship Amount: 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of tuition fees (depending on merit and overall profile)
Application Deadline: January 15
Utrecht Excellence Scholarships
Level of Study: Masters
Number of Awards: 20 – 25
Scholarship Amount: Tuition Fees plus living expenses (EUR 11,000 per year)
Application Deadline: February 1
University of Nottingham Developing Solution Master Scholarship
Level of Study: Masters (MSc and MRes)
Number of Awards:
30 Full tuition fee scholarships and 75 Partial (50% Tuition Fee) Scholarships
Application Deadline: April
List of Other University Scholarships for International (Non-EU/EEA) Students in Europe
Radboud University
University of Amsterdam
Top Scholarships for International Students to Study in Canada
Government Scholarships to Study in Canada
IDRC Research Awards: Scholarships from the Canadian Government for the students from developing countries to undertake a master’s or doctoral-level research degree at a recognized Canadian university.
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships: Multiple scholarships, grants, and awards from the Canadian Govt. available to outstanding students undertaking study in the natural sciences or engineering at a Canadian university.
Organization of American States (OAS) Academic Scholarship Program: Canadian Govt. scholarships from the Organization of American States (OAS) for the graduate students from any OAS member state (including selected countries in Latin America and the Caribbean islands).
Queen Elizabeth Scholarships: these scholarships have to be applied after contacting research supervisors at Canadian universities. ‘
Mitacs Awards: Need to find an academic supervisor before applying.
Sauve Scholarships: Since 2003, the Foundation has awarded 150 young leaders from 50 countries.
University-Specific Scholarships for Masters in Canada
University of British Columbia (UBC)
HEC Montreal
Quest University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Top Scholarship Schemes for International Students for Graduate Studies (Master’s & Ph.D.) to Study in USA
Foreign Fulbright Student Program
The Fulbright student scholarship program is for students who want to study masters or PhD degree in reputed universities of USA. The entire scholarship will be sufficient for the tuition fees, textbook fare, airfare, health insurance, and the living stipend. This scholarship program is specially designed for non- degree postgraduate studies.
Humphrey Fellowship Program
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is also a USA Government scholarship program designed especially for experienced professionals. Additionally, the candidates need to demonstrate commitment towards the public services in either the public sector or the private sector of different countries. This scholarship covers the maximum part of the expenses during the program.
Aga Khan Foundation International Scholarship
The Aga Khan Foundation provides a limited number of scholarships each year for postgraduate studies to outstanding students (from developing countries) who have no other means of financing their studies. Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant and 50% loan basis through a competitive application process. The Foundation gives priority to requests for Master’s level courses but is willing to consider applications for Ph.D. programs.
World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program
The scheme is open to women and men from developing countries with relevant professional experience and a history of supporting their countries’ development efforts who are applying to a master’s degree program in a development-related topic.
The scholarship provides tuition, a monthly living stipend, round-trip airfare, health insurance, and travel allowance.
AAUW International Fellowships for Women
AAUW (the American Association of University Women) awards International Fellowships for full-time study or research in the United States to women who are not United States citizens or permanent residents. Both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited institutions are supported.
Abbey Road Summer Scholarships
Abbey Road offers US scholarships worth of US$1,000 to literature and Arts students. “Summer enrichment” is another scholarship program which will grant about US$500 for the students in various universities in the USA.
Civil Society Leadership Awards
In this program, students from the eligible countries will be provided with the fully funded scholarship for their Master’s degree in the USA.
The NextGen Scholarship Fund
Scholarships are provided to the students who have at least 3.0 GPA in their graduation level. In this program, the student has to enroll at an accredited university within Washington DC, Maryland or Virginia. The scholarship worth about USD $1,000.
Tortuga Backpacks Study Abroad Scholarship
The Scholarship worth is about US$1,000. For a passionate student, this scholarship is given twice a year.
David P. Shapiro Autism Scholarship
This scholarship is a one-time scholarship program. This program will be awarded to prospective students who are studying in the US.
Preply Scholarship
Basically, this program is a competitive based scholarship in which 3 students will be awarded a sum of $2,000. You need to be in the age group of 16 – 35 are in order to be eligible for this scholarship. To get this scholarship the candidate have to submit an essay of 500 words. “The importance of multilingualism to personal and professional development” is the topic of the essay.
Rotary Peace Fellowships
Rotary’s Peace Centres such as at Duke University or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill award scholarships to the students who wanted to study for their master’s degree in the US.
GotChosen
GotChosen scholarships are specially designed to help the students to meet their financial needs for their higher education purpose. This scholarship program is considered to be the highest scholarship program in the US as $40K is awarded to the eligible students. This award is not based on academic performance. It is completely based on the random selection.
MindSumo
In MindSumo scholarship program, the business and engineering students have to solve the challenges given in the competition. The winner of the competition will get the scholarship. MindSumo programme is a partner with Fortune 500 companies.
Capex American Scholarships
AmericanScholarships.com is a portal which offers various scholarships that are available for students in various universities in the US. The candidate has to apply through the portal to get the scholarship while applying to the university.
College Week Live
College Week Live scholarship is granted to the students who work on research in collages. To get this scholarship the student has to login into CollegeWeekLive, select a college based on the interest to do the research. The winner of this competition will be awarded $1,000 scholarship every month.
Global Scholarships for International Students
Global Scholarships for International Students is a scholarship database for international students. This database has a list of all the popular scholarships around the world including the US. This is basically a website that provides the complete details about the scholarship information, application date, the link to the application form, and brief description of the universities in every scholarship articles that they publish.

List of Universities that offer Generous scholarships to undergraduate international students
American University Scholarships
Colby-Sawyer College Scholarships
Concordia College Scholarships
Dartmouth College Scholarships
East Tennessee State University
Illinois Wesleyan University Scholarships
Iowa State University International Merit Scholarships
Michigan State University International Scholarships
New York University Wagner Scholarships
Oregon University Scholarships
Wesleyan University Scholarships
University of the West Scholarships
Avvo Scholarship Program
The program consists of two annual scholarships; one for JD Law Students and one for Undergraduate & Pre-Law Students, each with their own awards.
JD Law Students will have the opportunity to win a $10,000 scholarship and be admitted to the newly-created Avvo Scholars Circle, Class of 2015, while Undergraduate Students have the chance to win a $5,000 scholarship award.
Special Mention: The Recovery Village Health Care Scholarship
The Recovery Village is offering a $1,000 award to students pursuing a health-related degree program who have been personally affected by addiction. We’d love it if you could assist us in spreading the word!