23 Scholarships Specifically Targeted to Developing Country Students

Did you know that there quite a number of  international scholarships targeted to students from developing countries? In this article, scholars4dev.com outlines the most popular scholarships that every developing country student should watch out for annually.

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Erasmus Mundus Scholarships (European Union)
The European Union (EU) offers full-time scholarships for a wide range of Masters programmes and Doctorate programmes to students coming from developing/emerging countries outside the EU.  The programme offers full scholarships and/or fellowships that cover the living costs, tuition fees, travelling and insurance costs of the students.  About 1,000 students are awarded with an Erasmus Mundus Scholarship each year starting 2009.

DAAD Scholarships (Germany)
The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides scholarships for a range of postgraduate courses with special relevance to developing countries at German Universities. The scholarships are specifically targeted to international students and young professionals from developing countries in Africa, Asia, Pacific Islands, Central and South America and Central and Eastern Europe.  DAAD scholarship supports selected programmes with a variety of full or partial scholarships

Australian Awards Scholarships (Australia)
Australian Awards Scholarships are scholarships for international students from Asia Pacific, Africa, Middle East,  Carribean countries and Latin America who wants to pursue vocational education and training courses, undergraduate degrees, postgraduate degrees, and PhD degrees in a wide range of studies at participating Australian universities and technical colleges. The scholarship includes full tuition fees, air travel, establishment allowance, living allowance, student insurance, and etc.  Up to 1000 Australian Development Scholarships are awarded each year across 31 countries with scholarships awarded equally between men and women.

Netherlands Fellowship Program (Netherlands)
The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) are scholarships that allow candidates from 61 developing countries to receive a postgraduate education and to earn Dutch Master or PhD degree in a wide range of studies at Dutch Universities.  The fellowship can cover the costs of tuition fees, allowance, visas, travel costs, insurance and thesis research.

Swedish Institute Study Scholarships (Sweden)
The Swedish Institute provides scholarships in Sweden to highly-qualified international students from developing countries who wants to study at Sweden Universities.  Scholarships are intended for studies in Sweden and focus mainly on master’s level. A few scholarships will be awarded for studies at Bachelor’s level.

VLIR-UOS Scholarships (Belgium)
VLIR-UOS awards training and masters scholarships to students from selected developing countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America so that they can pursue a Training and Master’s Programme related to development at Universities in Belgium.  Every year, VLIR-UOS awards up to 180 scholarships to first-year master’s students.  The scholarships cover tuition fee, accomodation, allowance, travel costs,  and other program related costs.

Commonwealth Scholarships (UK)
Funded by the UK Department for International Development, the Commonwealth Scholarships are for students from developing Commonwealth countries who wants to pursue a Master’s, PhD, and split-site (PhD) Degree in all fields of study at UK Universities.  The scholarship provides tuition and examination fees, travel costs, living allowance, establishment allowance, thesis allowance and other related program costs.   Approximately 200-230 scholarships are awarded each year.

CUD Scholarships (Belgium)
The University Commission for Development (CUD) provides scholarships to international students from selected developing countries who wants to pursue training or Master’s study in Belgium.  CUD provides cutting-edge international trainings and courses for development.

Quota Scholarship Scheme (Norway)
The Norwegian government provides scholarships for students from developing countries in the South and countries of Central- and East-Europe and Central-Asia under the Quota Scheme.  The scheme normally includes courses at the Master and Ph.D. level, in addition to certain professional degrees offered by state universities and colleges in Norway.  The Quota Scheme is for certain developing countries that are on the DAC-list issued by OECD, and is eligible for students from the category of “lower middle-income countries” and under. Also, the scheme accepts students from Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and Palestinian students from the Palestinian Authorities.  Each student receives the same amount of money as a Norwegian student would do in an equivalent educational programme. About 30 per cent of the amount is given as a grant and 70 per cent as a loan. However, the loan portion is waived when the student returns to his/her home country after completing the course of study.

See more:  Government-funded Scholarships

Joint Japan World Bank Scholarships (specified countries)
The Joint Japan World Bank Graduate Scholarships  (JJ/WBGSP) allows eligible students from World Bank member countries (including most developing countries) to pursue a Master’s Degree related to development at participating Universities around the world.  The JJ/WBGSP scholarship provides annual awards to cover the cost of completing a master’s degree or its equivalent including tuition fees, travel costs, and living allowance.

OFID Scholarships (any approved country)
The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) are open to qualified students from any developing country who wish to pursue Master’s Degree in a subject related to development at any recognized University of his/her choice.  The scholarship covers tuition fees, allowance, health insurance, relocation grant, and travel costs.  OFID awards only one scholarship per year.

Aga Khan Foundation Scholarships (any approved country)
The Aga Khan Foundation provides a limited number of scholarships each year for postgraduate studies to outstanding students from developing countries who have no other means of financing their studies.  Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant : 50% loan basis through a competitive application process once a year.

Ghent University Scholarships for Developing Countries (Belgium)
Ghent University provides postgraduate Masters scholarships to international students from developing countries who wish to study in Belgium and obtain a Master’s degree at Ghent University.  The scholarships consist of a monthly allowance, yearly tuition fee and one-time relocation fee.  Each year, a maximum of 10 scholarships can be awarded.

University of Westminster Scholarships for Developing Countries (UK)
University of Westminster awards scholarships to eligible students from any developing country who wish to study in the UK and pursue a full-time Masters degree in any field of study at the University of Westminster.  The scholarship awards full tuition fee waivers, accommodation, living expenses and flights to and from London.

Developing Solutions Scholarships at University of Nottingham (UK)
The Developing Solutions Scholarships are designed for international students from Africa, India or one of the developing countries of the Commonwealth who want to study a Masters Degree at the University of Nottingham and make a difference to the development of their home country. Each year,  105 scholarships  are awardedâ€" 30 scholarships will cover the full tuition fee while 75 will cover 50% of the tuition fee.

University of Pavia Scholarships for Developing Countries (Italy)
The University of Pavia (UNIPV), in order to promote international cooperation with the Developing Countries, offers scholarships for selected Masters Studies at the University of Pavia or at the Institute for Advanced Study of Pavia (IUSS) in Italy.  6 scholarships of 8.000 Euros will be available.  Each scholarship will cover also the expenses for the Visa and for the travel to Italy and back (economy class).

London Met Scholarships for Developing Countries (UK)
The ISH/London Met Scholarships is jointly run by International Students House (ISH) and London Metropolitan University. The scholarships are awarded to outstanding students from selected developing countries who wish to pursue an undergraduate or postgraduate degree at the University.  Successful candidates receive free tuition for the duration of their degree at undergraduate or postgraduate level plus one year of free accommodation at International Students House.

Edinburgh Global Development Academy Scholarships (UK)
The University of Edinburgh offers Masters Scholarships for international students from least developing countries as for eligible Master’s programmes offered by the University.  There will be 2 Master’s scholarships covering the overseas rate of tuition fee for students from less developed countries.

University of Bradford Scholarships for Developing Countries in Crisis (UK)
The University of Bradford Countries in Crisis Scholarships are intended to aid students in financial hardship due to the fact that they are domiciled in a country that is in crisis as a result of the political situation, war, natural disaster etc.   Each scholarship is worth approximately £20,000 which includes full tuition fees and accommodation plus £2000 per annum living costs.

Erik Bleumink Scholarships for Developing Countries at University of Groningen (Netherlands)
The Erik Bleumink Fund Scholarships are usually awarded for a maximum of 2 years for a Master’s degree programme, and a maximum of 4 years for a PhD. For PhD, part of the research should be conducted in the home country and part in Groningen. The grant covers the tuition fees plus the costs of international travel, subsistence, books, and health insurance. It covers expenses incurred in travelling to and from the Netherlands for PhD candidates for a maximum of 4 times.

International Development Scholarships of University of East London (UK)
The University of East London International Development Scholarship in association with International Students House (ISH) is a combined tuition fee, residential and maintenance scholarship offered to an international student from selected developing countries who intends to make a positive contribution to the development of their home country as result of completing the MSc NGO and Development Management Programme, who would otherwise be unable to pursue the Programme for financial reasons.

United Nations University Scholarships for Developing Country Students (Japan)
The Japan Foundation for UNU (JFUNU) Scholarship is available for outstanding applicants from developing countries who can demonstrate a need for financial assistance and who are granted admissions to Master of Science in Sustainability, Development, and Peace at United Nations University.  The JFUNU scholarship covers the full tuition fees, and provides a monthly allowance of 150,000 JPY* for living expenses for a maximum of 24 months. Travel costs to and from Japan, visa handling fees, and health/accident insurance costs must be covered by the student.

University of East Anglia Development Scholarships (UK)
The University of East Anglia is offering partial and full scholarships for students from developing/low-income countries. The scholarships are for Bachelors or Masters Degree in International development courses offered by the School of International Development.   Multiple International Development Scholarships worth £1,000 fees awards and One (1) International Development Full Fees Scholarship are offered to international taught applicants on the basis of academic excellence and their personal statement.

See more: Universities that offer Scholarships for Developing Countries