If you want to work in government, law, international organisations or civil society, the most generous scholarships in the world were designed with you in mind. Chevening, the Commonwealth scholarships and Fulbright exist to train future leaders, and they fund master's degrees in policy, law, economics, development and international relations more than any other kind.
That shapes how you apply. These schemes ask about leadership, work experience and what you will do when you return home at least as much as about grades. Chevening wants two years of work experience after your first degree, the Commonwealth scholarships ask for a development impact statement, and several schemes require you to go home for a set period afterwards. Write your plans down before you write your essays; our motivation letter guide shows how.
For law in particular, these scholarships fund master's degrees (LLMs). Fewer schemes fund a first degree in law; Türkiye Bursları and Stipendium Hungaricum are among those that cover bachelor's study.
Doctoral candidates in the social sciences have a second path: salaried PhD posts in Scandinavia, advertised like jobs, often within research projects on conflict, education and psychology. See our funded positions.
Also open to the social sciences and law
36 more routes fund the social sciences and law among other subjects: Amherst College, Berea College, Bowdoin College, Brown University, Canada Graduate Research Scholarships: Doctoral (formerly Vanier), Charles University (Czech-taught), Colby College, Commonwealth Shared Scholarships, DAAD Scholarships (nationwide), Danish Government Scholarships, Dartmouth College, Duke University, Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, Harvard University, Maastricht University: Holland-High Potential, Master Mind Scholarships (Flanders), Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: Cambridge, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: McGill, Mastercard Foundation Scholars: UC Berkeley, 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 Helsinki, University of Iceland: doctoral study, University of Toronto: Pearson Scholarship, University of Vienna, Universität Hamburg, Vanderbilt University, Yale University.
See them all on the scholarship board →
Common questions
Which scholarships suit a master's in public policy or international relations?
Chevening, the Commonwealth scholarships, Fulbright and the Government of Ireland scholarships were all designed for future leaders in public life. They fund policy, international relations and development master's degrees as well as other subjects.
Can I study law abroad on a scholarship?
Awards open to every subject fund master's degrees in law (LLMs) as well as other degrees, among them Chevening, Gates Cambridge and Fulbright. Knight-Hennessy Scholars also covers Stanford's JD.
Are social science PhDs paid?
In Sweden and Norway they usually are, as salaried posts. Uppsala University, for example, recruits PhD candidates in peace and conflict research. Our funded positions page lists current openings.