How Ghanaian Students Can Win a Fully Funded Scholarship in Europe
Several fully funded scholarships are genuinely available to Ghanaian students — but the competition is real, the deadlines are strict, and not every programme that is advertised is actually open to you. Chevening funds a full UK Master’s; Stipendium Hungaricum covers Hungary including tuition and a living stipend; DAAD opens Germany primarily to postgraduate and research applicants; Erasmus Mundus is one of the most generous EU-wide options; and the Government of Ireland offers €10,000 plus fee waivers to roughly 60 international students a year. The Commonwealth scholarship route is also open to Ghanaian applicants.
This guide maps the real scholarships, what they cover, what they exclude, and the practical steps to compete for them.
The Scholarships for Ghanaian Students — At a Glance
| Scholarship | Destination | Level | What Is Covered | Ghana Eligible? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevening | UK | Master’s (1 yr) | Tuition + living stipend + return flights + visa | ✅ Yes |
| Commonwealth (CSC) | UK | Master’s + PhD | Tuition + return airfare + living stipend | ✅ Yes |
| Stipendium Hungaricum | Hungary | BA/MA/PhD/one-tier | Full tuition + monthly stipend + accommodation + medical insurance | ✅ Yes (via Ghana Scholarships Authority) |
| DAAD | Germany | Mainly PG/research | Monthly stipend (~varies by programme) + allowances; some tuition | ✅ Yes |
| Erasmus Mundus | EU (multiple) | BA/MA/PhD | Full tuition + monthly allowance + travel contribution | ✅ Yes |
| GOI-IES (Ireland) | Ireland | Master’s, PG Dip, PhD | €10,000 stipend + full fee waiver | ✅ Yes |
| Ghana Scholarships Authority — Foreign Tertiary | Worldwide | UG + PG | Varies; strategic disciplines | ✅ Ghanaian nationals |
| Malta MFA Scholarship | Malta | PG | Varies | ✅ Yes (Ghana specifically listed) |
| NAWA Banach | Poland | Master’s | Tuition + stipend | ❌ Ghana NOT eligible |
Chevening: The UK Government’s Flagship Award
Who it covers: Ghanaian nationals with at least two years of full-time work experience and demonstrable leadership potential.
What it funds: The full cost of a one-year Master’s at a UK university — tuition, a monthly living allowance, return flights and your UK student visa fee. Chevening is one of the few awards that also covers the Immigration Health Surcharge.
How to apply: Applications open around August each year and close in early November. You apply online at chevening.org, choose up to three UK universities and one course, and submit reference letters. You must have an undergraduate degree with results equivalent to a UK 2:1 or above.
Confirm the current cycle’s deadline at chevening.org/scholarship/ghana before preparing your materials — dates shift slightly year to year.
Stipendium Hungaricum: Hungary’s Full Scholarship
Who it covers: Ghanaian students at Bachelor’s, Master’s, one-tier and PhD level. Ghana is an official sending partner (Stipendium Hungaricum partners).
What it funds: Full tuition waiver, a monthly living stipend, an accommodation contribution and medical insurance. Living costs in Hungary run approximately €600/month (as of June 2026), which the stipend contributes towards.
The critical process difference: Unlike most scholarships, you do not apply directly to Hungary. You apply through the Ghana Scholarships Authority (scholarships.gov.gh / info@scholarships.gov.gh), which nominates candidates to the Tempus Foundation. The Authority typically opens its call a few days before Tempus’s mid-January portal deadline — miss the Secretariat’s internal deadline and you miss the programme for that year.
Steps:
- Check the Ghana Scholarships Authority website (scholarships.gov.gh) for the current Stipendium Hungaricum call.
- Prepare your documents: academic transcripts, motivation letter, language certificate (IELTS or equivalent — Hungarian-medium programmes exist but most international applicants choose English-medium).
- Submit through the Authority, which forwards your nomination to Tempus.
- If nominated, complete the Hungarian university application portal.
Confirm the exact deadline each January directly with the Ghana Scholarships Authority.
Commonwealth Master’s and PhD Scholarships
Who it covers: Ghanaian citizens domiciled in Ghana, with a first-class or upper-second-class degree (equivalent to UK First or 2:1). Ghana is a Commonwealth member and eligible for the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission’s awards.
What it funds: Full tuition, return airfare and a living stipend at a UK university. The CSC routes applications through nominated bodies — in Ghana, the Ghana Scholarships Authority acts as a nominating body, as does FAWE Ghana.
Apply via: cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk. The online portal typically opens around October of the preceding year.
DAAD: Germany for Postgraduates and Researchers
Who it covers: Ghanaian graduates and researchers. DAAD has a dedicated Info Centre in Accra (daad-ghana.org).
Key programme: EPOS (Development-Related Postgraduate Courses) targets professionals from developing countries in sectors such as public health, agriculture and engineering, offering full-tuition Master’s programmes at selected German universities. Coverage typically includes a monthly stipend, health insurance, travel allowance and study grants — confirm specific amounts on daad.de, as they vary by programme and are updated annually.
DAAD scholarship holders also have their German student visa fee (€75) waived.
Important: DAAD is primarily a postgraduate and research funding body. If you are seeking an undergraduate scholarship in Germany, DAAD is unlikely to be your route. Germany’s public universities charge no tuition for most programmes anyway (except Baden-Württemberg for non-EU students at €3,000/yr and some Bavarian/TUM programmes), making self-funded study at the Bachelor’s level financially feasible compared with other destinations.
Erasmus Mundus: Competitive but Transformative
Erasmus Mundus joint-degree programmes are run by consortia of two or more European universities and funded by the European Commission. All Ghanaian applicants are eligible. Awards cover:
- Full tuition for the entire programme
- A monthly living allowance
- A travel and installation contribution
Each Erasmus Mundus programme manages its own admissions and has separate deadlines — typically between November and January for September starts. Search the full catalogue at erasmus.eacea.ec.europa.eu. Competition is high globally; a strong academic record and a compelling motivation letter are essential.
Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship (GOI-IES)
Who it covers: All students domiciled outside the EU/EEA/UK/Switzerland — Ghana qualifies — who hold a valid offer of admission to an Irish higher-education institution.
What it funds: A €10,000 stipend plus a full fee waiver for one year. Approximately 60 awards are made annually.
Timing: The 2026 call closed in March 2026. The next round is expected to open around January 2027. Check hea.ie/policy/internationalisation/goi-ies/ for the opening date and don’t mistake it for a rolling programme — it is a fixed annual competition.
Malta MFA Scholarship
The Malta Ministry of Foreign Affairs runs a scholarship programme specifically listing Ghana and Nigeria as eligible countries. Details (coverage, amounts and annual deadlines) are announced on the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. This is worth monitoring if you are interested in studying at the University of Malta or another Maltese institution.
What Is NOT Available to Ghanaians
To avoid wasted effort:
- NAWA Banach (Poland): Ghana is not on the eligible-country list of 36 Polish-Aid recipient states. Ghanaians cannot apply (NAWA, 2026).
- Stipendium Hungaricum for Zimbabwe or Zambia: Irrelevant here, but worth knowing if you are advising others — those two are not eligible.
The Honest Picture on Odds
Scholarship places are scarce relative to the number of applicants. Chevening awards several dozen places in Ghana each year from thousands of applications nationally. Stipendium Hungaricum nominations from Ghana are limited by the quota the Authority receives from Tempus. Erasmus Mundus is competitive globally.
The students who win these awards typically have a strong academic record, clear professional goals, well-crafted motivation letters and supporting material prepared well in advance of deadlines. There are no guarantees, and no legitimate scholarship requires you to pay a fee to “secure” your nomination.
How World Study Africa Helps
World Study Africa helps Ghanaian students identify which scholarships match their profile and prepares them for the application process honestly — setting out the real odds, the real requirements, and the preparation needed. Our core service costs you nothing; we are funded by partner universities, not by students.
Explore the full scholarships hub at /scholarships/for-ghanaian-students/ for a current list of open awards, or check whether you meet the basic eligibility criteria at /eligibility-check/.
Ready to talk through your specific situation? Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll help you work out where to focus your effort.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Ghana is an official sending partner of the Stipendium Hungaricum programme. Applications go through the Ghana Scholarships Authority (scholarships.gov.gh), not directly to Hungarian universities. The Authority typically opens its call a few days before the Tempus Foundation's mid-January portal deadline. The scholarship covers full tuition, a monthly stipend, accommodation contribution and medical insurance.
Yes. Ghanaian nationals are fully eligible for Chevening. The scholarship funds a one-year Master's at a UK university, covering tuition, a living stipend, return flights and the visa fee. The programme requires approximately two years of work experience and demonstrated leadership. Applications typically open in August and close in early November each year.
No. The NAWA Banach programme's eligible-country list covers 36 Polish-Aid recipient states and does not include Ghana. Ghanaian students are not eligible for Banach. The broader NAWA scheme also currently excludes Ghana. Poland is still reachable via self-funding or DAAD/Erasmus Mundus routes.
Yes. The Ghana Scholarships Authority (Act 1149/2025), operating under the Office of the President, administers or forwards several bilateral scholarship programmes including Stipendium Hungaricum and Commonwealth nominations. It also offers its own Foreign Tertiary Scholarship for strategic disciplines. Contact the Authority at info@scholarships.gov.gh for the current cycle's open calls.
Erasmus Mundus is a European Commission joint-degree programme run across two or more European universities. All Ghanaian students are eligible to apply. Successful candidates receive full tuition coverage, a monthly living allowance and a travel contribution. Each Erasmus Mundus programme has its own application deadline, so search the catalogue at erasmus.eacea.ec.europa.eu.
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