Chevening Scholarships allow exceptional individuals to study for a one-year master's degree at a UK university. The Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Program was established by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs to enable French higher education institutions to attract top foreign students to enroll in their masters and PhD programs. The NL Scholarship is meant for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their bachelor's or master's in the Netherlands. Stipendium Hungaricum is the Hungarian Government's most prestigious higher education scholarship programme. Our guide on DAAD scholarships covers the German route, and our guide on Erasmus Mundus covers the EU scholarship for joint Master's programmes.
Last updated: November 2026.
What is the Chevening Scholarship and who can apply?
Chevening Scholarships allow exceptional individuals to study for a one-year master's degree at a UK university, and there is no upper age limit. To be eligible for a Chevening Scholarship you must:
🛂 Citizen: be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory.
🏠 Resident: if applying for an award from an ODA-eligible country, be resident in an ODA-eligible country. The country of residence does not have to be the country of citizenship, but all applicants must show a clear intention to support their country of award. An ODA-eligible country means a country on the DAC List of ODA Recipients, for example Algeria but not the USA.
🔁 Return: commit to returning to your home country (country of award) for at least two years after your scholarship ends.
💼 Work experience: have at least two years' work experience, acquired after completing your undergraduate degree, equivalent to 2 800 hours.
🎓 Degree: hold an undergraduate degree that qualifies you for a UK master's programme, and you must have finished your undergraduate studies at least two years before the application deadline, even if you have not yet received your certificate. You will need to have your certificate by the time of your interview.
🎯 Courses: apply to three different and eligible UK university courses, and you must have received an unconditional offer from at least one of these course choices by the deadline listed on the application timeline.
You are not eligible for a Chevening Scholarship if you:
⛔ British citizenship: hold British or dual British citizenship (unless you are a citizen of a British Overseas Territory or hold BN(O) and are applying from Hong Kong).
⛔ Refugee status: hold refugee status in a country not eligible for Chevening; if you are a citizen of an eligible country and hold refugee status in another eligible country, you are eligible for a scholarship.
⛔ UK resident: are resident in the UK at the time of application (excluding the British Overseas Territories).
⛔ Employment links: are an employee, an immediate relative of an employee, or a former employee (within the last two years, from the opening of Chevening applications) of a government department, the British Council, a partner UK university, or any of their wholly owned subsidiaries. Individuals contracted to work on any British Council programme or project, and their relatives, are ineligible.
⛔ Earlier UK scholarship: have previously studied in the UK on a UK government-funded scholarship (applicants who have previously received UK Government funding through a Chevening Fellowship may apply for a scholarship only after five years have passed since completing their fellowship).
All applications for Chevening must be completed via the online application system. Applying for a Chevening Scholarship is free: you do not need to pay anyone to apply. If shortlisted, you will receive an email to schedule your interview at a local British embassy or high commission. Our guide on how to write a scholarship motivation letter covers the Chevening essays.
What is the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship and who can apply?
The France Excellence Eiffel Scholarship Program, developed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, provides annual training for future foreign decision-makers in the public and private sectors in degree programs at the Master's and Doctoral levels. The Eiffel program encourages applicants from foreign countries up to 29 years old at master's level, and applicants up to 35 years old at PhD level. The Eiffel programme is reserved for international students, and candidates with dual nationality, one of which is French, are not eligible.
⏳ Master level duration: a maximum of 12 months for recipients entering the second year of a master's program (M2), a maximum of 24 months for recipients entering the first year of a master's program (M1), and a maximum of 36 months for recipients entering an engineering program.
⏳ Doctoral level: Eiffel scholarships are awarded for a period of 12 months, 18 months or 36 months.
💶 Master level allowance: Eiffel scholarship recipients receive a monthly allowance of € 1 200 (effective January 1 2026) in addition to certain direct services, notably international airfare, domestic travel support, insurance, assistance in locating housing, and cultural activities.
💶 Doctoral level allowance: Eiffel scholarship recipients receive a monthly allowance of € 2 000 (effective January 1 2026) in addition to certain direct services.
🎓 Tuition: tuition and fees are not paid by the Eiffel program at either the master's or the doctoral level. Recipients of a French government scholarship are exempt from tuition fees associated with pursuing a national degree or the title of "diplômé d'ingénieur" at public scientific, cultural, and vocational institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education.
📝 Who applies: only applications submitted by French higher education institutions are accepted, and applications sent directly by students or by foreign institutions will be declared ineligible.
🧭 Student steps: contact Campus France in your country of origin or the French Embassy's Cooperation and Cultural Action Department, then contact the international relations department of a French institution via its website, by e-mail or by telephone.
⛔ Combining scholarships: an Eiffel scholarship may not be combined with another French government scholarship, an Erasmus+ scholarship, or a scholarship from the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie.
Our guide on scholarships compared with Erasmus+ grants explains how the two kinds of funding differ.
What is the NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship) and who can apply?
The NL Scholarship (formerly Holland Scholarship) is meant for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) who want to do their bachelor's or master's in the Netherlands. The NL Scholarship is financed by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as well as several Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences. The NL Scholarship amounts to € 5 000 (2027-2028 academic year), which you will receive in the first year of your studies. The NL Scholarship is not a full-tuition scholarship.
The application criteria for the NL Scholarship are:
🛂 Nationality: your nationality is non-EEA.
🎓 Programme: you are applying for a full-time bachelor's or master's programme at one of the participating Dutch higher education institutions.
📋 Requirements: you meet the specific requirements of the institution of your choice. You can find these on the website of the institution.
⛔ No degree from the Netherlands: you do not have a degree from an education institution in the Netherlands.
The list of participating universities changes every year, and you can find the specific closing dates and the fields of study on the website of the institution you want to apply to. Our guide on opportunities for young people outside the EU covers other routes for non-EU applicants.
What is Stipendium Hungaricum and who can apply?
Stipendium Hungaricum is the Hungarian Government's most prestigious higher education scholarship programme, founded in 2013, supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and managed by the Tempus Public Foundation. Stipendium Hungaricum is based on bilateral education agreements between Hungary and the governments of the sending countries. Stipendium Hungaricum is available on five continents in over 100 countries, and offers around 900 full degree programmes, covering all higher education fields at all degree levels. You can apply only for those programmes that are supported by the cooperation agreement between Hungary and your country/region.
The provisions covered by Stipendium Hungaricum are:
🎓 Tuition: tuition-free education, with exemption from the payment of tuition fee.
💶 Monthly stipend: HUF 43 700 (about EUR 110) at non-degree, bachelor's, master's and one-tier master's level, and at doctoral level HUF 140 000 (about EUR 355) for the first phase and HUF 180 000 (about EUR 460) for the second phase, using the HUF/EUR exchange rate of 13 October 2025.
🏠 Accommodation: free dormitory place or a contribution of HUF 40 000/month (about EUR 100) to accommodation costs for the whole duration of the scholarship period.
🩺 Medical insurance: health care services according to the relevant Hungarian legislation and supplementary medical insurance for up to HUF 65 000 (about EUR 165) a year/person.
The Stipendium Hungaricum provisions are only a contribution to the living expenses of the Scholarship Holders, and students need to add their own financial resources in order to cover all living expenses in Hungary.
💻 Online application: you submit your application through the online application system of Tempus Public Foundation.
📮 Two recipients: the application goes to Tempus Public Foundation and to the Sending Partner, and each Sending Partner might have different deadlines and requirements for submitting the application materials. Sending Partners are the sending countries/territories, and applications will be considered eligible only if the responsible authorities of the Sending Partner nominate the applicant.
📌 Nominated applicants: only the nominated applicants can proceed with their applications.
⚠️ No fee: the online application (registration) and the participation in the admission examinations is free of charge, and you should not apply through any agencies unknown by the selected Host Institutions or pay for their services.
🗣️ Hungarian classes: every student at a full-time bachelor and master programme (including one-tier master's degree) must study Hungarian as a foreign language for two semesters.
Our guide on how to write a scholarship motivation letter covers the motivation section.
How do you choose between these scholarships?
Choose between the four scholarships by comparing country, level, age limit, work experience, tuition fees and who submits the application.
🎓 Chevening Scholarship: a one-year master's degree at a UK university, no upper age limit, and at least two years' work experience equivalent to 2 800 hours.
🎓 France Excellence Eiffel: masters and PhD programs in France, applicants up to 29 years old at master's level and up to 35 years old at PhD level, and only applications submitted by French higher education institutions are accepted. Recipients of a French government scholarship are exempt from tuition fees associated with pursuing a national degree or the title of "diplômé d'ingénieur" at public scientific, cultural, and vocational institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education, and except in these cases, tuition fees are not covered by the France Excellence Eiffel program.
🎓 NL Scholarship: a bachelor's or master's in the Netherlands for international students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA), and not a full-tuition scholarship.
🎓 Stipendium Hungaricum: all degree levels in Hungary, tuition-free education, and an application to Tempus Public Foundation and to the Sending Partner.
Our guide on DAAD scholarships adds the German option.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an age limit?
Chevening has no upper age limit, and the Eiffel program encourages applicants up to 29 years old at master's level and up to 35 years old at PhD level. Our guide on DAAD scholarships adds the German option.
Do these scholarships cover everything?
No: the NL Scholarship is not a full-tuition scholarship. The Stipendium Hungaricum provisions are only a contribution to the living expenses of the Scholarship Holders. Except for the exemption for French government scholarship recipients studying for a national degree or the title of "diplômé d'ingénieur" at public scientific, cultural, and vocational institutions under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Higher Education, tuition fees are not covered by the France Excellence Eiffel program. Our guide on scholarships compared with Erasmus+ grants explains how the two kinds of funding differ.
Can EU students apply?
Not for the NL Scholarship, where your nationality must be non-EEA. For Chevening, you must be a citizen of a Chevening-eligible country or territory. Stipendium Hungaricum is based on bilateral education agreements between Hungary and the governments of the sending countries. For the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship Program, the health insurance rules say scholarship recipients from member states of the European Union holding a European Health Insurance Card need take no action. Our guide on Erasmus Mundus covers the EU scholarship for joint Master's programmes.
Is the Chevening Scholarship in the European Union?
No: Chevening Scholarships allow exceptional individuals to study for a one-year master's degree at a UK university. Our guide on how to write a scholarship motivation letter covers the Chevening essays.
Where can you go from here?
Our guide on DAAD scholarships covers Germany. Our guide on Erasmus Mundus covers the EU scholarship. The Youth Works Hub pages below cover the next steps.
Related pages: DAAD scholarships · Erasmus Mundus · scholarships compared with Erasmus+ grants · how to write a scholarship motivation letter · opportunities for young people outside the EU
👉 Scholarships: youthworkshub.org/?tab=scholarships
