Scholarships for studying in Europe

Scholarships for a full degree in Austria are rare – OeAD says so itself. Support for an exchange or a research stay is much easier to get.

• grants.at – the largest Austrian database of scholarships and grants; you can filter by country of origin, field and level of study,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Austria as part of an exchange with your home university,
• OeAD scholarships – including the Ernst Mach Grant for international doctoral students who want to do research in Austria,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a chance of a scholarship for the whole programme.

Some universities also have their own, limited scholarships – ask the international office directly.

What you can apply for:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Belgium as part of an exchange with your home university,
• reduced minerval in the French Community – EU citizens can apply for a reduced rate or an exemption on the same terms as Belgian students; you apply to the Federation's study grants office (Direction des allocations d'études) by 31 October,
• Master Mind Scholarships – Flemish government scholarships for outstanding international master's students; in the 2024/25 call they were worth €10,000 a year plus a tuition fee waiver. You first apply to one of the participating Flemish institutions,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a chance of a scholarship,
• institutional scholarships – ask the international office.

There are few scholarships for a full degree in Bulgaria for international students. Study in Europe lists:

• state scholarships and scholarships under bilateral agreements between Bulgaria and other countries,
• university scholarships – ask the student affairs office at your institution,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Bulgaria as part of an exchange with your home university,
• CEEPUS – the Central European exchange programme for universities.

As an EU citizen you can also study on a state-funded place on the same terms as Bulgarian students – in practice the cheapest way to a degree.

There are few scholarships for a full degree for international students. You have several options:

• Erasmus+ and CEEPUS – exchange programmes, managed in Croatia by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes,
• bilateral scholarships of the Croatian government – under agreements between countries,
• support from institutions – some institutions offer their own financial aid.

There is a separate scholarship programme for people of Croatian descent living abroad – for 2025/26, 2,000 scholarships of €175 a month for 10 months were planned.

You have several options:

• the Cyprus State Scholarship Foundation – awards scholarships to Cypriots and to students from the EU and from outside the EU; up to €3,000 a year for bachelor's and up to €4,000 a year for master's studies,
• university scholarships – at public and private universities, each with its own rules,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Cyprus as part of an exchange with your home university.

The Cypriot student grant (€750–3,420, depending on family income) requires at least 5 years of previous residence in Cyprus – if you move to Cyprus just to study, you are unlikely to get it.

Since programmes taught in Czech are free, scholarships mostly help with living costs or with spending part of your studies in Czechia:

• Erasmus+ – an exchange or traineeship of 2 to 12 months at any level of study, through your home university,
• CEEPUS – exchanges in Central and South-Eastern Europe lasting 1 to 10 months,
• university scholarships – for academic results and, on fee-paying programmes, also fee reductions or waivers; each university sets its own rules,
• Slavonic summer schools – 3–4-week Czech courses with funding available.

Czech Government scholarships are only for students from selected countries outside the EU. You will find the full list of programmes on studyin.gov.cz/scholarships.

Danish Government Scholarships are only for students from outside the EU/EEA and Switzerland – ask the institution you are applying to whether it offers them. For students from the EU/EEA there are other options:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Denmark as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Nordplus – if you study at a university in a Nordic or Baltic country and want to go to another one,
• SU – the Danish state education grant. EU citizens can apply for equal status with Danish students, usually through work: you must work at least 10–12 hours a week, without a break, for at least 10 weeks, and keep working for as long as you receive SU. The work must be genuine, not symbolic.

You will find the SU conditions and the application for equal status on su.dk.

The easiest support to get for studying in Estonia is a tuition waiver: universities offer some places on English-taught programmes free of charge, and the University of Tartu also offers tuition reductions of 25, 50 or 100% on selected programmes.

• state scholarships from the Education and Youth Board (Harno) – €350 a month in 2026/27, but only for programmes related to Estonian language and culture and for citizens of the countries listed in the annex to the rules,
• university scholarships – offered by, among others, the University of Tartu, TalTech, Tallinn University and Estonian Business School,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Estonia as part of an exchange with your home university; exchange students do not pay tuition,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, including the University of Tartu.

You will find the current list on Study in Estonia – scholarships.

Finland has no government scholarship programmes for international students. Scholarships and fee waivers are awarded by the institutions themselves and are meant for fee-paying students from outside the EU/EEA – they usually cover part or all of the tuition fee, not living costs.

Other options:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Finland as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Finnish student financial aid from Kela (opintotuki) – available to an EU citizen who works in Finland for an average of at least 10 hours a week for at least 4 months (and only while the work lasts). Other routes are a permanent right of residence in Finland or a family member working in Finland.

What you can apply for:

• bourse sur critères sociaux – the state means-tested grant awarded by CROUS. EU citizens can get it if they have worked in France (full-time or part-time) or if one of their parents has income in France. For 2026/27 the application (Dossier social étudiant) was open from 1 March to 31 May 2026,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in France as part of an exchange with your home university,
• France Excellence Eiffel – a government programme for master's and doctoral students from abroad; the French institution nominates the candidate (by 8 January in the 2026 call), and the age limit is 29 for a master's and 35 for a doctorate,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a chance of a scholarship for the whole programme,
• scholarships from regions, institutions and foundations – search for them in the Campus Bourses database.

There are quite a lot of scholarships, but competition is tough:

• DAAD scholarship database – you can filter by country of origin, level and field of study. Selection for DAAD programmes is very competitive,
• Deutschlandstipendium – €300 a month (half paid by the state, half by private sponsors), regardless of income or nationality. Students of all nationalities can apply, and you apply at your university,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Germany as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a chance of a scholarship for the whole programme.

Foundations and universities also have their own scholarships – ask at the International Office.

There are few full scholarships for international students. Your options include:

• university scholarships – every Greek university has its own programmes,
• joint and double degrees with foreign universities – often with scholarships,
• the scholarship platform of Study in Greece – mainly for short stays and exchanges,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Greece as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a scholarship for the whole programme.

Don't forget the free canteen meals for students who meet the criteria (see: Tuition fees).

Stipendium Hungaricum – Hungary's best-known scholarship – is based on agreements with more than 90 partners. If you come from one of the partner countries, it covers your tuition. No EU country is on the list, so EU citizens cannot use it.

Other options:

• a state-funded place on a programme in Hungarian (for EU citizens) – i.e. studying without tuition fees (see: Tuition fees),
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Hungary as part of an exchange with your home university,
• CEEPUS – exchanges in Central and South-Eastern Europe,
• Bilateral State Scholarships and EEA Grants scholarships – details and conditions on studyinhungary.hu.

You will find an overview of programmes on studyinhungary.hu.

There are few scholarships for a full degree in Iceland. The main options are:

• Icelandic government scholarships – every year the Ministry of Education awards scholarships to foreigners to study Icelandic language, literature and history at the University of Iceland. The programme is run by the Árni Magnússon Institute,
• university scholarships – the University of Iceland and Reykjavik University, among others, have their own scholarships,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Iceland as part of an exchange with your home university.

You will find an up-to-date list of scholarships on study.iceland.is.

What you can count on:

• SUSI – the Irish student grant scheme. An EU citizen who has lived in the EU, but not in Ireland, for 3 of the last 5 years is treated as a "tuition student" – they can get a grant towards fees (including the Student Contribution), but not towards living costs. For 2026/27 the priority deadline for new applications passed on 9 July 2026; the final deadline is usually in November,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Ireland as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a chance of a scholarship,
• university and government scholarships – conditions differ from programme to programme; ask the institution directly.

Italy has an extensive support system – Universitaly reports more than 238,000 scholarships awarded. The main sources are:

• regional scholarships (borse di studio DSU) – based on ISEE and academic results; they can also include accommodation and meals,
• university scholarships – merit-based and need-based, often for international students,
• MAECI scholarships – from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for foreign students (Study in Italy),
• Erasmus+ – an exchange with your home university,
• doctoral scholarships – around €16,000 a year.

You'll find a scholarship database on Universitaly.

The main programme is the Latvian state scholarship for studying at Latvian universities:

• €500 a month for bachelor's and master's students (up to 10 months), €700 for doctoral students (up to 11 months),
• for citizens of more than 30 countries that have cooperation agreements with Latvia – check whether your country is on the list,
• at bachelor's level you can only apply after at least one year of study at any university,
• applications run from 1 February to 1 April; the scholarship cannot be combined with other grants.

There is also Erasmus+ (a semester or year of exchange with your home university) and the universities' own programmes – the University of Latvia, for example, offers scholarships and student loans. You will find current calls on Study in Latvia – scholarships.

There are few scholarships for a full degree. The University of Liechtenstein lists several options:

• merit scholarships awarded by the university,
• student loans, for example through the Splendit platform,
• foundations and scholarship databases from Switzerland, Austria and Germany, e.g. the Swiss Study Foundation (Schweizerische Studienstiftung),
• Erasmus+ – the university has an Erasmus code (LI VADUZ01), so you can come here for an exchange semester from your home university.

You will find the details on the Study costs and funding page.

Most Lithuanian government scholarships are for citizens of selected countries outside the EU, so check the list for your country. Other important options:

• a state-funded place – study without tuition fees; scholarships are also allocated through LAMA BPO,
• scholarships for short courses in Lithuanian language and culture – one semester in autumn 2026, applications until 17 April 2026,
• university discounts – e.g. VILNIUS TECH offers tuition waivers of 100, 50 or 25%; applications until 20 April 2026,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Lithuania as part of an exchange with your home university.

You will find current programmes on Study in Lithuania – scholarships.

What you can apply for:

• AideFi – state financial aid for studies: basic, social, mobility and family grants and a loan of up to €3,250 per semester. Students from outside Luxembourg can get it, among other cases, if a parent works in Luxembourg (at least 5 years in the last 10) or if they have lived legally in Luxembourg for at least 5 years themselves. Deadlines: 30 November for the winter semester, 31 May for the summer semester,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year at Uni.lu as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a chance of a scholarship,
• university and foundation scholarships – ask at the Uni.lu student office.

You can apply for:

• government scholarships – programmes listed on myscholarship.gov.mt; check the eligibility conditions (including citizenship) in the rules of each one,
• a student maintenance grant (the "stipend") – for full-time students; paid as a yearly amount at the start of the year plus 10 instalments every four weeks. According to Eurydice, EU students also have access to it – check the exact conditions with your institution,
• Erasmus+ – an exchange with your home university,
• doctoral scholarships and opportunities for researchers – on EURAXESS Malta,
• institutional scholarships – ITS, for example, has its own support scheme.

What you can apply for:

• student finance from DUO (studiefinanciering) – as an EU citizen you can get it if you work in the Netherlands at least 32 hours a month (or on average 24 hours, if the job lasts 6 months or longer) or if you have lived in the Netherlands for at least 5 years in a row,
• DUO tuition fee loan (collegegeldkrediet) – for EU citizens under 30,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in the Netherlands as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a chance of a scholarship,
• institutional scholarships – you'll find them in Studyfinder and on institutions' websites; they usually look at your academic results, language skills, motivation and sometimes your nationality.

A scholarship for a full degree in North Macedonia is hard to get. It is easier to come on an exchange:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or year at a Macedonian university under an agreement with your home university,
• CEEPUS – an exchange programme of 15 Central European countries, including North Macedonia; it is open to students from member countries. The host institution waives your tuition fee and you receive a monthly grant for living costs. Deadlines: 15 June for the winter semester, 31 October for the summer semester, 30 November for freemovers.

Ask about scholarships and fee waivers directly at the international office of your chosen institution and at the exchange office of your home university.

Norway has no government scholarships for all international students – you need to finance your studies in other ways. Your options:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Norway as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with scholarships for the whole programme,
• the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund, Lånekassen – EU/EEA citizens can get support if they have worker status and keep working at least 10 hours a week during their studies. Other routes are work related to your field of study, permanent right of residence (after at least 5 years in Norway) or being a family member of an EU/EEA worker.

Polish universities offer non-repayable financial support – but not all of it is open to every international student:

• rector's scholarship – for outstanding academic results or scientific, artistic or sporting achievements (at least at national level); it is open to students of any nationality. Winners of international olympiads receive it in their first year if they start university in the year they finish school,
• social scholarship – if the monthly income per person in your family does not exceed PLN 2,099.70 net (2026/27); among foreigners, only certain groups qualify, e.g. citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland, permanent residents, holders of the Pole's Card and holders of a C1 certificate in Polish,
• scholarship for students with disabilities,
• hardship grant – if you find yourself in a difficult situation for a while.

The social scholarship and the rector's scholarship together cannot exceed PLN 3,667 a month. You can receive support for a total of 12 semesters across first-cycle, second-cycle and long-cycle programmes. Doctoral candidates in doctoral schools receive a doctoral scholarship.

NAWA also runs scholarship programmes for international students, e.g. Banach scholarships for students from selected developing countries and the General Anders Programme for people of Polish origin – details on nawa.gov.pl. You can also spend a semester or year in Poland through Erasmus+ with your home university.

There are few scholarships for foreigners covering a full degree. Your main options are:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Portugal as part of an exchange with your home university,
• social grants (bolsas de estudo) at public institutions – ask the SAS office of your chosen institution about the conditions for EU citizens,
• university scholarships – e.g. merit scholarships for the best applicants,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several universities, with a scholarship for the whole programme,
• opportunities for researchers and doctoral candidates – on EURAXESS Portugal.

If you are an EU citizen, you can apply for the same support as Romanian students:

• state scholarships – paid in lei, for example for academic results,
• university scholarships – many institutions award them for results or to students in financial difficulty,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Romania as part of an exchange with your home university.

If you come from outside the EU, you may be able to apply for the Romanian Government Scholarship – fully funded, covering tuition, a place in a student residence and a monthly allowance. It is open only to selected candidates from outside the EU. Information on all programmes is on Study in Romania – scholarships.

There are few scholarships for a full degree for international students. The easiest way to come to Serbia is on an exchange:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Serbia under an agreement with your home university,
• CEEPUS – an exchange programme of 15 Central European countries, including Serbia; it is open to students from member countries. The host institution waives your tuition fee and you receive a monthly grant for living costs. Deadlines: 15 June for the winter semester, 31 October for the summer semester, 30 November for freemovers,
• bilateral agreements between institutions – ask your home university's international office for the list.

Study in Europe also mentions Serbian government scholarships and scholarships offered by the institutions themselves. Check the conditions with the international office of your chosen institution.

The main opportunities for international students are:

• National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (Národný štipendijný program) – supports study, research and teaching stays; international students, doctoral candidates and researchers can apply. It is run by SAIA,
• scholarships under bilateral agreements between countries,
• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Slovakia as part of an exchange with your home university.

You will find the offers in one place in the scholarships.sk database.

There are few scholarships for a full degree in Slovenia. Worth checking:

• Erasmus+ and CEEPUS – a semester or year in Slovenia as part of an exchange,
• Ad futura programmes – support for international mobility,
• university scholarships – ask the international office.

Public scholarships for foreigners are mainly aimed at citizens of the Western Balkans for master's programmes, with separate schemes for Slovenians living abroad. You will find the current programmes on studyinslovenia.si.

As an international student, you can look for support from several sources:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or year in Spain as part of an exchange with your home university,
• national and regional grants – awarded by the ministry and the autonomous communities; check the conditions (e.g. income, grades, residence) in each call,
• university scholarships – merit-based or need-based; each university has its own rules,
• Erasmus Mundus – joint master's programmes run by several European universities, with a scholarship for the whole programme.

Start with the international office of your chosen university and the SEPIE website.

Most Swedish scholarships are for students from outside the EU/EEA who pay tuition fees – universities award them mainly to cover part of the fee. Swedish Institute (SI) scholarships are only for citizens of the countries listed on the institute's website.

Other options:

• Erasmus+ – a semester or a year in Sweden as part of an exchange with your home university,
• Swedish student finance from CSN (grants and loans) – EU citizens can get it if they have worker status: working at least 10 hours a week for at least 10 weeks, and continuing to work at that level during their studies. Other routes are professional studies linked to earlier work in Sweden, permanent right of residence (after 5 years of legal residence) or being a family member of an EU worker,
• a paid doctorate – doctoral students are employed by the university.

Scholarships for international students are mainly for master's studies, research and exchanges:

• institutional scholarships for master's studies – e.g. the ETH Excellence Scholarship, EPFL Excellence Fellowships and the University of Geneva's Excellence Master Fellowships,
• Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships – government scholarships for graduates, mainly for research, a doctorate or a postdoc,
• student exchange – Switzerland is not part of Erasmus+ and runs its own programme, SEMP. Incoming exchange students receive CHF 380–440 a month from the government. If the planned association with Erasmus+ goes ahead, exchanges will be funded by Erasmus+ from June 2027.

Cantonal grants have different rules in each canton. You'll find an overview on studyinswitzerland.plus.

• Türkiye Bursları – the government scholarship for a full degree for international students. It covers placement at a university and on a programme, tuition, a place in a residence, health insurance, a one-year Turkish course and a one-off flight ticket. You receive 6,500 TL a month at bachelor's level, 9,500 TL at master's level and 13,000 TL at doctoral level. Applications every year from 10 January to 20 February,
• YÖK scholarship – for students from countries that have signed an agreement with YÖK. If you do not know Turkish, you get a year of language study,
• university scholarships – partial or full tuition waivers for good results or financial hardship,
• Erasmus+ – Turkey takes part in the programme, so you can spend a semester or year here as part of an exchange with your home university.

There are few scholarships for a full undergraduate degree for international students. You have several options:

• university scholarships – you will find an overview in the UCAS scholarship search and on universities' websites,
• Chevening – the UK government's scholarship for one-year master's programmes, open to citizens of Chevening-eligible countries; applications for 2027/28 close on 6 October 2026 at 11:00 (UTC),
• Student Finance loans – for tuition and living costs, but only for students with home fee status (e.g. settled status and 3 years' residence in the UK).