The three-number test
Before you read a single adjective, look for three numbers. A genuine scheme states all of them, because a funder has to.
- 1The amount — in euro or the local currency, or as a defined percentage of a stated fee.
- 2The duration — one year, the length of the programme, one semester.
- 3The deadline, with a year on it — not "applications open now".
If any one is missing, the page you are reading is probably a summary written by someone who is not the funder. Find the awarding body's own page and start again there.
What the words actually mean
| Phrase in the advertisement | What it usually means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Fully funded | Varies wildly | Is there a monthly living allowance? If not, it is not fully funded |
| Tuition waiver / tuition fee scholarship | Tuition only, nothing else | Everything in the tuition waiver article |
| Partial scholarship / 30% scholarship | A discount off a list price the university set | The net annual fee in euro |
| Stipend / subsistence / maintenance / monthly allowance | Actual living money | The amount and how many months it runs |
| Bursary | Usually need-based and small | The amount, and what evidence of need is required |
| Assistantship | Work in exchange, often a job contract in Europe | Hours, salary, tax status |
| Accommodation provided | A hall place or a housing contribution | Whether you get a room or money, and what happens if halls are full |
| Up to 50% | The ceiling, awarded to a few | What your specific letter says |
| Renewable subject to academic progress | You can lose it in year two | The exact GPA or credit threshold |
| No IELTS required | Almost always a traffic hook, not a scholarship term | The programme's real language requirement |
The one row that decides most cases is the living allowance. Two schemes can both call themselves fully funded, and one pays your rent while the other does not.
Where the page lives is most of the answer
| Publisher | Trust |
|---|---|
| The university's own domain, on the programme's fees page | High — this is where fee reductions actually live |
| A ministry or national agency site | High |
| An EU domain | High |
| A scholarship aggregator or listing site | Low — often outdated, often a repost |
| A Facebook page or group post | Low — verify before acting |
| A consultancy blog | Low — check the primary source |
An aggregator is not automatically lying. It is automatically out of date, because it copies once and does not track amendments, and scholarship calls are amended. Use one to discover a name, then always finish on the funder's page.
Six questions to ask every advertisement
- 1Who awards it? A named institution, ministry or agency — not "the European Union" in the abstract.
- 2Do I need an admission offer first? Many awards are only assessable once you hold a place, which changes your whole timeline.
- 3Is it automatic or a separate application? Some entry scholarships are decided from the admission file; others need their own form and deadline.
- 4What is explicitly excluded? Good calls list this. Silence usually means everything except tuition.
- 5How many awards are there? Some calls publish it. If they do not, that is normal — but nobody can then quote you a success rate either.
- 6What happens to the money? Paid to you monthly, deducted from the invoice, or reimbursed later. Reimbursement means you must have the cash first.
⚠️ Three things that mean stop
- A fee to apply. Registration fees, processing fees, "scholarship confirmation" fees. Funders do not charge you to give you money. A university's own admission application fee is a different and legitimate thing — see paying application fees from Bangladesh.
- A guaranteed award. Nobody can guarantee a scholarship. Not us, not an agent, not a university representative.
- Pressure to decide today. Real deadlines are published months ahead and do not move because you hesitated.
Fake documents and agency fraud and how to choose a consultancy cover the wider version of this.
Turning an advertisement into a decision
Write down four figures for every offer you are holding: net tuition after the award, living cost for the year, one-off costs (flight, permit, insurance, documents), and the bank balance the visa requires. Compare those four, not the percentages. The cost calculator will do the arithmetic if you would rather not.
Official sources — check for yourself
- Erasmus+ — European Commission
- Study in Italy — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Stipendium Hungaricum — official scholarship portal
- Cost calculator
Rules and figures change. We review these articles periodically and show the date above, but always confirm the current requirement with the official source before you act on it.
Common questions
What does fully funded actually mean?+
It has no fixed definition, which is why it is the most misused phrase in the field. The test is whether a monthly living allowance is named — stipend, subsistence, maintenance or similar. If tuition is covered but no living money is paid, you still need roughly EUR 700-1,000 a month of your own, and the scheme is a tuition waiver whatever the headline calls it.
Should I trust scholarship listing websites?+
Use them to discover the name of a scheme, then always finish on the funder's own page. Aggregators copy a call once and rarely track amendments, so amounts, eligibility and deadlines drift out of date without anything on the page indicating it. The university's programme page or the ministry's call is the only version that binds.
Is it normal for a scholarship to charge an application fee?+
No. A funder does not charge you to give you money, so a registration, processing or confirmation fee attached to a scholarship is a reason to stop. A university's own admission application fee is a separate and legitimate charge, paid to the university for assessing your admission, and it is usually clearly identified as such.
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