Studying for free always sounds awesome, right?
When I was finishing high school, I already knew I wanted to study abroad. To make my wish come true, I knew that I was going to need financial support. And a very generous one.
So I started digging. To be honest, the hunt lasted for two good months. I did not have any guidance and therefore had to triple-check every information. On the other hand, since my interest fields list was way too long, I could not easily decide on one specific thing I wanted to study. This research actually helped me in making my choice. Since funding was more conditioning, I focused on scholarships depending on the offer, I chose from the courses offered. Now, one might say this is a little bit limiting, but – personal preferences! 🙂
What I can tell you is that, in the end, I didn’t find one, but three scholarships that I applied for! They all covered both the tuition fee and living costs contributions. Rare are the opportunities like this, and if you are one of the prospective students combing the Google search results in order to secure your academic future – you probably already know this.
This is why the following lines are here to ease your struggle! We are sharing three awesome opportunities with you – three full-ride scholarships for studying in Europe!
1. Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship
Stipendium Hungaricum is one of these rare gems. Managed by Tempus Public Foundation and based on bilateral educational cooperation agreements with sending countries, it was launched in 2013 by the Hungarian Government. Oriented towards developing countries, It provides more than 5000 students across 5 continents with an amazing opportunity to study in the very heart of Europe – Hungary!
Who is eligible? Students coming from non-EU/EEA countries
Which education level? Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral studies
Where? Hungary (Budapest, Debrecen, Szeged, etc.)
What does it cover?
→ Full tuition fee
→ Private and public health insurance
→ Dormitory place or monthly accommodation contribution (ca 130 EUR) for a full calendar year
→ Monthly contribution to living expenses (ca 130 EUR) for a full calendar year
When to apply? Applications open in the November-December
Now, it’s important to bear in mind that these are contributions, and they will not be enough for covering average monthly costs (unless you got a crazy good saving system!). Therefore, you will need an additional income source. The good thing is that this scholarship allows you to pursue a part-time, student job, and work up to 24 hours per week.
Nevertheless, if you think that you’re not exactly a work&study type of person, you can check out our article on passive income opportunities!
2. Maastricht University Scholarship
Moving further to another full-ride scholarship, this time with a very high competitive level.
Don’t you want to study at a university known for its shiny reputation, an internationally oriented institution, a European pioneer in Problem-Based Learning, and on top of it ranked as one of the best young universities in the world, for free?
If the answer in your head right now is “yes”, then it is the time we reveal this gem number two – Maastricht University.
Regarding Bachelor studies, there is a fully-funded UCM Scholarship. You might want to know that the University College of Maastricht is actually holding the title of the best Liberal Arts and Sciences program in the Netherlands with an open curriculum of more than 150 courses offered.
Who is eligible? Students coming from non-EU/EEA countries
Which education level? Bachelor
Where? Maastricht, The Netherlands
What does it cover?
→ Full tuition fee
→ Visa costs
→ Health insurance
→ Housing
→ Additional 500 EUR monthly contribution to living costs.
How many? There are in total five scholarships that are given out each year
When to apply? Applications usually open in the December period
When it comes to MA studies, MU offers :
Maastricht University Holland – High Potential scholarship
Who is eligible? Students coming from non-EU/EEA countries
Which education level? Master
Where? Maastricht, The Netherlands
What does it cover?
→ Visa application costs
→ Tuition fees
→ Pre-academic training costs
→ Health insurance
→ Monthly contribution to living expenses in the amount of 950 EUR
How many? There are in total 25 scholarships that are given out each year
When to apply? Applications usually open in January
3. University of Westminster
The final example brings us all the way up north to the UK.
Let me introduce – University of Westminster! Another institution that gives its own fully-funded scholarship opportunities, but also partners with different other external financial support.
If you’re applying for Bachelor studies, you can take a look at two scholarship with the same arrangements:
Vice-chancellor scholarship
Undergraduate full international scholarship
Who is eligible? International students from developing (middle income) countries
Which education level? Bachelor
Where? London, UK
What does it cover?
→ Tuition fees
→ Living expenses
→ Flights to and from London
→ Accommodation
How many? There is only one scholarship given annually
When to apply? Applications are open until the 31st of May
For master students, there are a few highly competitive opportunities as well. In principle, they all have the same coverage and application deadline, the only difference is the field of study that they are aimed at. Their availability number is the same: one scholarship given out annually.
Some of them are:
- Colin Matheson Scholarship (MA courses within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Duke of Grafton Scholarship (College of Design, Creative and Digital Industries)
- Geoffrey Copland Scholarship (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
- Westminster Business School Scholarship (Westminster Business School)
General info:
Who is eligible? International students from developing (middle income) countries
Where? London, UK
What does it cover?
→ Tuition fees
→ Living expenses
→ Accommodation
→ Flights to and from London
How many? There is only one scholarship given annually
When to apply? Applications are open until the 31st of May
Another funding source that is outside of WU is the UK Government’s global scholarship program, available for international Master students:
Chevening Scholarship
It is a fully-funded scholarship that covers tuition fees, living expenses, accommodation, and round-way airfare. Applications are opened every August.
I hope these examples open new doors to all of you out there who need it. Personally, I know how much it means to every student to find straightforward, fast, and clear information on this topic. My goal was to offer you exactly that. Hopefully, I managed to reach it, but I wouldn’t know for sure unless you share your thoughts with me! 🙂
