Top 10 PhD Scholarships for International Students
Last updated: 31 Aug 2015 |
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If you are an international student, it may seem difficult to find a PhD scholarship, but you’d be surprised that there are a considerable number of PhD scholarships for international students out there. Much PhD funding from universities comes as a stipend for research or teaching work, often with a tuition fee waiver. The scholarships below are among the most generous, and most cover tuition and living costs.
Gates Cambridge Scholarships (UK)
The Gates Cambridge Scholarships are among the most prestigious international scholarships in the world. Around 70 are awarded each year, most of them for PhD study, to outstanding applicants from outside the UK for a full-time postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge. Each scholarship covers the full cost of study, including tuition fees and a maintenance allowance of £23,152 for 2026-27, with extra discretionary funding. The scholarships cover all fields of study at the University of Cambridge.
Clarendon Scholarships at University of Oxford (UK)
The Clarendon Fund is the University of Oxford’s flagship graduate scholarship scheme, with over 200 new scholarships each year for Master’s and DPhil students. It is open to graduate applicants of all nationalities and is awarded on academic excellence and potential. Each scholarship covers course fees in full and provides a grant for living costs. The scholarships cover all degree-bearing graduate fields at the University of Oxford.
See also Rhodes Scholarships
Warwick Chancellor’s International Scholarships (UK)
The University of Warwick awards Chancellor’s International Scholarships to its most outstanding PhD applicants who pay overseas fees, in any subject. Each scholarship normally covers academic fees at the overseas rate and a maintenance stipend at the UKRI rate for up to 3.5 years of full-time doctoral study. The scholarships cover all PhD fields at the University of Warwick.
University of Sydney International Stipend Scholarship (Australia)
The University of Sydney International Stipend Scholarship (USYDIS) supports international students in a research degree, including a PhD. It pays a living stipend of AUD 44,293 a year (2027 rate) plus relocation and thesis allowances, and recipients also receive a University of Sydney Tuition Fee Scholarship covering 100% of tuition fees for up to 14 research periods. The scholarships cover all research fields at the University of Sydney.
Melbourne Research Scholarships (Australia)
The Melbourne Research Scholarship supports high-achieving domestic and international graduate research students at the University of Melbourne, with about 350 awarded. For international students it gives a full tuition fee remission plus stipend support, worth up to AUD 138,000 in total. The scholarships cover all research fields at the University of Melbourne.
University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships (Canada)
The University of Manitoba Graduate Fellowships (UMGF) are merit awards for full-time Master’s and PhD students of any nationality at the University of Manitoba. PhD fellowships are worth CAD 25,000 a year for up to four years (up to CAD 100,000), and students are considered through their department. The scholarships cover the fields of research-based graduate programmes that are eligible for Canada’s Tri-Agency awards.
KU Leuven PhD Scholarships for Researchers from the South (Belgium)
KU Leuven offers up to nine PhD Scholarships for Researchers from the South each year to candidates from least developed, low-income and lower-middle-income countries. Each is a four-year doctoral fellowship at KU Leuven with a tuition fee exemption, an annual bench fee for research costs and a refund of the outward journey; the Global Minds sandwich scholarships, about €2,400 a month while in Belgium, are another option for selected countries. Candidates need a KU Leuven promoter and admission to a PhD programme, and the next deadline is 4 February 2027. The scholarships cover development-related research topics across KU Leuven’s doctoral programmes.
Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (Hong Kong)
The Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme, run by the Research Grants Council, attracts top students from any country to do a PhD at one of eight government-funded universities in Hong Kong, with 400 fellowships for 2027/28. Each fellow receives an annual stipend of HK$344,400 (about US$44,150) and a conference and research travel allowance of HK$14,400 a year for up to three years. Applications for 2027/28 close on 1 December 2026. The scholarships cover the fields of sciences, medicine, engineering and technology, humanities, social sciences and business studies.
KAUST Fellowship (Saudi Arabia)
Every student admitted to a PhD or Master’s programme at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) receives the KAUST Fellowship, whatever their nationality. It covers full tuition, a living allowance of USD 20,000 to 30,000 a year, on-campus housing, medical and dental cover, and relocation support. The scholarships cover the fields of science, engineering, computer science and biological and environmental sciences taught at KAUST.
OIST PhD Program Funding (Japan)
The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) runs an English-taught five-year PhD programme that is fully funded for every student, whatever their nationality. Students receive a research assistantship of about ¥2.5 million in the first year, rising to about ¥3.6 million, which also covers the annual tuition fee, plus subsidised campus housing, travel support and other benefits. The scholarships cover the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, neuroscience, mathematics, marine and environmental science, engineering and computing taught at OIST.
