Well-Known Scholarships for Postgraduate Studies
[Many-min. read]
Hello! For this week I thought I’d just highlight a few of the better-known Master’s scholarships I’ve come across quite frequently. They usually run annually and that means you are able to make several attempts at applying.
You can save this post and come back to it when you’re ready to begin applying for Master’s programmes!
Disclaimer: Remember, I have only attended the Erasmus Journalism program, so I have no in-depth knowledge of any of the others. I am just helping collate this info for you. If you need more info, please consult their websites and FAQ pages.
DAAD
DAAD stands for Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst which is the German Academic Exchange Service. It was started in 1925 and offers grants towards research and study in Germany. They only give the grants but don’t run the study programmes themselves.
They not only provide scholarships for Master’s students but also for Undergraduates, PhD’s, doctoral students and postdoctoral students.
From what I can tell the main subjects they give grants for are:
Medicine
Engineering
Art, Music, Sport
Mathematics/Natural Sciences
Law, Economics and Social Sciences
Language and Cultural Studies
Veterinary Medicine/Agriculture, Forestry and Nutritional Science
What time of the year can you apply? Applications can be done around May/July in order to join the winter semester which starts in September/October and December/January in order to join the summer semester which starts in March/April. Find out more here.
Chevening is a UK government international scholarship programme to study in the UK. It has existed since 1983. Chevening offers two types of awards – Chevening Scholarships and Chevening Fellowships – the recipients of which are personally selected by British embassies and high commissions throughout the world.
With the scholarship, you will be obliged to go back to your country of origin for at least 2 years after you graduate from your UK university.
Applications open in August and close in November. Shortlisted individuals are interviewed in February. The references and education documents deadline is in late April. Another round of interviews takes place from late February to late April and results are revealed from early June.
Like DAAD, Chevening just gives grants but you need to apply for university admissions separately and you need to get accepted into a UK university by mid-July. Study usually begins in September/October.
Find out more here.
This is a scholarship funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) for candidates from eligible lower and middle-income Commonwealth countries, to undertake full-time taught Master’s study at a UK university.
To apply for a Commonwealth Scholarship, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of a Commonwealth country. You will still be eligible if you are a refugee or British protected person. You also need to have an undergraduate honours degree of at least upper second class.
Applications open in late September and close in early November. The deadline to submit supporting documentation is late November.
This scholarship uses a nomination process where your country’s nominating agency accepts the applications then chooses. The nomination deadline is late December.
Check if your country is eligible here and find out more info here.
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. Check if you’re country is eligible here.
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is administered by binational Fulbright Commissions/Foundations or U.S. Embassies. All Foreign Student Program applications are processed by these offices.
Program eligibility and selection procedures vary widely by country. Check here to find information about the Fulbright Program in your home country, including eligibility requirements and application guidelines.
Schwarzman Scholars, founded by American financier Stephen A. Schwarzman, is an international postgraduate award program for students to study for a one-year Master’s degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Awards are made to 100–200 applicants per year, worldwide.
Candidates must have an undergraduate degree, must be 18-28 years of age and must be proficient in English.
The course is the same for all accepted applicants. It focuses on China's role in the global economy, global affairs and leadership skills.
For global applicants, the application period is from April to September, selections are made in November and classes begin in August. For Chinese applicants, the application period is from January to May, the selections are made in October and classes begin in August.
Find out more here.
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree (EMJMD) is an integrated, international study programme, jointly delivered by an international consortium of higher education institutions. Students at Master's level from all over the world can apply.
It is funded by the European Union.
Their programmes consist of study in at least two European countries and universities - that’s why it’s called a joint Master’s Degree. For example, the first year of my Master’s was in Denmark where I had classes in two universities there. Now I’m attending a University in Prague, Czech Republic. The specific countries you go to depend on the course you take.
Application periods vary depending on the course you choose. The Journalism programme open applications on 1st November and close on 10th January meaning if you are reading this when I first publish it they’re currently open! Go apply, shoo!
Find out more here.
Fin…for now.
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