Every year, Pakistani students name two options for Europe: DAAD and Chevening. Both are competitive, both carry a heavy application load, and both have rejection rates above 90 percent.
These four awards are different. Fewer people apply, so the odds are better. Three are in Europe, one is in India — realistic for those who have already tried the Gulf route and are looking for the next option.
All four are in the catalog, ids 119 through 122.
1. Technical University of Munich, Germany
TUM offers a need-based scholarship for international students. Range: EUR 500 to EUR 1,800 per semester, paid as a one-time amount. Maximum funding period: 36 months.
Let me clear up one practical point right now. Germany has introduced tuition fees for non-EU students. TUM currently charges EUR 2,000 per semester to non-EU master's students. This scholarship does not cover that fee directly.
There is a separate scheme — the TUM tuition waiver — which gives up to two semesters of fee relief to students who can demonstrate financial hardship. You have to apply for both separately, and each is assessed separately.
Applications go through the TUM portal, with a short announced window at the start of each semester. Selection is based on your need statement plus your current academic progress at TUM. It is for matriculated students, not prospective ones.
Practical takeaway: get TUM admission first, then the scholarship. This is an "arrive first, fund later" model — the cost of living alone in Munich is about EUR 1,100 monthly, so this route is only viable if you have some means of initial funding.
Full catalog entry → /scholarships/120
2. KU Leuven Science@Leuven, Belgium
Belgium's top-ranked university. The Science@Leuven scholarship is for students joining a research master's in the Faculty of Sciences in 2027/28.
The package: full tuition covered plus a monthly allowance for the duration of the master's programme.
Application flow: first apply for the specific research master's through the KU Leuven admission portal. Once you are shortlisted, you are invited to submit the scholarship form. The faculty publishes the window for each cycle on its own page.
Requirement: a relevant bachelor's degree in science or engineering. IELTS or TOEFL follows the published language requirement of that master's. KU Leuven does not ask for a broad "6.5" — it is programme-specific.
Belgium's cost of living is slightly lower than Germany's, but Munich and Leuven sit in roughly the same range. This scholarship partially covers that gap through the monthly allowance.
Full catalog entry → /scholarships/121
3. Commonwealth Distance Learning Scholarships (UK)
This is the most unusual item on the list. A one-year part-time master's from a UK university, delivered online, which you complete from home. The tuition fee is fully paid by the UK Government through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
Pakistani students are eligible. Pakistan is a Commonwealth member and is clearly included in the CSC eligibility list.
What you do not get: a monthly stipend. The award is designed specifically to avoid the cost of relocating, so you handle living expenses yourself (which is easy since you are not moving).
Application comes in two steps:
- Apply for admission to a distance-learning master's programme at a CSC-listed UK partner university, or secure an offer letter.
- Apply through CSC's Electronic Application System — the window generally opens in the first quarter.
This option is for working professionals. Not fresh graduates, because the part-time master's format aligns better with job experience.
Full catalog entry → /scholarships/122
4. Amity University, Noida (India)
An India option, away from Europe, because the visa routes are different.
Amity is a private university, with its main campus in Noida near Delhi, plus international campuses. Its merit scholarship scheme runs for international master's and bachelor's students — a 20% to 50% tuition waiver, based on previous record and the Amity Global Aptitude Test score. Rounds of 100% waivers are also announced for high-scoring candidates.
Applications go directly through the Amity international admissions team. An English waiver is available if your previous degree was English-medium — IELTS is skipped.
Two intakes a year: August and January. They do not publish a central deadline, so apply whenever you are ready.
One caution: an Indian visa for Pakistani nationals is granted case-by-case. Amity's international team can tell you upfront how realistic approval is for your specific programme. Email first, form later — the same rule applies to MAHE Manipal.
Full catalog entry → /scholarships/119
An honest comparison
| Award | Country | Tuition covered | Cash stipend | Relocate required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TUM Scholarship | Germany | No (fee waiver separate) | EUR 500–1,800 / semester | Yes |
| Science@Leuven | Belgium | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Commonwealth Distance | UK | Yes | No | No |
| Amity Merit | India | Partial (20–50%) | No | Yes |
If you are working and cannot relocate, Commonwealth Distance is the clear winner.
If you are a fresh graduate and want to go to Europe, Science@Leuven is a better deal than TUM because tuition is included in the package.
If you are budget-conscious and want to stay in South Asia, Amity's 20–50% waiver is a good starting point.
Application strategy (these three things)
First: for both TUM and Science@Leuven, admission comes before funding. There is no way to apply before you matriculate. That means you also need to make the programme application strong — SOP, references, transcripts, all separately.
Second: for Commonwealth Distance, the UK university admission application and the CSC scholarship application are two separate things. The CSC portal asks for the offer letter first. Get the sequence wrong and you waste time.
Third: for Amity, visa first. Even if the programme admission is cleared, the NOC / clearance process from the Indian High Commission in Karachi is separate and regularly takes 4–6 weeks.
What next
These four awards are permanent entries in the catalog. You can save them from your profile, and ScholarMatch will notify you of every deadline change or document update.