Fully funded scholarships for the 2027 intake open on staggered timelines, and the students who plan earliest are the ones who finish strongest. This guide maps the major awards that regularly welcome applications from Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and the wider South Asian region, what each one actually funds, and how to decide where your profile fits before the first deadline arrives.
What "fully funded" really covers
The phrase is used loosely, so read the fine detail. A genuine full award covers three things at once:
- Tuition paid directly to the university, usually for the whole programme.
- A living stipend paid monthly, which is what makes the award survivable without family support.
- Travel and insurance, most often one return airfare plus a health insurance policy.
Some awards add a settling-in allowance or a research grant; almost none cover dependants. When two awards look similar on paper, the stipend amount and the country's cost of living decide which one is genuinely affordable.
The flagship awards for the 2027 cycle
| Award | Study level | Host countries | Typical window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commonwealth Masters | Master's | United Kingdom | Applications usually close in December |
| Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters | Master's (joint) | Two or more EU countries | Autumn closing, varies by programme |
| DAAD EPOS | Master's, PhD | Germany | Programmes have their own deadlines |
| Turkey Scholarships | Bachelor's, Master's, PhD | Turkey | Early spring |
| World Bank JJ/WBGSP | Master's | Select partner universities | Winter opening |
Each of these pays tuition and a stipend, and each has its own eligibility logic. Commonwealth is restricted to eligible Commonwealth nations. Erasmus Mundus accepts applicants of any nationality, which makes it one of the most open competitive awards in the world. DAAD EPOS expects professional experience for most programmes, which suits applicants who have worked for two or more years after graduating.
Start with eligibility, not the deadline
The fastest way to waste a cycle is to invest weeks in an award that was never open to you. Work in this order:
- Confirm nationality and residency rules. Some awards require you to return home after study; others have no such condition.
- Check the degree level and field. A medicine-only award will never bend for a business applicant.
- Check the academic floor. Most full awards publish a minimum GPA or classification. An unclear transcript is a problem to solve now, not in the final week.
- Check the language requirement. IELTS or TOEFL test dates book out months ahead in peak season.
ScholarMatch scores every award against your profile across exactly these dimensions, so a hard requirement that rules you out is named before you spend an evening on the form.
Build a realistic shortlist
Aim for three to five awards across different countries and closing dates. Overloading one deadline helps nobody; spreading applications across December, February and April gives you time to reuse a strong personal statement, tailor it per award, and book language tests without a panic. Keep one safety option with a generous stipend in a lower-cost country alongside the competitive flagship awards.
Where to go from here
Browse the scholarship explorer to see every award with its funding scope, degree level and deadline in one view, read the Erasmus Mundus joint masters guide for the application journey, or open the government scholarship records for flagship schemes such as the Commonwealth Master's Scholarship. Your saved shortlist and application tracker live inside your account, so progress follows you across devices.