Fully funded science degrees for international students

The natural sciences are where funded doctorates are most common. Universities in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Switzerland employ PhD candidates on salaries, and their research groups advertise openly to applicants from any country. Right now our funded positions page carries posts in physics, chemistry, astronomy and bioinformatics.

At master's level the picture splits in two. Germany and Austria offer degrees that are free or nearly free in tuition, at Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Vienna, but you pay your own living costs. Full awards that also cover living costs are rarer and more competitive: ETH's ESOP asks for the top 10% of your cohort, and the University of Helsinki grants its waivers programme by programme.

If you already hold a master's, two routes are unusual enough to plan around. The University of Iceland keeps its doctoral programmes free of tuition, and Ghent University's sandwich PhDs split your doctorate between Belgium and a partner university at home.

Science applications rise and fall on research fit. Before you apply for a doctorate, read your future supervisor's recent papers, and say in your first email which of their questions you want to work on.

Also open to the natural sciences

39 more routes fund the natural sciences among other subjects: Amherst College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Charles University (Czech-taught), Chevening Scholarships, Colby College, Commonwealth Master's Scholarships, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, Danish Government Scholarships, Dartmouth College, Eiffel Excellence Scholarship, Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, Fulbright Foreign Student Program, Gates Cambridge Scholarship, Government of Ireland: International Education Scholarships, Harvard University, Knight-Hennessy Scholars (Stanford), Master Mind Scholarships (Flanders), Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: ASU, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: Cambridge, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: McGill, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: UC Berkeley, MIT, Norwegian PhD Fellowships (salaried), Princeton University, Rhodes Scholarships (Oxford), Romanian Government Scholarship, RWTH Aachen University, Stipendium Hungaricum, Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships, TU Delft: Van Effen Excellence, TU Wien, Türkiye Bursları, University of Bologna, University of British Columbia: International Scholars, University of Toronto: Pearson Scholarship, Universität Hamburg, Yale University.

See them all on the scholarship board →

Common questions

Is a science PhD in Europe usually funded?

In much of northern Europe, yes: a PhD in the sciences is normally a salaried post with a contract, as in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Our funded positions page lists current openings in physics, chemistry and biology.

Can I study a science master's for free?

Freie Universität Berlin charges no tuition, and the University of Vienna charges non-EU students a low fee. For living costs as well, look at ETH Zürich's ESOP and the University of Helsinki's tuition waivers.

Which science routes suit students from developing countries?

Ghent University's sandwich PhDs are only for candidates from its Global South list, and the Commonwealth and Stipendium Hungaricum scholarships fund science among other subjects. Use the nationality filter on the scholarship board to see what is open to you.