20 destinations 330 institutions About VietRica

Home/Scholarships

Scholarships & funding

Most international scholarships are decided at the point of admission, from a pool allocated on a rolling basis. Understanding that timing matters more than hunting for obscure awards.

How it works

Four things worth knowing before you apply

Timing beats merit at the margin

Most institutional pools are allocated as applications arrive. An identical profile submitted in October and in March will often get different answers, because by March the money is committed. Apply in the first round wherever you can.

Fit matters more than ranking

You are more likely to be funded where your profile sits comfortably above the institution's median than where it sits at the very bottom of a higher-ranked intake. Applying slightly “down” is often what converts an offer into a funded offer.

Two different kinds of money

Merit awards are automatic or near-automatic on grades and test scores. Need-based aid requires a separate financial disclosure and exists mainly in the US. Government scholarships — DAAD, MEXT, Swedish Institute, Global Korea — run on their own calendars, usually a year ahead.

Read the renewal condition

A four-year award that requires a GPA you cannot realistically hold is worth less than a smaller unconditional one. Check what happens in year two before you compare headline numbers.

By destination

What is typically available

Country Typical provision
🇲🇾 Malaysia Merit awards commonly cover 20-50% of tuition; twinning programmes reduce the total cost of a UK or Australian degree by roughly half.
🇸🇬 Singapore Public universities offer tuition grants that cut fees substantially in exchange for a work bond; private institutions run merit awards of 10-30%.
🇯🇵 Japan MEXT government scholarships, JASSO grants and university-specific tuition reductions of 30-100% are all open to international applicants.
🇰🇷 South Korea Global Korea Scholarship (full tuition plus stipend) plus university awards of 30-100% for strong TOPIK or academic records.
🇵🇭 Philippines Early-bird and long-course discounts of 5-15% are common; some schools waive fees for students who hit a guaranteed score.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom University awards for international students typically run 2,000-10,000 GBP; a number of institutions offer full-fee scholarships for outstanding applicants.
🇮🇪 Ireland Government of Ireland scholarships cover full fees plus a stipend; universities offer merit awards of 2,000-6,000 EUR.
🇩🇪 Germany DAAD scholarships cover living costs and travel; Deutschlandstipendium provides 300 EUR per month regardless of nationality.
🇳🇱 Netherlands Holland Scholarship gives 5,000 EUR in the first year; Orange Knowledge and institution-specific awards cover partial to full tuition.
🇫🇮 Finland Universities of applied sciences commonly award 50-100% tuition scholarships with the offer, renewable on credit progress.
🇸🇪 Sweden Swedish Institute Scholarships cover full tuition plus a monthly stipend; university awards commonly cover 25-100% of tuition.
🇫🇷 France Eiffel Excellence Scholarships and Campus France awards cover living costs; private schools offer merit reductions of 10-30%.
🇨🇭 Switzerland Swiss hospitality schools award merit scholarships of 10-25% of tuition, and paid internships return roughly 2,000-2,500 CHF per month.
🇧🇪 Belgium VLIR-UOS and ARES development scholarships fund full master's programmes; institutions offer partial tuition waivers.
🇵🇱 Poland Institutional scholarships of 10-50% of tuition are common; NAWA government programmes fund full degrees for selected applicants.
🇪🇸 Spain Public universities charge low fees to begin with; private institutions and business schools offer merit awards of 10-40%.
🇺🇸 United States Merit awards for international undergraduates commonly run 10,000-25,000 USD per year, and a number of institutions offer need-based aid.
🇨🇦 Canada University and college entrance awards commonly run 5,000-20,000 CAD, with several institutions offering renewable scholarships above 100,000 CAD in total.
🇦🇺 Australia University international scholarships typically cover 20-50% of tuition, with a smaller number of full-fee awards for outstanding applicants.
🇳🇿 New Zealand Institutional awards run 30-100% of tuition, and the New Zealand Scholarship programme funds full degrees for selected applicants.

Award values and eligibility change every cycle. Confirm current terms with the institution before making a decision.

Which rounds should you target?

Send us your grades, test scores and intended intake, and we will tell you which scholarship rounds you are genuinely competitive for.

Talk to an adviser