Scholarships to Study in Europe (Student)

If you’re a prospective international student planning to study in Europe at bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral level, you might be eligible for a scholarship.

UK scholarships are listed in an article all of their own, as are scholarships for Germany, scholarships for Russia, scholarships for Eastern Europe and scholarships to study in the Nordic countries.

Scroll down the list below for a range of other scholarships to study in Europe…

To study anywhere in Europe:

Erasmus Mundus Scholarships – Initiative led by the European Commission to provide funding for students all over the world to study in Europe at selected institutions.

GoEuro European Study Abroad Scholarship – 10 individual scholarships of €2,000 are available for students enrolled in any eligible university in Europe. There are two €500 Instagram prizes available. Applications close on the 31st of January 2018.

To study in Austria:


Austrian Government Scholarships – Monthly scholarships of €940 available for up to four months for international students of all study levels.

Grants.at – A searchable database of scholarships to study abroad in Austria.

To study in Belgium:

CIUF-CUD Scholarships in Belgium for Developing Countries – Opportunities to gain funding to study in Belgium for training or research at master’s level. Open to students internationally.

VLIR-UOS Scholarships for Developing Countries – Offering scholarships for students from developing countries in parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America to undertake training, research or study in Belgium at selected institutions.

Ghent University Top-up Grants – Scholarships for students from developing countries who are new students of English-taught master’s degrees at the Ghent University in Belgium.

KU Leuven Science Scholarships for International Students – The Science@Leuvenscholarship is aimed at international students interested in undertaking study in Belgium at master’s level within the faculty of science at KU Leuven.

KU Leuven IRO PhD Scholarships for Developing Countries – Open to prospective PhD students from developing countries to study in Belgium within the Interfaculty Council for Development Cooperation at KU Leuven.

To study in the Czech Republic:

Czech Government Scholarships for Developing Countries – Government scholarships enabling international students to undertake study (at bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral level) at institutions across the Czech Republic. Czech is the language of instruction for most programs offered.

The South Moravian Center for International Mobility - Scholarships are available for international students from outside the EU who are undertaking a master’s or PhD degree at one of the center’s partner universities, with study programs in technical and natural science preferred.

To study in France:



Eiffel Scholarships in France for International Students – Open to international students at master’s/PhD level wishing to study in France at selected institutions.

Emile Boutmy Scholarships in France for International Students – Opportunities for bachelor’s and master’s degree students from outside of the EU to gain funding to study in France at Sciences Po.

Fondation Rainbow Bridge MBA Scholarships for African and Asian Women – MBA scholarships for students from developing countries in Africa and Asia to study in France at HEC Paris. Open to female students only.

École Normale Supérieure de Lyon – Scholarships to study one of the selected master’s programs at ENS de Lyon.

To study in Greece:


Greek Government Scholarships for Foreign Students – More than 50 scholarships for international students wishing to undertake undergraduate or postgraduate study or a research project in host universities and institutions across Greece. (Website is in Greek).

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki – Scholarships for international students to study in Greece at all study levels at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

To study in Hungary:


Hungarian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students – Scholarships for international students to study in Hungary, funded by the Hungarian government. Open to students of master’s degrees in rural development and agribusiness, horticulture and agricultural water management.

The Stipendium Hungaricum – Provides scholarships which cover tuition fees, medical insurance, accommodation and a monthly stipend for citizens of partner countries to study in Hungary at either bachelor’s or master’s level.

To study in Italy:

Bocconi Scholarships in Italy for International Students – Scholarships for international students to study a master of science program at Bocconi University. Includes a full tuition waiver.

Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students – Scholarships for international students at all degree levels to study in Italy at various public institutions. Also open to Italian citizens living abroad (IRE).

CICOPS Scholarships for Developing Countries – Scholarships from the University of Pavia (UNIPV), open to international students from developing countries to carry out research in collaboration with a professor. You must have an invitation letter from a professor to apply.

University of Bologna Study Grants for International Students – Funding opportunities for international students at bachelor’s and master’s level to study in Italy at the University of Bologna.

University of Naples Federico II Scholarship Program - Scholarships for international degree courses at the University of Naples Federico II. 25 scholarships are available in total.

To study in the Netherlands:


Amsterdam Merit Scholarships for Excellent International Students – Merit-based scholarships to study in the Netherlands at the University of Amsterdam. Open to talented master’s degree students from outside the EU or EEA.

Anne van den Ban Scholarships for Developing Countries at Wageningen University – Scholarships for international students from developing countries to study agriculture, food or environment-related programs at master’s level at Wageningen University. Sponsored by the Anne van den Ban Fund.

Eric Bleumink Fund Scholarships at the University of Groningen – Open to all master’s level international students undertaking further study in the Netherlands at the University of Groningen.

Holland Scholarship – Available for non-EEA international students to study at participating universities in the Netherlands at bachelor’s or master’s level.

Leiden University Excellence Scholarships (LExS) – Merit-based scholarships for master’s degree (MA/MSc/LLM) students at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Not available to EU/EEA students.

Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) – Government-funded international scholarships to study in the Netherlands on a short course, master’s or PhD. Prioritized candidates include female applicants and applicants from sub-Saharan Africa.

Orange Tulip Scholarship Programme – Nuffic-funded scholarships for students from developing countries in Asia and Latin America, including China, Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico and Brazil, to study in the Netherlands.

Radboud Scholarship Programme – Scholarship opportunities for non-EEA students to study an English-taught master’s degree at Radboud University in Nijmegen, Netherlands.

UM High Potential Scholarships for International Students – Merit-based scholarships for international students to study in the Netherlands at master’s level at Maastricht University. Only open to students from outside of the EU/EEA.

University of Twente Scholarships (UTS) – International scholarships to study in the Netherlands on a selected master’s program at the University of Twente. Available for all students, both in and outside the EU.

VU Fellowship Programme (VUFP) – Scholarships for talented students to study a selection of English-taught master's programs at VU University Amsterdam. Only for students who are not of Dutch nationality.

World Citizen Talent Scholarship for International Students – Merit-based scholarships to study in the Netherlands offered by The Hague University of Applied Sciences. Open to both bachelor’s and master’s students from outside the EU.

To study in Slovakia:


Slovak Government Scholarships for Selected Developing Countries – Government-funded international scholarships for students from developing countries to pursue higher education in Slovakia at any degree level. Open to students from selected countries within the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia.

46 Study Abroad Statistics: Convincing Facts and Figures (STUDENT)

Are you thinking about studying abroad, but are not sure if it's worth your time? Or are you ready to participate in a study abroad program, but need some extra talking points to convince your parents that you've made a smart decision?

The number of American students who go abroad has more than tripled in the past two decades (304,467 students in the 2013-2014 academic year), and this increase is likely to continue. International education is on the rise, and for good reason: research has shown that students who study abroad have better career prospects and are more socially aware. Read on to discover more study abroad statistics, facts, and figures that reflect the latest trends in international education.

Benefits of studying abroad

For many years, the benefits of studying abroad have been described in words like these: “It will completely change your life!” and “You will come back a new person.” But the exact long-term benefits were unknown. Now, though, the positive impact of study abroad experiences can be proven with study abroad statistics.

The Institute for International Education of Students (IES) conducted a survey to explore the long-term impact of study abroad on the personal, professional, and academic lives of students. Here are some interesting findings:

• 95% of the students who were surveyed admitted that studying abroad served as a catalyst for increased maturity, 96% reported increased self-confidence, and 95% said it had a lasting impact on their worldview. 
• More than 50% of the respondents are still in contact with U.S. friends they met when studying abroad.One of the goals of study abroad programs is to train future global leaders who will respect other cultures and political and economic systems and care about the world’s welfare. The survey reveals that study abroad is succeeding in this mission: 

98% of the students stated that study abroad helped them better understand their own cultural values and biases, and 82% said that it helped them develop a more sophisticated way of looking at the world.

94% stated that their study abroad experience continues to influence interactions with people from different cultures.

87% of the students said that study abroad influenced their subsequent educational experiences. Nearly half of all respondents took part in international work and/or volunteerism since studying abroad.

Three-quarters of the respondents said that they acquired skill sets that influenced their future career paths.



The survey results proved that studying abroad can greatly influence a student’s life. The results of the survey show that study abroad had a positive influence on the personal development, academic commitment, and career paths of the students who took part in IES study abroad programs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results show that the longer students study abroad, the more significant the academic, cultural, and personal development benefits are. But the survey also suggests that study abroad programs lasting at least six weeks can also produce good academic, personal, career, and intercultural development outcomes.

The Erasmus Impact Study (2013) analyzed the effects of mobility on the skills and employability of students and on the internationalization of higher education institutions. The results of the study proved the benefits of studying abroad for the career development of mobile students. The study highlighted that mobile students are more likely to get managerial positions in their future careers and are less likely to experience long-term unemployment.

Here are some key findings.
More than 85% of Erasmus students study abroad to enhance their employability abroad.


More than 90% of mobile students reported that they improved their soft skills, including their knowledge of other countries, the ability to interact and work with people from different cultures, adaptability, foreign language proficiency, and communication skills.
64% of employers think that an international experience is important for recruitment.


Young people who study abroad are half as likely to face long-term unemployment as those who do not study abroad. The unemployment rate of Erasmus students five years after graduation is 23% lower.

More than 1 in 3 Erasmus students who completed a job placement abroad were hired or offered a position by their host company.

Almost 1 in 10 former mobile students who completed a job placement abroad has started a company.

64% of surveyed employers said that graduates with an international background are more often given greater professional responsibility.Global trends in international student mobility

The world is becoming increasingly globalized, and international experience is one of the most essential components of higher education in the 21st century. Just take a look at these facts:


The global number of students who study abroad continues to rise with an annual increase of 10%. There were almost 5 million international students in 2014. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has projected that, with demographic changes, the international student population is likely to reach 8 million by 2025.


The United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Australia are the most popular host countries for international students. Half of all international students study in these five countries.

Regions that hosted the largest number of mobile students in 2013 were North America and Western Europe (57% of total mobile students), East Asia and the Pacific (19%), and Eastern Europe (10%).

The countries with the most students studying abroad are China and India. According to UNESCO, there were 712,157 Chinese students studying abroad in 2013. Several small countries including Andorra, Anguilla, Bermuda, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Montserrat, the Seychelles, and the Turks and Caicos Islands have more students studying abroad than at home.
International students who study social sciences, business and law primarily go to English-speaking countries to study (more than 30% of the total number). Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States together host 36% of all foreign students worldwide.


New players have emerged on the international education market in the past few years, such as Canada (5% of foreign students), Japan (4%), Russia (4%), and Spain (2%). At the same time, the market share of the most popular countries is declining: the share of international students in the United States decreased from 23% to 17 % between 2000 and 2011.

Several traditional source countries are working hard to increase their attractiveness to international students. China hosted nearly 380,000 foreign students in 2014 but has a target to attract 500,000 students by 2020; Japan is aiming for a target of 300,000 international students in 2020; and Malaysia wants to attract 250,000 foreign students by 2025.

A lot of foreign students choose the United States as their study abroad destination. Here are some specific figures about international students in the USA:


There were nearly 1.2 million international students with F (academic) or M (vocational) status in the United States, according to the latest quarterly report on international student trends released by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). According to data from a March 2016 SEVIS report, the number of international students at U.S. schools increased 6.2% compared to March 2015.

40% of international students in the USA study science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).

New York University (13,851), the University of Southern California (13,080), Northeastern University (11,381), Columbia University (10,810) and the University of Illinois (10,690) have the highest number of international students. More than 10,000 foreign students were enrolled at each school in March 2016.

77% of all international students in the USA are from Asia.
The top 10 countries where international students come from include China, India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Brazil, and Mexico.


NAFSA’s latest analysis finds that the 974,926 international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities contributed $30 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 373,000 jobs during the 2014-2015 academic year.

Chinese Students in America: 300,000 and Counting Student

More Chinese students are studying in the U.S. than ever before.

in 1981, when Erhfei Liu entered Brandeis University as an undergraduate, he was only the second student from mainland China in the school’s history. “I was a rare animal from Red China,” Liu said in a Sept. 1 interview with Foreign Policy, “an alien from the moon.”




Now, Chinese students are by far the most visible international presence at many universities across the United States, and their numbers continue to grow. This year, during the 2014-2015 academic year, the number of Chinese students studying stateside was 304,040, a 10.8 percent increase over the 2013-2014 academic year, according to a just released report by the nonprofit Institute of International Education (IIE). This is the sixth year in a row that China has been the leading place of origin for international students in the United States. Out of the more than 974,000 international students currently in the United States, almost one in three is now Chinese.

The number of Chinese international students has increased nearly fivefold since the 2004-2005 academic year, when there were 62,523 Chinese students stateside. Evan Ryan, U.S. assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs, attributed the huge increase to rising incomes in China, as well as the excellence of American education. “There’s a growing [Chinese] middle class interested in their children’s education,” Ryan told FP in an interview. “Globally, people think that you will get the best education here in the United States. The Chinese want to be competitive in the 21st century.”




Particularly remarkable is the fast rate of growth in the undergraduate student population. Chinese graduate students once far outnumbered their undergraduate counterparts at U.S. schools, but by 2015, 41 percent of Chinese students in the United States were undergraduates, compared with 39.6 percent for graduate students. Peggy Blumenthal, senior counselor to the president at IIE, attributes the increase in Chinese undergraduates to the expansion of international high schools in China, where students improve their English and prepare for U.S. tests such as the SAT. “Rather than spending all their time preparing for Chinese tests,” Blumenthal told FP in an interview, “they learn how to present themselves in ways which are much more helpful” for acceptance to U.S. universities.




The dramatic rise in the number of Chinese students in the United States has led in some cases to concerns about the students’ ability to integrate into U.S. campus and social life, which often centers on sports, social clubs, and community organizations that may be unfamiliar to Chinese students. College administrators and Chinese students themselves have noted their tendency to socialize primarily with each other rather than engaging with the broader student community. While it is normal to seek out others who share the same language and culture, “the bigger the cohort,” said Blumenthal, “the easier it is to do that.” In response, many campuses are being proactive about helping Chinese students engage in campus and community life. The University of Illinois now broadcasts football games in Chinese.

Purdue University in Indiana has hired Chinese-speaking counselors to staff campus mental health centers. University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, where one in five students is Chinese, has provided instruction to professors on how to correctly pronounce Chinese names.



Even with the challenges, Blumenthal views the influx of Chinese students not just as a net positive for the Chinese students themselves, but also for their American classmates. “America is going to be dealing with China as a partner and as a competitor for years to come,” she said. “By having the opportunity to engage with undergraduates as peers, it will provide Americans students with the skills they need to be effective in the workforce.” U.S. authorities echo the sentiment, saying student exchanges form an important part of public diplomacy. “Having these Chinese students on U.S. campuses helps to build a bridge between China and the United States,” said Ryan. “When we have qualified Chinese students on U.S. campuses and qualified Americans on Chinese campuses, we can build stronger connections between the two countries.”



It’s not just about bilateral bonhomie; the influx of Chinese students into the United States is also big business. In the 2014-2015 academic year, Chinese students pumped $9.8 billion into the U.S. economy through tuition and fees, according to the IIE report. That can make a big impact on the local level. In and around Iowa City alone, for example, it’s estimated that Chinese students contribute around $100 million to the local economy.