Scholarships in Europe for International Students 2026/2027 and 2027/2028: Country-by-Country Guide

Scholarships in Europe for international students come from three places: national governments (Eiffel in France, Swiss Government Excellence, Stipendium Hungaricum, the Italian MAECI grants, DAAD in Germany), the EU itself through Erasmus Mundus, and individual universities such as ETH Zurich, Leiden and Amsterdam. Fully funded awards that pay tuition and a monthly allowance exist, but most are for master’s and PhD study, and many of the “Europe scholarship” lists online still name programmes that have closed for good.

As of 24 October 2026, most 2026/2027 rounds are over, and the 2027/2028 cycle is starting. Eiffel (France) and the Swiss government scholarships are taking applications now, ETH Zurich’s Excellence Scholarship opens on 1 November, and most Erasmus Mundus programmes close between December and January. Below is a country table with the main scheme, level, funding and deadline, with a link to our full guide where we have one.

Scholarships in Europe by country: 2026/2027 status and 2027/2028 deadlines

Each row shows the scheme I would look at first in that country, and the country name links to our detailed guide. Where a 2026 round has closed and the next date is not out, the deadline shown is the same date in 2027, marked with an asterisk.

*(based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens)

Fully funded scholarships in Europe you can still apply for

These are the large schemes with a 2027/2028 round that is open now or opens within the next three months.

Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EU)

The EU pays the top-ranked students on each joint master €1,400 a month for up to 24 months, and scholarship holders pay no participation costs. You study in at least two countries, and students of any nationality can apply. There is no central form: you apply to each programme on its own website, and most close between October and January for a September start. Our Erasmus Mundus guide covers the rules and documents, and the MARIHE post shows how one programme works in practice.

Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (France)

The 2027 Eiffel campaign opened on 2 October 2026. You cannot apply to Campus France yourself. A French university or school nominates you, and it must send its files to Campus France by 6 January 2027. Results come out in the week of 12 April 2027. Campus France South Africa lists €1,200 a month for master’s and €2,000 a month for PhD students, plus return travel, insurance and help with housing. Tuition is not covered. Master’s applicants must be 29 or younger, and PhD applicants 35 or younger.

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships

Switzerland’s federal scholarship is for doctoral study and research at a Swiss university, and you need a Swiss professor willing to supervise you. The monthly allowance went up from CHF 1,920 to CHF 2,450 on 1 January 2026, and the government pays health insurance for holders from outside the EU and EFTA. From 2027/2028, postdoctoral scholarships are no longer awarded, and the yearly total falls from 350 to between 200 and 250 places. Each country has its own deadline, usually in autumn: Pakistani news reports gave 31 October 2026 for Pakistan. Check the Swiss embassy page for your country.

ETH Zurich Excellence Scholarship (ESOP)

ESOP pays CHF 12,000 per semester and waives tuition for the length of an ETH master’s. The form for autumn 2027 entry is open from 1 November to 30 November 2026, and you need a result in the top 10% of your bachelor’s class. You submit it alongside your master’s application, with a short thesis pre-proposal. Interviews can take place in February.

Stipendium Hungaricum and the Government of Ireland scholarship

Both run every year. Going by the 2026 rounds, the deadlines are 15 January 2027 for Stipendium Hungaricum and 12 March 2027 for Ireland. Stipendium Hungaricum covers bachelor’s to PhD, with free tuition, housing support, insurance and a monthly stipend. Its 2026/2027 deadline was 15 January 2026 at 14:00 CET, and you apply through your country’s sending partner as well as the online system. The Irish award gives about 60 non-EU students €10,000 and a full fee waiver for one year of master’s or PhD study. Its 2026 round closed on 12 March 2026, and Dublin Business School says the 2027 call opens in January.

University scholarships in Europe worth checking

University awards are usually partial, and you compete only with other applicants to the same university. Most are for non-EU/EEA master’s students, and most are decided with your admission file.

For research funding in Germany, also see the KWI International Fellowships and the Munich International Youth Fellowships.

Schemes on older Europe lists that have ended or changed

Many lists of scholarships in Europe were written years ago and still carry these entries. Here is what has happened to each.

I also left out several awards that appear on these lists because I could not find a current call on an official page: the Greek government (IKY) scholarships for foreigners, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki awards, the Danubius Young Scientist Award, CICOPS at Pavia, the Zaragoza Logistics Center award, and the Surfshark privacy essay prize. If you see them advertised, open the official page and check the year on the call before you prepare anything.

How to apply for scholarships in Europe for 2027/2028

For most European awards, admission and the scholarship are decided together, so work backwards from the earliest deadline.

1. Pick your level and country group: government awards (Eiffel, Swiss, Stipendium Hungaricum, Banach) often limit nationalities, so confirm your country is on the current list first.
2. Find out who submits the file: for Eiffel it is the French university; for Stipendium Hungaricum it is your country’s sending partner plus you; for Erasmus Mundus and university awards it is you, on the programme’s site.
3. Write the earliest deadline down: university scholarship deadlines are often earlier than the admission deadline for the same course (Leiden, Amsterdam, ETH).
4. Book your English test early: many awards accept IELTS, TOEFL or Duolingo, and a few waive testing if your degree was taught in English. Check each programme’s rule; see our country guides for which tests are accepted.
5. Prepare the common documents once: a Europass CV, transcripts and degree certificate (with certified translation if not in English), passport, motivation letter and two recommendation letters.
6. For PhD and research awards, contact a supervisor first: the Swiss scholarship and many Italian and Austrian PhD calls need a named supervisor’s support before you apply.
7. Plan the visa money: a partial award will not cover the funds a student visa asks you to show. Germany, for example, asks for €11,904 a year in a blocked account unless a scholarship covers it.

Scholarships in Europe: application calendar for 2027/2028

FAQs

Which scholarships in Europe are open right now?

On 24 October 2026: the Eiffel scholarship (through your French university), the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships in countries whose deadline has not passed, Slovakia’s NSP until 31 October, and many Erasmus Mundus programmes. ETH Zurich’s ESOP opens on 1 November.

Can undergraduates get fully funded scholarships in Europe?

Yes, but there are few options. Stipendium Hungaricum funds full bachelor’s degrees, and some government quotas for particular nationalities (Bulgaria, Portugal’s Camões) do too, but most big European scholarships are for master’s and PhD study.

Do European scholarships cover tuition and living costs?

Some do. Erasmus Mundus, ETH ESOP, Stipendium Hungaricum and Banach cover both. Eiffel and the Swiss government award pay living costs but not tuition, and the NL Scholarship is a single €5,000 payment.

Can I get a scholarship in Europe without IELTS?

Often, yes. Many programmes accept TOEFL, PTE or Duolingo, and some excuse you if your degree was taught in English. The rule is set by each university or programme, so check our country guides for Spain, the Netherlands, Austria, the Czech Republic, Malta and Norway.

Sources and updates

This roundup started from Scholarships365’s “Top 40+ Scholarships in Europe 2026/2027” list, and I checked each scheme against its official or most direct source on 24 October 2026. France: Campus France South Africa’s 2027 Eiffel page and the main Campus France Eiffel page; ENS de Lyon’s 2027/2028 notice for age limits. Switzerland: the SERI press release on the new allowance and the end of postdoc awards; ETH ESOP dates from a scholars4dev summary of ETH’s page. EU: the European Commission’s Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters page. Hungary: the Hungarian Embassy in Tel Aviv’s notice of the 2026/2027 deadline (the Stipendium Hungaricum site was down when I checked). Ireland: Dublin Business School’s and a Funds for NGOs summary of the HEA call. Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Finland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Malta and Norway: the sources listed in each linked Scholardemia guide, checked the same day. Amsterdam Merit deadlines come from a ScholarshipUnion summary of the UvA faculty pages. Competitor errors corrected here: the NFP and Holland Scholarship names, Erasmus Mundus levels, the old Austrian rate, “fully funded” Eiffel, and renamed Irish and Spanish institutions. Updated 24 October 2026.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.