How to search for scholarships without falling for fake ones

Scholarships can make studying abroad possible, but the search can be overwhelming, and fake “scholarship agents” are common. This guide focuses on how to search; we do not list deadlines or amounts here, because they change every year.

Where genuine scholarships are published

• Government-funded programmes publish their rules on their own official websites. Examples include Chevening (UK), Fulbright (USA), DAAD (Germany), the Global Korea Scholarship (South Korea), Japanese Government (MEXT) scholarships, and scholarships for international students managed by AMCI in Morocco.
• Universities list their own scholarships, often on the international admissions or funding pages.
• Your home country’s ministry of education or higher-education bodies may run outbound scholarship schemes.
• Foundations and professional bodies sometimes fund study in specific fields.

Read the criteria carefully

Check nationality eligibility, level of study, subject, required work experience, language-test requirements and whether the scholarship covers tuition only or also living costs and travel. Make a simple table to compare.

Warning signs of scholarship scams

• You must pay a fee to apply for, or to “secure”, a scholarship.
• You are told you’ve won a scholarship you never applied for.
• Communication comes from free email accounts, not the official organisation’s domain.
• Pressure to send passport copies or bank details quickly.

Strengthen your applications

Start early, tailor every personal statement to the scholarship’s purpose, ask referees in good time and keep a calendar of official deadlines taken directly from each programme’s website.