Grants and stipends for young migrants — what is actually open to third-country nationals

Three logics behind European funding

If you are a third-country national between 16 and 30 looking for funding to study, train or migrate to an EU member state, you are working across three different logics:

• EU-funded programmes — financed by the European Commission and harmonised across all member states. Often include third-country nationals by design. Examples: Erasmus+, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Horizon Europe doctoral networks.
• National scholarships — financed by member-state ministries or quasi-public agencies. Some are explicitly aimed at third-country nationals; others restrict eligibility to EU/EEA passport holders. Examples: DAAD (Germany), Eiffel (France), Chevening (UK), Holland Scholarship (Netherlands).
• Foundations and migrant-specific funds — private and civil-society money. Often the most flexible on residency, but smaller in scale and harder to find. Examples: Robert Bosch Stiftung, Open Society Foundations, diaspora foundations from your country of origin.

Asylum-related funding (UNHCR scholarships, DAFI, refugee-specific cash assistance) is a separate world that this overview does not cover — vamosa is a portal for regular migration paths.

EU programmes — the largest pot, surprisingly open

The European Commission funds youth and education programmes worth tens of billions per multi-annual framework. The two most relevant for third-country nationals:

Erasmus+

Mostly known as the EU student exchange. Less known: Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters are explicitly designed to attract third-country talent. You apply directly to a consortium of universities, study in two or more EU countries, and receive a full scholarship including travel and monthly stipend (typically 1,400 €/month). Application deadlines are usually mid-January for the following academic year. The catch: programmes are highly competitive (acceptance often below 10 %), and you usually need a recognised undergraduate degree plus strong English (and sometimes a second EU language).

Erasmus+ also funds youth exchanges and volunteering for participants 13–30, including third-country nationals legally resident in or partner-country resident with a participating organisation. The smaller scale (€50–€100/day plus travel) makes these accessible without a full degree.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)

Aimed at researchers and doctoral candidates. The flagship is the MSCA Doctoral Networks (formerly ITN) — fully funded PhD positions, often above 3,000 €/month gross, explicitly open to nationals of any country. The mobility rule means you cannot have lived in the host country more than 12 months in the three years before recruitment, which actually favours third-country candidates over locals. If you want to do a PhD in Europe, MSCA is the most accessible single entry point.

Horizon Europe research grants

For postdoctoral researchers, the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships offer two- to three-year fellowships at any European research institution, again open to all nationalities. Application is highly competitive but funding levels are excellent (40,000–60,000 € net per year).

National scholarships — eligibility varies sharply

National stipends are the second-largest source of funding. Eligibility for third-country nationals varies enormously by programme.

Open to third-country nationals

• DAAD (Germany) — explicitly aimed at international students; large database of programmes from Bachelor to PhD; typical stipend 850–1,300 €/month plus tuition coverage. Many programmes give priority to specific origin regions (Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia).
• Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (France) — French government scholarship for non-French nationals at Master and PhD level; 1,200–1,700 €/month plus international travel and health insurance.
• Chevening (UK) — fully funded one-year Master's; 1,500+ scholars per year worldwide. Application is rigorous (work experience requirement, leadership essays).
• Holland Scholarship (Netherlands) — €5,000 one-time grant for non-EEA students at participating Dutch universities.
• Visby Programme (Sweden) — Swedish Institute scholarships for citizens of selected Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries.
• Austrian OeAD scholarships — broad portfolio for incoming students and researchers.

Restricted to EU/EEA nationals or specific origin countries

Many flagship national stipends — for example, the German Studienstiftung academic foundation, French CROUS social grants, or Italian DSU regional scholarships — are formally or practically restricted to EU citizens or to long-term residents. If you find a programme, read the eligibility section before investing time in the application.

University-level stipends and tuition

Beyond national programmes, individual universities run their own scholarships and tuition waivers. Patterns to know:

• Tuition-free public universities in Germany, Austria, Norway (for non-EU/EEA: limited), Iceland, Czechia (Czech-language programmes), Greece, Slovenia. You still need living costs, but the largest single expense is removed.
• Need-based fee waivers at many EU universities for low-income third-country students; ask the international office directly.
• Merit-based university stipends — small (1,000–5,000 €/year) but cumulative if you stack them with EU programmes or national grants.
• Country-of-origin scholarships placed at European universities — for example, Brazilian, Mexican or Chinese government programmes that pay for their citizens to study in specific EU institutions.

Migrant-specific and minority-focused funds

A smaller but valuable category: foundations and civic-society organisations specifically funding migrants, refugees in regular status, or under-represented minorities.

Examples include the Open Society Foundations civil-society scholarships, the Robert Bosch Stiftung programmes for migration researchers, the Aga Khan Foundation scholarships for nationals of selected countries, and various national-level foundations (e.g., Hilde Domin programme of DAAD for at-risk students). The scale is smaller than EU or national flagship programmes, but eligibility is often more flexible.

The European Youth Foundation (Council of Europe) funds youth NGOs — useful if you are arriving in the EU and want to engage in youth work, civic-education projects or international meetings.

Diaspora and origin-country foundations

Often overlooked: foundations from your country of origin that fund their own citizens to study abroad. Examples include CONACYT (Mexico), CAPES (Brazil), CSC (China), Becas Carolina (Spain for Latin American nationals — note: pulls from origin, deposits at Spanish institutions). Eligibility, deadlines and obligations (return-home clauses, service contracts) vary enormously. If you are from a country with a state scholarship programme to Europe, this is often the largest single funding source available to you.

What is typically NOT covered

It is worth being explicit about gaps:

• Unconditional cash assistance for third-country nationals without a residence permit — does not exist outside emergency humanitarian frameworks.
• Migration costs themselves — visa fees, flights, deposits — are almost never directly funded. Stipends typically start once you are enrolled and resident.
• People in irregular status — most programmes require legal residence in a participating country at application time.
• Asylum-seekers — covered by separate (usually UNHCR-linked) tracks, outside the scope of vamosa.
• Income replacement during the application phase — the gap between deciding to migrate and starting a funded programme is yours to bridge. See financing your move for that question.

Eligibility realities — read the fine print

"Open to third-country nationals" is a phrase that hides several traps. Before applying, check explicitly:

• Residency at application time — many programmes require you to be legally resident in a participating country when you apply, not when you start.
• Mobility rule — programmes often exclude applicants who have already spent significant time in the host country, to avoid funding people who are already integrated.
• Language requirement — beyond the official admission requirement, scholarship juries often want certified evidence (IELTS, TestDaF, DELF, etc.) at application time.
• Origin-country quota — some programmes prioritise specific regions or signal preference for under-represented countries.
• Return-home clauses — particularly with Erasmus Mundus, Eiffel and many origin-country programmes, you may commit to leaving the EU after the studies. Read these clauses carefully; they can affect your long-term migration plan.

How to apply — common patterns

A realistic application timeline for European funding:

• 12–18 months ahead: scope the landscape, shortlist 3–5 programmes that fit you.
• 9–12 months ahead: prepare language tests, gather university transcripts, identify recommenders.
• 6–9 months ahead: write the proposal/motivation letters; request and receive recommendation letters.
• 3–6 months ahead: submit; wait for results.
• 0–3 months ahead: visa, accommodation, banking, travel — see financing your move.

Common mistakes that get applications rejected: weak match between your stated goal and the programme's purpose; generic motivation letters; missing or poorly-translated transcripts; missed deadline by hours; applications submitted from a country you are not legally resident in.

Where this connects

If you are still in the planning stage, scholarship money rarely arrives early enough to fund the move itself. For the bridge phase, see financing your move — and be alert to fraud aimed precisely at people about to spend their savings on migration: see recruitment scams. Once you arrive, qualified work paths after or during your funded programme are covered in work pathways.