I want to find scholarships I can actually get

In short

Start here, today. Open Scholarwell's scholarship directory, choose your nationality and the countries you're considering, and save every scholarship you could apply for in the next 12 months. This takes about 15 minutes.

After that, work through these steps. Choose one to jump to it.

Step by step

Tick each step as you finish it. Open a step for the how.

0 of 6 steps done

Look in all four places
Check your own government's scholarship board or education ministry, the national schemes of the countries you're considering, each program's funding page, and foundations or international organisations that fund your field or region. Ask your current university's international office which awards students like you have won before. It's often the quickest way to find the realistic ones.
Read the eligibility rules before anything else
Look for nationality and residence rules, years of work experience, age limits, whether you need an offer of admission first, whether you must return home after the degree, and whether you can hold the award alongside others. If a rule is unclear, email the scholarship office and ask. It's a normal question, and the answer can save you weeks.
Work backwards from the deadlines
Many government scholarships close in the autumn a year before you'd start, and university scholarships often close between December and February. Put every funding deadline in your Application Tracker, in the funding deadline column, so Today can remind you as they get close.
Shortlist realistically
Four to eight strong applications usually beat twenty rushed ones. Mix one or two very competitive awards with smaller, less well-known ones, where fewer people apply. Smaller awards can be combined, and they count on your CV too.
Apply for admission early
Many university scholarships only consider applicants who've applied by an early deadline, sometimes months before the final one. Check each program's funding page and treat the funding deadline as your real deadline.
Ask programs about funding directly
Email the program, or a possible supervisor for research degrees, and ask what funding students usually have. Ask about assistantships, fee waivers and departmental awards, which often aren't listed anywhere else.

Graduate scholarships come from four main places: your own government, the government of the country you want to study in, the universities themselves, and foundations or international organisations. Each has its own rules about nationality, field, work experience and where you can study, and many close almost a year before you'd start. Students often miss out not because they weren't strong enough, but because they found the award too late or ruled themselves out without checking.

University funding is the part people overlook most. Many universities consider applicants for their scholarships automatically when they apply for admission by an early deadline, and funded PhD places often come with a stipend and a fee waiver built in. So your funding search and your program search are really one search, and it pays to start both at the same time.

When to bring someone in

Your current university's international office or careers service often knows which scholarships students from your country win, and past winners are usually happy to share advice. National agencies such as EducationUSA advising centres, the British Council and DAAD information centres run free sessions about studying and funding abroad. If you'd like help building your shortlist, a one-to-one session with Ify can cover it.

Find the right person, or talk to Ify

In short

Step by step

Words you can use

When to bring someone in