Scholarship Calendar 2026-2027: Month-by-Month Deadlines
The #1 reason students miss out on scholarships? They don’t know when to apply.
Most prestigious scholarship deadlines cluster in specific windows — and if you miss them, you wait a full year for the next cycle.
Here is your complete month-by-month calendar for the 2026-2027 scholarship cycle. Bookmark this page and check it every month.
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How to Use This Calendar
- 🔴 This Month (Jul 2026): Urgent deadlines approaching within days
- 🟡 Next 30 Days (Aug 2026): Applications opening or closing soon
- 🟢 Planning Ahead (Sep 2026 onwards): Start preparing now
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July 2026 🔴
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15 | AU RUFORUM Graduate Research Grants | Master’s, PhD | Full tuition | Apply now |
| Jul 31 | African Union Mwalimu Nyerere | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded | URGENT |
| Jul 31 | Mandela Rhodes Scholarship | Honours, Master’s | Fully funded | URGENT |
| Jul 31 | Oxford Ellison Scholars | Undergraduate | Fully funded | URGENT |
| Jul 31 | KOICA Scholarship (Korea) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded | Apply now |
| Jul 31 | University of Pretoria LLM Human Rights | Master’s | Fully funded | Apply now |
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August 2026 🟡
🔔 This is the most important month of the year. Multiple flagship programs open or close.
Closing in August
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3 | Rhodes Southern Africa 2027 | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Aug 10 | Sabancı University Graduate (Turkey) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Aug 13 | Deutschlandstipendium @ FU Berlin | All levels | Living Stipend |
| Aug 15 | DAAD In-Country/In-Region (Africa) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Aug 20 | EAC Student Mobility (East Africa) | UG, Master’s, PhD | 197 fully funded spots |
| Aug 21 | Mastercard Foundation @ McGill | Master’s | Fully funded |
| Aug 27 | Rhodes West Africa 2027 | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Aug 27 | Rhodes Kenya 2027 | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Aug 28 | Sabancı University Undergraduate (Turkey) | Bachelors | Fully funded |
| Aug 31 | OWSD PhD Women in Science | PhD | Fully funded |
| Aug 31 | University of Cape Town Postgrad Funding | Master’s, PhD | Full tuition |
Opening in August
| Opens | Scholarship | Level | Key Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4 | Chevening Scholarship (UK) | Master’s | Closes Oct 6 |
| Aug | DAAD EPOS (Germany) | Master’s, PhD | Closes Aug-Oct |
| Aug | DAAD Helmut-Schmidt (Germany) | Master’s | Closes Aug |
| Aug | University-specific scholarships (various) | Varies | Rolling |
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September 2026
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | Heinrich Böll Foundation (Germany) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Sep 1 | Schlumberger Faculty for Future OPENS | PhD, Postdoc | Fully funded |
| Sep 15 | Santander Mobility (Spain) | All levels | €1,500 |
| Sep 30 | Expatrio Scholarship (Germany) | All levels | €15,000 prize |
| Sep 30 | QuestBridge National College Match (USA) | Undergraduate | Full ride ($325K+) |
Opens This Month
| Opens | Scholarship | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | Gates Cambridge (applications open) | Oct-Jan |
| Sep 1 | Schlumberger Faculty for Future | Nov 6, 2026 |
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October 2026 🟡
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | Chevening (UK) — FINAL DEADLINE | Master’s | Fully funded |
| Oct 6 | Knight-Hennessy @ Stanford (USA) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Oct 7 | Rhodes Scholarship USA | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Oct 14 | Gates Cambridge (US round) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Oct 15 | Swedish Institute Pioneering Women in STEM opens | Master’s | Fully funded |
| Oct 16 | Lester B. Pearson @ U of Toronto | Undergraduate | Fully funded |
| Oct | Oxford MSc African Studies (second round) | Master’s | Partially/fully funded |
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November 2026
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1 | Emory University Scholar Programs (USA) | Undergraduate | Merit scholarships |
| Nov 5 | Chevening (some countries) | Master’s | Fully funded |
| Nov 6 | Schlumberger Faculty for Future | PhD, Postdoc | Fully funded |
| Nov 14 | Oxford MSc African Studies (first round) | Master’s | Fully funded |
| Nov 15 | Flinn Scholarship (Arizona HS seniors) | Undergraduate | Full ride ($135K+) |
| Nov 15 | University-specific merit (various USA) | Undergraduate | Varies |
| Nov | Commonwealth Scholarships (opens via agencies) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
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December 2026
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1 | Vanderbilt Merit Scholarships (USA) | Undergraduate | Full tuition |
| Dec 1 | Gates Cambridge (international round) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Dec 1 | University-specific deadlines (USA) | Undergraduate | Various |
| Dec 7 | Wichita State Merit (USA) | Undergraduate | $4K-$24K/yr |
| Dec | Rhodes (various countries) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Dec | Clarendon Fund (Oxford auto-consideration) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
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January 2027
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5 | University of Dallas Scholars of Excellence | Undergraduate | Full tuition |
| Jan 7 | Gates Cambridge (international round) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Jan 15 | Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary) | UG, Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Jan 15 | Ohio University Admission Promise (USA) | Undergraduate | $2,000 |
| Jan | Erasmus Mundus (many programs close) | Master’s | Fully funded |
| Jan | Oxford course deadlines (auto-considered for Clarendon) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
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February 2027
| Deadline | Scholarship | Level | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15 | East Texas A&M Merit (USA) | Undergraduate | Up to $5,000/yr |
| Feb | Commonwealth Scholarships (varies by country) | Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Feb | Türkiye Bursları (Turkey — applications open) | UG, Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Feb | Australia Awards (varies by country) | UG, Master’s, PhD | Fully funded |
| Feb | DAAD scholarships (various) | Master’s, PhD | Monthly stipend |
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March – April 2027
| Month | Scholarship | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 1 | University-specific merit (various USA) | Varies |
| Mar 31 | Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship | Master’s, PhD |
| Apr 1 | University of Arizona FAFSA priority (USA) | Need-based |
| Apr | Australia Awards (varies by country) | Fully funded |
| Apr | GREAT Scholarships UK (varies by university) | £10K+ |
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May – June 2027
| Month | Scholarship | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| May | GREAT Scholarships UK (varies) | £10K+ |
| Jun 1 | Full-tuition Transfer @ University of Dallas | Undergraduate |
| Jun | Rhodes (applications open for new cycle) | Master’s, PhD |
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Visual: The Scholarship Year at a Glance
“`
Jan ████ Stipendium Hungaricum, Erasmus Mundus, Oxford/Cambridge deadlines
Feb ████ Turkey applications open, Commonwealth, Australia Awards
Mar ████ University-specific USA, Aga Khan Foundation
Apr ████ Australia Awards, University-specific
May ████ GREAT Scholarships
Jun ████ Rhodes opens
Jul 🔴██ AU Nyerere, Mandela Rhodes, Ellison Scholars, KOICA
Aug 🔴██ CHEVENING OPENS, Rhodes Africa closes, DAAD In-Country, Mastercard Foundation
Sep 🟡██ Gates opens, QuestBridge, Schlumberger, Expatrio
Oct 🔴██ CHEVENING CLOSES, Rhodes USA, Knight-Hennessy, Gates US round
Nov 🟡██ Schlumberger, Commonweath opens, Emory, Flinn
Dec 🟡██ Vanderbilt, Gates international, Clarendon auto-consideration
“`
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Your Personalized Action Plan
By Student Type
High School Senior:
- Jul-Sep: QuestBridge, Flinn, National College Match
- Oct-Dec: US university merit deadlines
- Jan-Apr: FAFSA, local scholarships, remaining university deadlines
Recent Graduate (0-2 yrs experience):
- Aug-Oct: Chevening (needs 2 yrs+ experience)
- Nov-Feb: Commonwealth Scholarships
- Dec-Jan: Erasmus Mundus
- Ongoing: DAAD (check specific program deadlines)
Professional (2+ yrs experience):
- Aug-Oct: Chevening (ideal timing)
- Aug-Oct: DAAD EPOS, Helmut-Schmidt
- Sep-Oct: Knight-Hennessy
- Nov-Feb: Commonwealth
PhD/Researcher:
- Sep-Nov: Schlumberger Faculty for Future
- Oct-Dec: Gates Cambridge
- Dec-Jan: Clarendon/Oxford
- Aug-Oct: DAAD Research Grants
- Ongoing: OWSD, various
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Downloadable Checklist
Print this and stick it on your wall:
- [ ] July: Submit AU Nyerere, Mandela Rhodes, Ellison Scholars
- [ ] August: Prepare Chevening essays, submit DAAD In-Country, Mastercard Foundation
- [ ] September: Submit QuestBridge, Expatrio; start Gates Cambridge prep
- [ ] October: Submit Chevening, Knight-Hennessy, Rhodes USA
- [ ] November: Submit Schlumberger, prepare Commonwealth applications
- [ ] December: Submit Vanderbilt, Gates Cambridge
- [ ] January: Submit Erasmus Mundus, Stipendium Hungaricum
- [ ] February: Prepare Turkey Scholarships, Australia Awards
- [ ] March-April: Submit remaining university-specific applications
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Bookmark this calendar — we update it every cycle. Missing a deadline is the #1 scholarship mistake. Don’t let it happen to you. Share with someone who’s planning their scholarship journey.