Engineering is the subject where funding is easiest to find. Three things work in your favour. Germany's public universities charge no tuition, whatever your nationality. Austria's charge far less than most of Europe. And across Scandinavia, Switzerland and the Netherlands, a doctorate in engineering is usually a paid job rather than a scholarship you have to win.
For a master's, first decide whether you need your living costs covered. A tuition-free place at RWTH Aachen or a low-fee place at TU Wien still leaves rent and food to pay, and a German student visa asks you to show you can afford them (our Germany guide has the current amount). If you need the whole cost covered, aim for the excellence awards at ETH Zürich, TU Delft and Politecnico di Milano. Each is decided alongside your admission, so the master's application deadline is also the scholarship deadline.
For a PhD, look at advertised positions as well as scholarships. Engineering departments recruit doctoral candidates the way companies recruit staff: a salary, a contract and a defined project. Our list of funded PhD positions carries current openings, and the guide to funded PhDs in Europe explains how salaried posts differ from scholarships.
Engineering admissions are judged on your transcript and on how closely your bachelor's matches the programme. Expect to send module descriptions with your application, and check each programme's English requirement early, because a missing test score is the most common reason a strong engineer misses a deadline.
Also open to engineering
36 more routes fund engineering among other subjects: Brown University, Canada Graduate Research Scholarships: Doctoral (formerly Vanier), Chevening Scholarships, Commonwealth Master's Scholarships, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, DAAD Scholarships (nationwide), Danish Government Scholarships, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Eiffel Excellence Scholarship, Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, Fulbright Foreign Student Program, Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Ghent University: Doctoral Scholarships (Global South), Government of Ireland: International Education Scholarships, Harvard University, Knight-Hennessy Scholars (Stanford), Master Mind Scholarships (Flanders), Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: Cambridge, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: McGill, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: UC Berkeley, MIT, Princeton University, Research Ireland: Postgraduate Scholarships, Rhodes Scholarships (Oxford), Romanian Government Scholarship, Stipendium Hungaricum, Swedish Institute Scholarships (SISGP), Türkiye Bursları, University of Bologna, University of British Columbia: International Scholars, University of Toronto: Pearson Scholarship, Universität Hamburg, Vanderbilt University, Yale University.
See them all on the scholarship board →
Common questions
Can I study engineering in Europe for free as an international student?
Yes. German public universities such as RWTH Aachen charge no tuition to any nationality, only a semester contribution. Many engineering master's programmes are taught in English, though most bachelor's programmes are in German.
Which scholarships cover an engineering master's in full?
ETH Zürich's Excellence Scholarship, TU Delft's Van Effen scholarship and Politecnico di Milano's top merit awards are built for strong engineering applicants. Schemes open to every subject, such as Chevening, Erasmus Mundus and the Commonwealth scholarships, fund engineering master's degrees too.
Are engineering PhDs in Europe paid?
Usually, yes. In Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Switzerland a PhD is normally an employment contract with a salary rather than a scholarship. Our funded positions page lists current openings.