Scholarship for Bangladeshi Students: What You Can Win in 2026

How to read this list of scholarships for Bangladeshi students

Every entry below is a real award from our listings, open to international students, with a deadline that has not passed. Bangladesh is not named as a restricted country in any of them, so the usual test is not nationality but your degree level, your subject and your grades.

Read each entry in three passes. First check the level: a Master's award is useless if you are finishing HSC. Second check what it actually pays, because a tuition waiver and a full stipend are very different offers. Third check the deadline, since many of these close months before the course starts.

When you are ready to browse live, use the Filtered list for this page, which the site keeps current. For the wider picture across destinations, see Scholarship finder and All guides.

Fully funded awards that cover tuition and living costs

These are the awards that pay fees and also put money in your account each month or year. They are the hardest to win and the ones worth starting earliest.

• Gates Cambridge Scholarships for International Students at University of Cambridge covers full tuition, a maintenance allowance, one economy airfare at the start and end of the course, and visa and Immigration Health Surcharge costs. Deadline 14 October 2026 for US citizens resident in the USA, with other routes on the listing.
• Clarendon Fund Scholarships 2027 at University of Oxford (Masters/PhD) pays tuition and college fees in full plus a living grant, for the full period you owe fees. Deadline falls in December 2026 or January 2027.
• Oxford-Weidenfeld and Hoffmann Scholarship and Leadership Programme (University of Oxford) covers 100% of university and college fees plus a living grant, for Master's study, with the same December to January window.
• Reach Oxford Scholarships for Students from Developing Countries is the undergraduate route into Oxford, covering fees, a living grant and one return airfare per year for three or four years.
• Chevening Scholarships in the UK for International Master's Students covers tuition, a monthly living allowance, travel, an arrival allowance and a visa. Deadline 6 October 2026.
• Commonwealth Master's and PhD Scholarships for Developing Commonwealth Countries (DFID) provides airfare, fees, a monthly stipend, a study travel grant and a warm clothing allowance. Deadline 20 October 2026.
• Australia Awards Scholarships for Developing Country Students covers full tuition, return air travel, an establishment allowance, a living contribution and health cover. Deadline 30 April 2026.

Bangladesh is a Commonwealth country, which is why the Chevening and Commonwealth routes sit at the top of most Bangladeshi applicants' lists. Both are government-funded and both expect you to return home afterwards.

Award by country: what each destination offers and when it closes

Two patterns matter here. UK awards close earliest, often a full year before you would start. Dutch and Swedish awards close in January and February, which gives you time to sit IELTS and gather documents after the UK round.

Tuition-only awards: smaller, but easier to win

A tuition waiver does not pay your rent, but it removes the largest single bill. For a Bangladeshi student paying international fees, that is often the difference between going and not going.

• KTH Scholarship for Master's Study at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden pays tuition for the first and second year, renewed if your first-year results are satisfactory. It does not cover living costs.
• Axel Adler Scholarships at University of Gothenburg for Master's Study is a tuition fee waiver only, paid directly to the university. You cannot combine it with another scholarship.
• VU Amsterdam Fellowship Programme (VUFP) for International Master's Students covers tuition, extends into a second year only at 100% of first-year credits, and enters you for the NL Scholarship automatically.
• Radboud Scholarship Programme at Radboud University for International Master's Students cuts your tuition to a fixed low rate and covers visa, residence permit and insurance costs, but not living costs.
• Italian Government Scholarships for Foreign Students 2026/2027 offers tuition exemption depending on each university's policy, plus health and medical insurance. Deadline 26 March 2026.
• Invest in Your Talent Scholarships in Italy is worth a set amount over nine months and includes exemption from tuition fees. Deadline 11 May 2026.

Apply to tuition waivers even when you are also chasing a full award. They are less competitive, and a waiver plus a part-time job or a small grant can work.

Undergraduate, PhD and research awards

Most listings here are for Master's study, but there are real options at both ends of the ladder.

For school leavers and undergraduates

UBC International Scholars Program for International Students is need-based: UBC adds up tuition, fees and living costs, subtracts what you and your family can contribute, and the award matches the gap. It can be renewed for up to three additional undergraduate years, and the deadline is 15 November. Reach Oxford Scholarships is the other undergraduate route, closing 15 October 2026 or 26 January 2027 depending on your route.

For PhD and postdoctoral researchers

Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for International PhD and Postdoc Researchers pays a monthly living amount plus health insurance, a rental deposit grant, a half-fare travel card and a return flight allowance. Tuition is not covered. Global Minds Doctoral Scholarships at KU Leuven for Developing Countries covers tuition, a monthly allowance, insurance, travel and a research allowance, closing 4 February 2027. University of Sydney International Stipend Scholarship (USYDIS), Australia pairs a stipend with a tuition fee scholarship covering 100% of fees for up to 14 research periods.

For a wider sweep of research funding, see phd scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships.

Who qualifies: the eligibility checks that decide most applications

No single rule covers every award, but the same five filters appear again and again. Run them before you write anything.

• Nationality and residence. Some awards are open to all international students, others only to developing or Commonwealth countries. Bangladesh qualifies for the Commonwealth and developing-country schemes listed here, but always confirm on the official page.
• Degree level and subject. Several awards are tied to one faculty. Science@Leuven Scholarships for International Students is for science Master's programmes, and DAAD Helmut-Schmidt Masters Scholarships in Public Policy and Good Governance is for policy and governance courses.
• Academic record. Most of these are merit awards. Strong grades and a clear reason for the course carry more weight than a long list of activities.
• English test. You will usually need IELTS or TOEFL for admission, and the scholarship follows the admission.
• Return commitment. Government awards such as Chevening and Australia Awards normally expect you to go home after the degree.

If your profile is early-stage, read how to apply for a scholarship before you start.

Documents to prepare before deadlines hit

For the writing pieces, our guides on the scholarship motivation letter, the scholarship application letter and the recommendation letter for scholarship walk through what reviewers look for.

How to apply, step by step

1. Pick a level and a country. Decide whether you are applying for Bachelor's, Master's or PhD, then shortlist two or three destinations. Use Scholarships by country to narrow it.
2. Shortlist five to eight awards. Mix full funding with tuition waivers so you are not relying on one result.
3. Check each deadline against your calendar. The UK round closes in October, Swiss and Dutch awards in November to February. Work backwards at least three months.
4. Apply for admission first where the scholarship requires it. Many university awards only consider you once you hold an offer.
5. Write the statement for each award separately. Name the course, the department and one concrete reason you fit.
6. Request references early and send your referee the details. Give them your CV, the award name and the deadline.
7. Submit before the final day. Portals slow down near deadlines, and time zones catch people out.
8. Track every application in one sheet. Record the award, the login, the submission date and any follow-up email.

For a fuller walkthrough, see how to apply for a scholarship and scholarship deadlines.

How selection works and what happens after an offer

Most of these awards run a two-stage review. A university or fund office first checks that you meet the formal rules, then a panel ranks the eligible applicants on academic record, the fit between you and the course, and what you plan to do afterwards. Leadership and community work count, but they rarely rescue weak grades.

If you are shortlisted, expect an interview for the government schemes. Prepare answers on why this country, why this course and what you will do at home. Our scholarship interview questions guide covers the common ones.

After you are offered an award

• Accept in writing and confirm what the award does and does not cover. Tuition waivers often leave living costs to you.
• Check whether you can hold another scholarship at the same time. Some, like the Axel Adler award, cannot be combined.
• Start the visa and residence permit process immediately, since it depends on the offer letter.
• Keep your grades up if the award renews on satisfactory progress, as several here do.

Common mistakes Bangladeshi applicants make

• Applying only to the famous names. Gates Cambridge and Clarendon are worth a shot, but a tuition waiver at a Dutch university is a real result too.
• Missing the one-year lead time. Chevening closes 6 October 2026 for study that starts much later. Treat the deadline as the start of the process, not the end.
• Reusing one statement everywhere. Reviewers can tell. Name the course and the department in every version.
• Ignoring the funding gap. A tuition waiver with no living grant still leaves rent, food and flights to cover.
• Sending references at the last minute. Referees need weeks, and a late letter can sink an otherwise strong file.
• Assuming a listing is current. Always open the official page and confirm the round before you pay for a test or a courier.

Who this list suits and who should look elsewhere

This list suits a Bangladeshi student with solid grades who is ready to apply for a full degree abroad, especially at Master's level, and who can start preparing a year ahead. It also suits PhD candidates, who have several strong research awards here, and strong school leavers aiming at Oxford or UBC.

Look elsewhere if you need funding for a short course, a diploma or a language programme, since almost nothing here covers those. If you cannot sit an English test or obtain academic references, fix that first. If your grades are below the course entry bar, a scholarship will not override admission. And if you need money for living costs only, a tuition waiver will not help; search for stipend-only awards instead.

Students comparing options across the region can also read scholarships for indian students and scholarships for pakistani students, since many of the same awards appear there. For awards that cover everything, see fully funded scholarships for international students.