PhD Scholarships for 2027: Fully Funded Options Abroad

Starting a PhD abroad is one of the biggest financial commitments in academia, which is exactly why fully funded scholarships matter so much. Below is a roundup of currently open, fully funded PhD opportunities for the 2027 intake, spanning Australia, the UK, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, and beyond. They are listed by deadline so you can prioritize.

September 27: University of Southern Queensland DPHD Scholarship

UniSQ's International PhD Stipend and Fee Scholarship covers a full Doctor of Philosophy for international students in the university's flagship research areas. It requires a Bachelor's with First Class Honours or equivalent, and there is an optional Industry Stream that pairs funding with a 60 day internship placement.

September 30: University of Leeds PhD Studentship in Numerical Linear Algebra

A fully funded PhD studentship in the School of Computer Science at Leeds, working on mixed precision methods for numerical linear algebra at exascale. It covers full fees plus a tax free maintenance grant for 3.5 years and is open to UK and international applicants.

September 30: Murdoch University RTP Scholarship

Murdoch University's Research Training Program scholarship in Australia is open to international students at both master's and PhD level, covering tuition and stipend costs through the standard RTP structure.

October 10: Chulalongkorn University Scholarships 2027

Thailand's Chulalongkorn University funds master's and PhD study across nearly every academic field, from engineering to social sciences. Faculty and researchers who plan to return to teach at their home institutions are especially encouraged to apply, and deadlines vary slightly by faculty within October.

October 16: Kochi University of Technology SSP 2027

Japan's Kochi University of Technology offers a three year, English taught doctoral program in its Graduate School of Engineering, with each candidate matched to a designated KUT professor as supervisor.

October 18: Martingale Foundation Scholarships 2027

The Martingale Foundation funds master's and PhD study in mathematics and artificial intelligence at partner UK universities, for students meeting its academic, UK and Ireland education, and financial barrier eligibility criteria.

October 30: Monash University ReDiLEEP PhD Scholarship

This PhD position at Monash University in Australia is part of the EU funded ReDiLEEP Doctoral Network, researching the physiological basis of response diversity in marine phytoplankton communities, with access to a network of thirteen linked doctoral projects internationally.

October 31: University of Waikato Doctoral Scholarship

New Zealand's University of Waikato awards up to 75 doctoral scholarships a year across a wide range of fields, open to domestic and international candidates alike. Applications go through as part of your doctoral enrolment, so you need an Offer of Place before the deadline counts for you.

Rolling: UCL Studentship Opportunities 2027

UCL runs a continuous pipeline of fully funded PhD studentships across departments, covering tuition, a UKRI rate stipend, research and relocation costs, and conference travel. Eligibility and deadlines vary by individual project, so this one is worth checking regularly rather than once.

Choosing where to apply

A few things worth weighing across these options: whether the scholarship is tied to a specific project and supervisor (like Leeds and Monash) versus open to any research proposal (like Chulalongkorn or UCL), whether it is restricted by citizenship or prior education, and how far in advance you need a supervisor's agreement before you can even submit. PhD applications generally take longer to prepare than master's applications because of the research proposal and supervisor matching, so start early on the ones with September and October deadlines.