12 Scholarships For International Students With No Application Fee (2026)
One of the most common barriers people face when applying for scholarships is the cost of applying itself. University application fees, scholarship processing fees, and English test submission costs can add up to hundreds of dollars before you have heard a single yes.
The good news: most of the world’s best scholarships charge no application fee whatsoever. And several of the scholarships already covered in detail on this site fall into this category.
This post identifies the no-fee scholarships on this site and explains what to know about application costs more broadly.
The Honest Truth About Scholarship Application Fees
First, an important clarification. When people talk about “no application fee scholarships,” they usually mean one of two things:
No scholarship application fee: applying for the scholarship itself is free. This is true of virtually every major international scholarship. The Chevening, Fulbright, Commonwealth, DAAD, Erasmus Mundus, and most other serious scholarships charge nothing to apply for the scholarship itself.
No university application fee: applying for admission to the university alongside the scholarship is free. This is different and less universal. Some universities charge international application fees of $50–$150, even when the scholarship itself is free.
The scholarships below are free to apply for. Where the host university charges an application fee, this is noted, because knowing this helps you budget realistically.
Scholarships on This Site With No Application Fee
Every scholarship listed here has a full, detailed guide on this site. Click the title to read the complete post, including eligibility, what it covers, deadlines, and application tips.
1. Chevening Scholarship 2027
No application fee | UK | Fully funded Master’s | Open to 160+ countries
Applying for Chevening is completely free. You apply through the Chevening online portal at chevening.org at zero cost. The scholarship covers full tuition, a monthly living allowance, return airfare, visa reimbursement, and arrival/departure allowances.
2. Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship 2027
No application fee | USA | Fully funded Master’s/PhD | Open to 160+ countries
The Fulbright application through your country’s US Embassy or binational commission is free. The scholarship covers full tuition, a monthly stipend, airfare, and health insurance.
3. Mo Ibrahim Foundation Scholarship 2026
No application fee | UK | Fully funded Master’s + internship | African nationals under 30
Applications are submitted through the University of Birmingham’s admissions portal. No scholarship application fee. Covers £1,592/month, full tuition, return airfare, visa, and arrival allowance.
4. IHE Delft Water and Development Partnership Scholarship 2026
No application fee | Netherlands | Fully funded Master’s | Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia + others
No separate scholarship application required — you are automatically considered upon applying for admission to IHE Delft. €1,220/month plus full tuition, travel, insurance, and accommodation.
5. FIAS Fellowship Programme 2027-2028
No application fee | France | €2,200/month research fellowship | All nationalities
Applications submitted through fias-fp.eu at no cost. €2,200 monthly stipend, accommodation, travel, social security, and research budget. Deadline 25 June 2026.
6. KTU Lithuanian State Scholarship 2026
No application fee | Lithuania | €592/month + full tuition | Selected nationalities
Apply through apply.ktu.edu — no separate scholarship fee. Automatically considered for the Lithuanian State Scholarship upon application submission.
7. Friedrich Ebert Foundation Scholarship 2026
No application fee | Germany | €992/month + health insurance | Global South + Eastern Europe (must already be enrolled in Germany)
Applications through the FES portal at fes.de are free. No scholarship processing fee.
8. AFEP Africa Fellows in Education Program 2026
No application fee | International | $25,000 research grant | Sub-Saharan African researchers under 35
Applications submitted through the PEP intranet system at no cost. $25,000 research grant plus up to $25,000 in covered expenses.
9. Global South Fellowship — University of Birmingham 2026
No application fee | UK/USA | £1,500/month + £850 travel | Global South early-career researchers
Free to apply. Deadline 29 May 2026. Three-month funded research fellowship.
10. Sussex Sanctuary Scholarship 2026
No application fee | UK | Full tuition + £16,440/year | Forced migrants and asylum seekers in the UK
Applied for through the University of Sussex’s internal process at no charge. Deadline 1 June 2026.
11. Sir James McNeill Postgraduate Research Scholarship — Monash University
No separate scholarship fee | Australia | $53,608 AUD/year | International students, Engineering, Science, Medicine, Music
Automatically considered through Monash’s myApp Portal scholarship round. No separate scholarship application fee — though check Monash’s current admissions application fee policy for international students.
12. Flinders University AGRTPS 2026
No scholarship application fee | Australia | $36,061 AUD/year tax-free | All international students
Scholarship application submitted through the Flinders Student System at no scholarship fee. Check the current admissions application fee policy.
A Note on University Application Fees
While the scholarships above charge nothing to apply for the scholarship itself, some host universities charge international students an application fee for admission, typically $50–$150 USD equivalent. This is separate from the scholarship and is charged by the university, not the scholarship programme.
Before applying, check the specific university’s international admissions page for current application fee information. Some universities waive fees for scholarship applicants — always worth asking.
FAQ
Are there any fully free scholarship applications, no fees at any stage? Yes. Scholarships like Chevening, Fulbright, FIAS, Friedrich Ebert, AFEP, and the Global South Fellowship have no fees at any stage of the scholarship application process.
What about English test fees? English test requirements (IELTS, TOEFL) are separate costs you pay to the testing organisation — not to the scholarship programme. IELTS costs approximately £170–£200 in the UK or equivalent in other countries. Some scholarships waive IELTS requirements; see the next post on this page for details.
Is it a scam if a scholarship charges an application fee? Not automatically — some legitimate university programmes charge application fees. But legitimate government-funded scholarships like Chevening, Fulbright, Commonwealth, and DAAD never charge application fees. If you are asked to pay to apply for a government scholarship, it is almost certainly fraudulent.
