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This is a list of scholarships we came across when we were applying for master’s degrees at Oxford/Cambridge/LSE and needed funding to cover the tuition fees. Please suggest (or comment) additional information if you come across anything! Let‘s make this a collaborative effort and help out people applying in the future. Feel free to add your name if you contributed :) - you can text/email us e.g. on LinkedIn to get editor access
Last significant update: November 2025
Contributors: Elina Dilger (political science/economics), Tim Farkas (medicine), Max Görlitz (genomic medicine), Yara Remppis (psychology), Ming (physics), Leo Launhardt (Statistics/Econ)
High-level info
Check early on what the fees for your favourite master’s program are. Also, keep in mind that you need to pay health insurance (about 700€/year for the NHS) and a fee during your visa application (ca. 450€)! -> Full NHS refund possible, takes only 5 minutes if you have a Krankenversicherungskarte/EHIC number: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-health-surcharge-for-eu-students-in-the-uk
If you are looking for a scholarship in April/May before you want to start the chance of getting funding for this year is very low. Look especially at Open Philantropy (see below) but besides that there is not much!
If you do not hold a scholarship from one of the Begabtenförderungswerke, you may be eligible for Auslands-Bafög. This can be several hundred € per month towards your living costs. Make sure to check Bafög-Rechner what you would receive. You might receive Auslands-Bafög even if you are not eligible for Inlands-Bafög.
If you apply to Oxford, your application gets automatically considered by many scholarships. So maybe you’ll just get lucky and receive funding without writing any additional applications. It is better not to count on it, though!
AFAIK, there are around 1000 scholarships for ~13k graduate students at Oxford
Internationals are only eligible for a subset of those, and only a few cover tuition completely.
E.g., Clarendon scholarships cover full tuition for internationals
Presumably, this is similar at Cambridge and other universities
It might be that you need to apply separately for funding from the university (I.e. at LSE: Here you can apply for support via the Graduate Support Scheme. Grants are about 5.000-15.000k but seems to be highly competitive; if they classify you as someone in need of greater financial support you’ll automatically be considered for other scholarships, too)
There are some scholarships at Oxford you need to apply separately for
They are listed in the application form, and you should check early what you need for the application
Some colleges in Oxford offer full or partial funding if you apply to them
E.g., Nuffield College pays fees and living costs for graduate students of the social sciences
Have a look at all the colleges which accept students of your degree. For some scholarships (potentially covering accommodation or 10.000 pounds) a separate application is required
The application deadlines for some scholarships (e.g., DAAD, Rhodes) close before the applications for master’s degrees open! (around September — one year before you would start your master’s)
So you need to start thinking about what degrees and scholarships to apply to approximately 1.5 years before the course starts!
In most cases, you cannot cover the tuition fees with only ONE scholarship. It might be worth it to apply to several ‘small’ scholarships (like Charly-Foundation) to cover the remaining tuition fee gap.
Keep in mind that the living costs in Oxford are relatively high and that not all departments permit working on the side.
In general, I would encourage adopting the mindset of “Don’t think, just apply! (usually)”
If you do not have an academic background (meaning your parents did not complete a university degree), consider applying for mentoring by ProjectAccess (for university applications in the UK) and Applicaid (for scholarship applications)
Also, there are many great master’s programs at more affordable universities (e.g., France, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, etc.). Make sure you apply to other affordable programs as well. Getting full funding for a graduate program at Oxford is definitely not easy!
German scholarships
Helpful Databases & Overviews:
Oxford’s German society has compiled funding guides, i.e., a list of scholarships for prospective applicants to Oxford: https://oxford-germansoc.co.uk/applicants
Scroll down to page 12 to get an overview about most of the foundations included in the Stifterverband (the organisation behind the link above): https://www.stifterverband.org/download/file/fid/11722
Hertie School has a funding navigator database, which lists 82 funding opportunities for Germans.
Many of them are specific to Hertie School or things like the Begabtenförderungswerke, but just skimming them, I also saw some that I haven’t encountered before
It might be worth going through the list and seeing if any are relevant for funding degrees in the UK as well.
Stipendien für ein Masterstudium im Ausland — DAAD
Prerequisites: see here
Deadline: end of September (West-, Nord-, Südeuropa)
Size of grant: 18.000€/year towards fees, about 1.350€/month (as of autumn 2025) living costs (in UK, lower in other countries), covers health insurance in Germany and UK, travel grant,
Reduction of fees: Based on bilateral agreements between the DAAD and individual universities. Thus, the amount depends on the specific university and how many students go to this university in a given year. For Cambridge in 2023, this amounted to a reduction of ca. 4000 €
Other info/tips:
Officially, you need an actual bachelor’s degree for applying.
However, if you’ve only got the First State Examination (medicine), they still advise to err on the side of applying and ideally submit written confirmation of the universities that the medical school credentials are sufficient prerequisites for the programs. (source: Tim Farkas asked them, Aug 23)
Law students are apparently also eligible even though they do not hold a LL.B. (check again with DAAD to make sure)
You can combine this scholarship with oder scholarships of Begabtenförderungswerke (Studiengebühren & 300€ Grundstipendium), but you can only receive the personalised stipend of a Werk or the monthly stipend of DAAD, but you can choose that (depends on the personal situation what’s better)
Most German Begabtenförderungswerke (e.g. political & religious foundations, Studienstiftungen des Deutschen Volkes & der Deutschen Wirtschaft) grant the scholarship holders 10.000€ towards fees for studies abroad (for exceptions, check below)
If you do not hold a scholarship from such a foundation yet, you should start thinking about your application about a year or 1.5 years in advance - the application process takes some time
Some foundations only allow applications before a certain semester threshold; others do not fund whole degrees completed abroad, so check the websites
Here are some examples:
Studienstiftung Auslandsförderung
Size of grant: up to 10k€ for tuition fees + money for living costs abroad (350€/month in UK) + 300€ Studienkostenpauschale + Grundstipendium (depending on the income of your parents) + travel costs
This can be combined with other scholarship programmes such as DAAD
They also have a new program called “Studiengebührenzuschüsse aus privaten Mitteln”
Your chances increase if you fall into specific eligibility criteria, e.g., live in a certain region of Germany
Only students who cannot pay for their fees (need-based funding) have chances to be selected
You need to apply separately and you already need to hold a scholarship of the Studienstiftung (Application was in April in 2022 & 2023) - it is planned to be earlier for the 2024/25 academic year (e.g. December 2023) - check the daidalosnet
Besides that there are also several special scholarship programs for scholarship holders listed in the daidalosnet - e.g. for law students, women in MINT subjects etc.
Adam von Trott Scholarship: Studienstiftung & the Department of Politics and international relations fund one IR or Politics Student in Oxford per year - you have to apply separately. More information: Daidalosnet
Additionally, the Studienstiftung has contracts with specific universities in the UK
This means you can study there without paying fees and a certain amount of places is reserved for scholarship holders of the Studienstiftung
You need to think about this more than one year before you want to start your Master’s
You can find more information here
Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung:
Deadline: semester before the semester in which the master starts
Typically don’t fund studies in the UK since Brexit
since 2023 Hans-Dietrich Genscher Scholarship
up to 15 scholarships annually for one-year Master’s programs at universities in the United Kingdom
€10k in tuition, €300/month study abroad grant, €300/month basic scholarship grant + travel support
application only possible if already a FNF scholarship holder
deadline = April 1st
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung:
Seem to not fund studies outside of Germany - or only semesters abroad and not a whole degree abroad
Check on the websites again
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung:
Study- and Research -Stays , Internships (inkl. Famulaturen) and whole degrees in the EU or Switzerland can be funded. In “besonders Begründeten Fällen” funding outside of this area is also possible. (find examples)
Tuition costs up to 10000€ per year (or 5000€ per Semester) can be funded
Grants for Travel Costs and Foreign Health Insurance are possible
Additional “Auslandspauschale” (max. 350€ per month) for a maximum of 12 months per stay abroad
Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung
Minimum duration of studies after receiving scholarship: 4 semesters!
Contributes 10.000€ towards fees for studies abroad + living costs
Deadlines: Mar 1st and Sep 1st
Stiftung der deutschen Wirtschaft (sdw)
Master’s in UK funded if you were already funded by sdw during your bachelor
10k towards tuition fees + 300€/month study abroad grant + Inlandsstipendium + travel support
covers self-organised research stay in the UK! e.g. as a visiting student when writing your bachelor/master’s thesis - this is btw a great way to avoid the 35k tuition fees, there will be rather 500-1k GBP/month
No deadline
Special Scholarship Programs of the Studienstiftung
Funds graduate studies for people interested in sustainable entrepreneurship (enkelgerechte Unternehmensführung)
12.000€/year towards fees in UK + 1.500€/month + 500€ “Startkosten” + 1000€ travel expenses
Successful applicant will also become scholarship holders of the Studienstiftung
DEADLINE: 15th of October
Adam von Trott (for Politics & IR Students in Oxford)
McCloy (Harvard) and ERP scholarships - if you are interested in studying at an Ivy League University or if you want to complete a Public Policy/Public Administration degree in the US you should have a look at them
Start preparing your application in August one year before you plan to go abroad
McCloy: Deadline 1st November
GRE beforehand
6 scholars with 30 in final round
35-80 apply
Contact: jacobvschaal@gmail.com
Special awards
E.g. Women in STEM - up to 5.000€ for tuition fees
Other German Scholarships
Andrea von Braun Stiftung
https://www.avbstiftung.de/foerderung/
Volkswagen Stipendium
950€/Monat
Bertha von Suttner Studienwerk
Fund studying abroad (300€ per month)
Minimum duration of studies after receiving scholarship: 2 semesters
Heinrich J. Klein Foundation
Deadline: 31. November
Contact Person: Karin Bahr, Karin.Bahr@schott.com
Not full master degrees, only exchange, summer schools and research project
Charly Foundation
As for 01/24, the contact person (Tanja Denker, +49 201 8401-173) stated that they were currently giving out 1-2 scholarships per year (with about 15 applicants for each of the two cycles in April & Nov) with about 1.300€ per month for a maximum of 12 months. Funding for GB (UG & PG studies) is possible and many apply precisely for that. They are thinking about limiting funding to specific subjects though, so if you apply after 12/24 I’d recommend you call them again to check
Mainly contributing to monthly living costs (100-800€ per month)
Practically all disciplines can be funded, including abroad, BA and MA. Generally very few specifications, for example in case of what to include in the letter of motivation, etc. The contact person said that it should be easy for the committee to see who is applying for what and why, why a particular course of study is being pursued/currently chosen, what motivates you for the scholarship. Also, the contact person was one of the members of the committee, so if you call them be extra nice:D
As for 01/24, no acceptance of new scholarship holders. Will award a one-time grant of 1000-2000€ in cases of special need though (financial or personal, just give very good reasons for why you deserve the money). Based in Tübingen, Southern Germany, so I assume it might be a plus if you speak German or have some relation to the area
Currently do not award scholarships for studies abroad, also not in cases of special need (11.04.2024)
Still no scholarships abroad as of 03.07.2025
Kölner Stiftungsfond
They fund semester abroad but not full degrees
Klaus Höchstetter Foundation
Fund students with smaller sums (ca. 3000-5000€)
Ideally contact them before to check for how much you can apply
I got 500€ monthly (x12=6000€) for a Master’s Degree in Statistics in Oxford. Very unbureaucratic process, can recommend applying (11/2025).
Hans Messer Stiftung
Scholarships for students with STEM and medical background
Currently “Aufnahmestopp”
Fund 5000€ towards tuition fees/year + up to 880€/monthly living costs for masters students
http://dr-hans-messer-stiftung.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/HMS_Stipendien-Stand-Feb.-2024.pdf
For people with 2+ years of work experience
Entrepreneurship focus - according to their website, they support young managers, entrepreneurs and business founders by offering them an individual training programme at a learning location abroad - a self-planned free project can be a learning journey centred around your topic and your idea, a research stay, an additional degree (Master’s degree or higher), Participation in a qualification programme, Company or start-up excursions, or Interview trips
1500 € / month!!
Up tp 25.000€ tuition fees
EARLY DEADLINES! Project must begin in April - December of year following application
Friedrich Flick Förderstiftung
Do not offer scholarships for students anymore. (I asked via mail, reply on 06.04.2024)
Stiftung zur Förderung von Ausbildung und Studium
Scholarships only awarded for training in Germany and abroad in the field of Economic auditing, Business and tax law, and Newspapers
Don’t fund UK studies (only EU)
2.500€ once
Application seems relatively easy, no letter of motivation required but only a 2min video about your reasons for applying
Dorit & Alexander Otto Stiftung
The fund students occasionally - but the responsible person said that
a) you should have some relation to the city of Hamburg (either personally or with your studies) and
b) the selection process is very competitive and even with relation to Hamburg it is rather unlikely that they fund students
No clear range for the amount of funding specified
You need to call them and then send an application via post (including a letter of recommendation, personal statement, CV, grades. No information about the financial situation of yourself or your family required)
Does not provide funding at the moment (25.02.2024)
Approves studies abroad if attendance at events in Germany can be ensured
Graduate-Studies | Economics-oriented
500€/ semester
Funds studies abroad
Emailed 10/10/25: Only funds temporary stays/semester abroad, not full degrees
Feline Holidays Global Engagement Scholarships
Supporting international experiences such as semesters, internships, and study-related projects abroad & encouraging volunteer work outside of academic pursuits for societal benefit
Ten scholarships worth €1,000 each are awarded annually
Application process solely via email
As of 03/15/24: “Bachelor- oder Master-Studiengänge, die vollständig im Ausland absolviert werden, sowie internationale Studiengänge, die an verschiedenen Standorten durchgeführt werden, können wir derzeit nicht unterstützen.”
It is definitely worth it to go through the long list of foundations of Deutsches Stiftungszentrum to see whether any of them could be interesting in funding graduate study.
Apparently, a bunch of those foundations are highly specific to certain medical causes, so it could be more interesting for medical students.
Yara: I agree with you about the specificity, but I have the impression that these specifications do not predominantly concern the medical field.
You could go through the list of companies that fund Deutschlandstipendien. Maybe you’ll find, e.g., a biotech company that you’d be able to convince of (partly) funding your graduate study because the research is relevant to them.
It might also be worth to have a look at ‘Deutsches Forschungshandbuch 2016-17: Förderinstitutionen, Förderprogramme und Drittmittel für die Wissenschaft’ by Dr. Dieter herrmann and Dr. K.P. Christian Spath which offers a great overview of funding bodies in Germany - especially relevant for medicine students (lots of funding). Sadly, this book is not available online - you need to look for it in your university library.
Loans
Loan (without interest rate) up to 12.000€ for 7 years
Fill out formula, wait for an answer to it
Hand in SCHUFA, letter of recommendation, etc. -> see website
Interest-free loans for (christian) women
You need a “Gutachten” from both a professor and someone from your (presumably local) church
250-500€ monthly, up to 10k in total
Studienkredit der Sparkasse Herford
Internationally Relevant
Women in Economics ECB Scholarship
Female students from low-income backgrounds/with financial need can apply
Subjects: engineering, computer science, statistics, economics etc.
Up to 10.000€ towards your fees & mentoring by an ECB employee
Ellison Scholars (only for Oxford)
“The Ellison Scholars programme features project-based learning with mentorship by world experts. The Scholars will work collaboratively with other Scholars and EIT Faculty to solve problems that matter to humankind. The Scholars programme fully funds course fees at the University of Oxford, and includes a generous stipend to cover all living expenses. It will prepare Scholars to become global technology innovators and leaders of the future.”
looking for approximately twenty candidates from around the world each year
Admission into the programme is dependent upon a successful application to the University of Oxford through their admissions process, followed by selection by EIT’s Faculty of Fellows for the scholarship.
The application process opens March 2024.
Rhodes Scholarship (only for Oxford)
Prerequisites: ?
Deadline: 14 September 2023
Very early!
Size of grant: full tuition + monthly stipend
Covers two years of master studies or an entire DPhil (three years)
2 places per year for Germany
Other info/tips: you need 3 or 4 reference letters & Toefl etc. so start planning your application in June/July (more than one year before you want to start your master’s)
Information sessions for Germany: https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/scholarships/information-sessions/germany/
Gates (only for Cambridge)
https://www.gatescambridge.org/
(Rhodes equivalent)
Application: Sep - Oct
Size of grant: full tuition + monthly stipend
Rotary Clubs
Relevant programs
Global grant - this can potentially cover all your tuition fees!
You should apply about a year before your studies start
Application process
Reach out to the district (about 60 clubs)
Ask for a “Stipendienbeauftragten”, application deadlines, which Clubs of your town are eligible to support an application (they have to undertake a training to qualify)
additionally, on the district website you can find an overview of clubs in your town
Reach out to clubs in your town (eg the president) - this might take a while and the response rate might be low
If a club supports your application you can prepare an application to the district (depending on the district this may vary) potentially including
Letter of Motivation, Questionaire, CV, Abitur, 2 References, Description of Extracurricular Engagement, Transcript, Budget, Offer
Interview with the district (around mid april)
Preparation of the global grant application (deadline in late June/July for courses starting in September)
host club contributes with various texts
Applicant only eligible if not directly related to a Rotary member, Studies should be within the 8 focus areas of Rotary
For global grants only postgraduate studies are eligible
District grants
Specific to the district you live in, so google your district - they usually have a page on “Scholarships” on their website, but if not, ask them for details
Write the scholarship person or governor of the district you live in, they will get in touch with you and provide you with further details
For Bachelor, Master and Research Stays
Not combinable with ERASMUS or DAAD, combination with Studienstiftung Auslandsförderung and Women in STEM award possible
“Kein Zweitstudium; keine Zusatz-, Aufbau- oder Ergänzungsstudien”
Very dependant on your local group, for example: LG Aachen only funds studies because of “persönliche oder soziale Notlagen, nicht Finanzierung einer Berufskarriere” (08/10/25)
Erasmus + -> see comment:
More information on this DAAD page
For AI & Quantum Students
https://www.sandboxaq.com/company/scholarships
5.000$ once
Interesting for graduate and PhD students in the fields of economics, political science & public policy
(very liberitarian economics, but might be worth to take the money even if you disagree)
Requirements (at least for the scholarship for “any master’s programme at any accredited university”): Enrollment in your programme; as a fellow: readings, mandatory attendance of [X] number of colloquia in the US (travel expenses will be reimbursed)
Chevening (Oxford)
Could be promising
To be eligible for a Chevening Scholarship you must:
Be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory (strong Commonwealth focus for countries of origin; German citizens not eligible)
Return to your country of citizenship for a minimum of two years after your award has ended.
Have completed all components of an undergraduate degree that will enable you to gain entry onto a postgraduate programme at a UK university by the time you submit your application. This is typically equivalent to an upper second-class 2:1 honours degree in the UK but may be different depending on your course and university choice.
Have at least two years (equivalent to 2,800 hours) of work experience.
annoying
Apply to three different eligible UK university courses and have received an unconditional offer from one of these choices by 13 July 2023.
(Side note: when applying for a UK student visa, they ask, “Do you hold a Marshall, Chevening, or commonwealth scholarship?”; So maybe one of those other two could also be promising)
Emergent Ventures
Funding graduate study doesn’t fit their portfolio well, so this seems like a long shot but can be worth trying anyways because the application is fairly quick.
Economic and Social Research Council
Relevant for Economics & Social Science Students
LSE lists on its website which programs are eligible
Offers funding mainly for PhDs
Fundación “La Caixa”
Scholarships for all levels of studies for Spanish and Portuguese nationals
For Eastern Europeans https://www.kearney.com/careers/opportunities/events-and-programs/womens-scholarship-program-central-eastern-europe?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=womenscholarship24
EA/Biosecurity/AI/International Security/Cyber Security
Open Philanthropy: Career development and transition funding
Prerequisites: Good idea, a plausible story of the theory of impact
Deadline: Depends on the institution you’re applying to
Other info/tips:
size of the grant can vary a lot and can potentially cover full tuition
Long-Term Future Fund
Tips:
“Things I often tell people about applying to EA Funds”
Specifically relevant for medical students
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds
It looks like they usually only fund medical doctor’s theses, but you might be able to convince them to fund graduate study.
Clarissa asked, and they don’t fund course fees
Bayer Foundation: Carl-Duisberg-Stipendium für die Medizinwissenschaften
It also seems like they typically don’t fund graduate study, but maybe you could convince them.
Clarissa asked, and they don’t fund course fees
Maybe apply for Mres with a specific research project to fund living costs?
B. Braun Stiftung: they support you with up to 3.500€ for your education or research project
BMEP (Biomedical Exchange Program) Deadline 31st March 2024
https://www.mhh.de/en/mhh-institutes/plri-institute-for-medical-informatics/bmep
More applicable for a medical thesis, only fund living costs
Funders we considered that turned out not to be relevant
Schmidt Futures
AFAICT, they give funding for PhDs but not for master’s degrees (I asked)
WOW! thank you guys so much - this is incredible 🧸